The College Board made significant changes to the AP Psychology exam this year.
I'm a professional tutor. I've helped dozens of students improve their grades in AP Psychology. Read on for up-to-date, accurate information about the 2025 AP Psychology exam.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
As expected, the new version of the exam will continue to have Multiple Choice Questions. There are significant changes to this section that you should be aware of. First, there will be 75 questions on the new exam. Multiple Choice Questions will also have four options. Previous version had 100 questions and each question had five options. It is common for teachers and students to refer to this type of question as a MCQ.
Students should expect to do more reading on the revised version of the exam. This is one reason for the reduction in the number of questions and possible options.
Multiple Choice Questions text a variety of skills. Some questions will test student's understanding of the course content. These questions may ask about specific vocabulary terms or psychology concepts. They also ask students to do interpret data and statistics. This has not changed from previous versions of the exam.
There are new question types have on the revised version of the exam. There are more questions that include tables and graphs. Students will need to interpret the charts to answer the questions. Students should expect more questions about research design and ethics. Previous versions of the exam did not have many questions about these topics. This mirrors the new course's emphasis on understanding the scientific aspects of psychology.
On the AP Psychology exam, students will have 90 minutes to complete 75 questions. This is more time than the previous version of the exam, which only gave 50 minutes for the AP exam. Again, this reflect the fact that this type of question is more challenging on the new version of the exam.
The Multiple Choice Questions account for about 67 percent of the total exam score.
Article Analysis Questions (AAQs)
The free-response section of the AP Psychology exam has completely changed. The Article Analysis Question is the first of two new types of questions. Article Analysis Questions are often referred to as AAQs.
Each Article Analysis Question will include a summary of a research study. Each of these studies is from a peer-reviewed publication. This sections used in the test mirror the sections of a traditional research study. The text describes the study's goals, design, data, statistics, and the researcher's conclusions.
The College Board released a sample question that had six questions. The number of questions on the exam in May might be different. Some of these questions will ask students to identify key elements of the study. This includes the hypothesis, independent variable, and dependent variable. Some questions may ask students to interpret the methods used in the study. Students need to describe potential ethical issues. They may need to determine the research design chosen for the study. Finally, students have to interpret the data and statistical analyses. Each question is worth one or two points depending on the complexity of the question.
On the AP Psychology exam, students will have 10 minutes to read the research study. They will also have 15 minutes to write their responses to the questions. This part of the exam is worth approximately 17% of the total exam score.
Evidence-Based Question (EBQ)
The Evidence-Based Question is also a new type of free response question. Evidence-Based Questions are also called EBQs.
In May, students will have 45 minutes to complete this part of the exam. Students have 15 minutes to read through the articles. They have 30 minutes to write a response to the prompt.
In total, students can earn up to seven points on the Evidence-Based Question. The Evidence-Based Question are worth about 17% of the score on the exam.
The Evidence-Based Question focuses on a single topic. Students will have three separate research studies to use in this section. Each study will explore different aspects of the assigned topic. They may use different samples, research designs, or statistical analyses. Each of the studies is a real, peer-reviewed study.
Students need to use this information to create a claim about a current issue or debate. Then they need to provide evidence and analysis that supports this claim.
Students earn points in four distinct areas on an Evidence-Based Question.
Thesis / Claim
The thesis should advance an argument about the topic. This could be proposing a recommendation. It could also be suggesting positive or negative impacts of a proposed solution. It also needs to be defensible using the provided research studies. This means that students should be able to use the studies to explain why their claim is correct. A thesis that is incorrect or unproveable will not earn credit. Students can earn one point for the thesis statement.
Evidence
Students need to cite evidence to support their claims. Students should use evidence from at least two of the studies in their essay. They also need to state which source the information came from. They can use an in-text or parenthetical citation. The College Board considers all text before a citation to be evidence. Students earn one point for each piece of evidence they cite, and they can earn up to two points in this section.
Explanation
Students need to explain how each piece of evidence helps support the claim they are making. Students can earn up to two points for explaining their evidence. That's one for each of the two pieces of evidence.
Application
Students can earn points for applying a "psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding." This information won't in the article itself. Instead, student's need to recall and apply information from the course. The information used must be in the AP Psychology Course and Exam Description. Students can earn up to two points for this section of the exam.
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This material is based on my interpretation of the AP Psychology Course and Exam Description and my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.