Exam delivery
AP Calculus is a hybrid digital exam: the free-response answers are handwritten on paper
College Board's hybrid digital page and its course-by-course page both describe the same
mechanics for AP Calculus AB and BC: students complete multiple-choice questions and
view the free-response questions in Bluebook, then
handwrite their free-response answers in paper exam booklets that are
returned to the AP Program for scoring. The booklets reach AP coordinators in April and
are distributed by proctors on exam day; on the front cover students fill in brief
identification information and place an AP ID label, which is what connects the booklet
to their registration. The booklet format differs by AP subject, and College Board says
sample free-response booklets and a 2027 booklet overview will be posted in
early 2027 — none is published yet. One detail worth noting now: the FAQ
lists Biology, Chemistry, the Physics subjects and Precalculus as the subjects whose
booklets contain graphs or diagrams to write on; calculus is not among them.
Full article.
Source: AP Central — Hybrid Digital AP Exams and How AP Exams Are Administered by Course · checked 13 Oct 2026
Exam format
The AP Calculus exam changes shape from May 2027
College Board says the number of multiple-choice questions and the timing on the
AP Calculus AB and BC exams have been updated, effective with the May 2027 exams.
Course content has not changed — this is the shape of the exam, not the
syllabus. The exam pages publish the format as: Section I — 42 multiple-choice
questions in 1 hour 40 minutes (Part A: 29 questions, 62 minutes, no calculator;
Part B: 13 questions, 38 minutes, calculator required); Section II — 6 free-response
questions in 1 hour 30 minutes (Part A: 2 questions, 30 minutes, calculator required;
Part B: 4 questions, 60 minutes, no calculator). The pages do not label that listing
with a year, so we quote it as published rather than assume which sitting it describes.
Full article.
Source: AP Central — AP Calculus AB and the AB exam page · checked 8 Oct 2026
Calculators
The built-in Desmos calculator is allowed only where a calculator is required
College Board's calculator policy says students may use an approved handheld
calculator and/or the Desmos built-in calculator through the Bluebook
testing app. For Calculus AB, BC and Precalculus, it adds, the Desmos calculator is
available only in the calculator-required parts of the exam —
which are Section I Part B (13 questions, 38 minutes) and Section II Part A
(2 questions, 30 minutes). The no-calculator parts remain no-calculator.
Full article.
Source: AP Central — AP Exams Calculator Policy · checked 8 Oct 2026
Exam dates
2027 AP Exams: 3–7 and 10–14 May
The 2027 AP Exams run over two weeks, 3–7 May and 10–14 May 2027.
Calculus AB and Calculus BC sit on Monday 10 May 2027, in the 8 a.m. session.
Source: AP Central — Exam Dates · checked 8 Oct 2026
Start times
Start times change in some locations from 2027
Beginning with the 2027 administration, start times for AP Exams in some locations
have changed, to stop secure exam content being disclosed across time zones. For
most schools, including all of the lower 48 United States, Hawaii and Washington,
D.C., exams still begin at 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. local time.
Source: AP Central — Exam Dates · checked 8 Oct 2026
College Board's own pages are the source of
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