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The 2026 AP Biology Exam scores: 5: 15%; 4: 25%; 3: 31%; 2: 21%; 1: 8% The 2026 AP Biology Exam was taken by 318,000 students, about 2% of the overall U.S. high school population. Multiple-Choice Questions Students scored highest, overall, on questions about Ecology (Unit 8). Generally, students achieving AP 5s earned all 10 points possible here, students achieving AP 4s earned 9/10 points, and students achieving AP 3s earned 8/10 points. Students scored nearly as well on questions about Natural Selection (Unit 7). Students earning AP 5s generally earned all 8/8 points possible here, students earning AP 4s attained 7/8 points, and students earning AP 3s attained 6/8 points. Questions related to the Chemistry of Life (Unit 1) were overall, and by far, the most challenging for students; 7% of students earned perfect scores on this unit’s questions, suggesting a need for more review / focus on these topics. Free-Response Questions The six FRQs collectively span the AP Biology curriculum — from molecular signaling and gene regulation to cellular energetics, meiosis, natural selection, and ecological analysis — asking students to interpret experimental data, construct graphs, evaluate hypotheses, and reason across biological scales. It’s terrific how the Development Committee designed these questions to embed classic content knowledge inside authentic scientific investigations, so that students who have truly mastered the material reveal themselves through how they apply their knowledge, not merely through what they recall. Since AP scores are reported on a 5-point scale, the free-response questions deliberately include some very difficult points, designed to differentiate AP 5s from AP 4s, points of varying difficulty to differentiate AP 4s, 3s, and 2s, and more foundational points to separate AP 2s from AP 1s. FRQ #1 asked students to investigate how molecular signals regulate plant stomatal closure. Students first recalled the structural components of a nucleotide, then interpreted experimental figures comparing stomatal size responses to different chemical treatments, justified the use of controls, and predicted outcomes based on mutation data. In the most integrative steps, students had to reason from molecular receptor function to transcriptional regulation — tracing a signaling cascade from cell surface to nucleus. The real mix of difficulty levels across the 9 points available in FRQ #1 helped to identify a wide range of abilities: Parts B.i. and B.ii. helped differentiate students receiving AP 1s from students receiving AP 2s, as students receiving AP 1s could typically only earn point B.ii, whereas students receiving AP 2s could typically earn both of these points, the two easiest in FRQ #1. Parts C.i., C.ii, and C.iii helped differentiate students earning AP 4s, who could typically justify, describe, and predict here, whereas students earning AP 3s were less effective at part C.i., justifying. Part D differentiated well between students achieving AP 4s and those achieving AP 5s, as D.ii. was the most difficulty point in FRQ #1, usually only earned by students receiving an AP 5, whereas students achieving AP 4s could typically answer part D.i. accurately. So if you’re able to complete both sections of Part D accurately and well, you’re very much performing in the AP 5 range. FRQ #2, a long free-response question about gene expression regulation, presented students with data on mRNA levels across cells with different AGO2 genotypes and asked them to construct a bar graph, interpret statistical overlap, calculate percent change, and connect molecular-level findings to a cellular phenotype (meiotic arrest). The multi-step quantitative and reasoning demands — including graphing with appropriate error bars, applying statistical reasoning to determine equivalence, and explaining how the absence of a protein leads to a downstream meiotic failure — make this question an excellent showcase of the scientific reasoning AP Biology teaches. Part A effectively distinguished students achieving AP 3s, who can consistently describe where ribosomes are found in eukaryotic cells, from students receiving AP 2s, who could not. In Part B, students receiving 2s could typically earn partial credit, whereas students earning AP 3s were much more able to work effectively across the various tasks here of appropriately plotting and labeling their graphs and interpreting the statistical overlap. Part C differentiated AP 4s, as they were generally much more able to succeed on this part than AP 3s. Similarly, Part D differentiated AP 5s, as they were the only group consistently successful at supporting the scientific claim and explaining the effect on the dividing cells. FRQ #3, a short free-response scientific investigation about cyanide and cellular respiration, tested students' ability to analyze an experimental design, identify control groups, predict outcomes, and connect inhibited cellular respiration to the switch to fermentation. Across 4 points, students had to demonstrate understanding of electron transport chain function and the metabolic consequences of its disruption. This question aimed at identifying performance at the AP 3, 4, and 5 levels, as students receiving 1s and 2s were not usually able to earn any of the points on this somewhat challenging FRQ. Students achieving AP 5s were generally able to sail through all parts of this question thoroughly and well. And the clearest boundary point between students receiving AP 4s and AP 3s was Part D, the most challenging part of this question, and one that AP 3s were not likely to earn. FRQ #4, the most difficult question in this year’s free-response section, asked students to describe chromosome movement in Meiosis I, explain why chromosomes are visible during cell division, predict mRNA production differences from nondisjunction, and justify why triploid organisms cannot produce normal gametes. The progression from descriptive recall to predictive reasoning to mechanistic justification models precisely how AP Biology builds scientific argument across four parts in a single short-response format. Similar to FRQ #3, this question focused squarely on differentiating performance across the scores of AP 3, 4, and 5. Students earning AP 3s could typically only succeed on Part A, whereas students earning AP 4s could also generally succeed on Part B, and only AP students achieving 5s were able to earn the especially difficult points in Parts C and D. FRQ #5 required students to connect abiotic selective pressures to phenotypic shifts, read a geographic map figure, identify a region by storm intensity, and explain how divergent selective pressures could drive speciation through reproductive isolation. The question integrates Units 7 and 8 and demonstrates that AP Biology students are expected to reason about evolution at both the mechanistic and population levels simultaneously. This was the easiest question on this year’s free-response section, and thus provided opportunities to differentiate students receiving AP 2s from those receiving 1s, as students receiving 2s were able to earn points in Part B and/or Part C, but unable to describe the role that changes in abiotic factors have in natural selection in the ways students receiving AP 3s and especially 4s were able to do. Part D served to identify students achieving AP 5s, so if you were able to earn that point, it’s likely you’re on track for a 5. FRQ #6 asked students to interpret a box-and-whisker plot comparing annual percent change in raptor populations across three African regions, identify medians and extremes, evaluate a scientific hypothesis using the data, and explain ecosystem-level consequences of losing top predators. This question aimed to differentiate clearly among students receiving AP 3s, 4s, or 5s, as the high difficulty level was generally above the knowledge and skills of students receiving AP 1s and 2s. Specifically, students receiving AP 3s were expected to succeed on Part A, while students receiving credit for Part B and Part C were students earning AP 4s or 5s, and students succeeding on part D were achieving an AP 5. All subjects’ AP score distributions for 2026 will be posted here when available: https://t.co/OrkaQhPZYO