What to Expect
Congratulations! You successfully completed AP® Seminar, a grueling course of 2+ research papers (more if you did mock papers), and multiple presentations with teams that may or may not have worked well with you.
You likely have heard from your teacher and former AP Seminar students about how Research is a completely different course. Continue reading to find out whether AP Research is hard or even worth taking. You got this 🎉
How difficult is AP Research?
Let's do some quantitative analysis and take a look at the pass rates for AP Research!
Crunching the Numbers
Score Distribution
| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | 8.8% | 32.1% | 31.5% | 25% | 2.6% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | 22.3% | 43.1% | 19.3% | 4.5% |
| 2018 | 11.4% | 23.8% | 40.2% | 19.6% | 5% |
Generally speaking, about 75% of students pass the AP Research exam. Note that this year's results may be a little different due to the lack of a presentation/oral defense portion (POD).
Workload
This course does not have an intense workload as long as you stay organized. This course is the most problematic to procrastinate for, as the 4,000-5,000 word requirement means that waiting until the last week will likely result in a failing AP score 👀
This is what you'll look like when you try to write your entire research paper in one week! Image from Unsplash.
Throughout the year, you will likely read about different methodologies, watch presentations, and/or read sample papers. The writing will be completely independent, but time management apps like Toggl and Todoist can help you out throughout the school year!
Great Advice from Past Students
Here's some great advice from a past AP Research student:
"Understand the limits/scope of the paper: you have one school year and do not have like a lot of resources and money. Nevertheless, pick what you’re interested in—you can use the method of another study but to a different audience to fill the gap." —Abby Liang
Another great answer from another AP Research student:
"I would say it’s a lot of independent work as your teacher can’t directly give feedback on your paper, so depending on your workflow, this class may be hard." —Solomon Kim
AP Research's difficulty also depends on the workload from your other courses. While there isn't any inherent memorization or testing, the writing process and preparation for the presentation may be burdensome for many students who are also taking other AP courses. At that point, it becomes important to ask . . .
Is AP Research worth taking?
The answer is absolutely, yes! One of the best benefits of AP Research is gaining either the AP Seminar and Research Certificate 📜 (passing both classes) or AP Capstone Diploma 🎓 (passing both classes and 4 other AP exams). You can show this off to colleges and can boost your college application!
This course can be an early introduction to conducting independent research! While you are likely not receiving any grants 💰 from your high school nor gaining assistance from high-level professors, writing the different aspects of a research paper in high school is incredibly impressive.
Furthermore, AP Research is incredibly multidisciplinary, which means that it won't immediately give you credit for any college classes. However, you can show your research paper to your advisor, and they could advise as to whether you could conduct further research in your higher education with a professor.
You could be conducting lab research in college after you write your AP Research paper. Image from Pixabay.
Another great benefit of AP Research is the possible scholarship opportunities. Bard College Berlin emailed me when I was in Seminar and promised a tuition waiver of up to 90% for four years if I received the AP Capstone Diploma (with priority given if you took AP courses in multiple disciplines).But don't just take it from me—other students concur that AP Research is worth it!
"It's 1000% worth taking because it teaches you college-level skills and shows you a little bit more about what research (not just finding information, but creating new knowledge) looks like." —Solomon Kim
"I really liked it and do recommend it because this class teaches you to work independently and do research (from lit review to data analysis) on something you’re actually passionate about! It’s also super cool to learn everyone else’s topic from your class." —Abby Liang
"AP Research is definitely worth taking because you will understand the methodology and research processes behind a lot of studies you might read in college." —Fatima Raja
After coming out of AP Research, you're going to be stronger in your analytic abilities while also learning how to write at the expected higher education level. You'll be glad you didn't cap on Capstone 😉
FAQs
You'll have a ton of freedom when it comes to choosing your topic, so you can explore almost any idea that you find compelling. AP Research is a good choice for students who are looking for a way to enrich their high school experience with independent research and enroll in competitive college programs.
Is it hard to pass AP Research? ›
AP Research's difficulty also depends on the workload from your other courses. While there isn't any inherent memorization or testing, the writing process and preparation for the presentation may be burdensome for many students who are also taking other AP courses.
Do colleges look at AP Research? ›
Find Colleges and Universities That Grant Credit for AP Seminar and AP Research. The AP Capstone Diploma is increasingly recognized in admissions by higher education institutions around the world. Many colleges and universities offer credit and/or placement for a qualifying score in AP Seminar, AP Research, or both.
What are the benefits of AP Research? ›
Benefits of AP Capstone
- Fosters the research, argumentation, and communication skills that are at the core of college readiness and essential for lifelong learning.
- Provides a setting to build on the knowledge and rigorous course work of AP in an interdisciplinary format.
Easiest AP exams by pass rate
| AP Subject | Pass Rate (Exam Score of 3+) | Median Score |
|---|
| Ap Physics C Mechanics | 73.4% | 3.41 |
| AP Psychology | 58.3% | 2.71 |
| AP Research | 82.7% | 3.3 |
| AP Seminar | 82.6% | 3.19 |
34 more rowsJan 13, 2023
How to get a 5
- Understand the format of the exam. ...
- Read sample papers to understand the expectations. ...
- Watch previous AP Research presentations. ...
- Think long term with your work. ...
- Constantly conduct a review of the literature. ...
- Have a clear structure and time schedule to keep yourself on track. ...
- Try to find an expert advisor.
The good news is that a failed exam does not affect your GPA. In addition, you can retake the AP exam the next year. To prepare, you can re-enroll in the class, study on your own, or hire a tutor who can help you tackle the more challenging subjects on the test.
Does Harvard accept AP Research? ›
Harvard only accepts AP® scores of 5 for course credit. If you have 4 scores of 5, you can opt to obtain Advanced Standing. You can use AP® credits to opt-out of lower-level classes. Harvard has general academic requirements that all students must take.
What is AP Research equivalent to? ›
AP Research is an interdisciplinary course that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking and academic research skills on a topic of the student's choosing. To accommodate the wide range of student topics, typical college course equivalents include introductory research or general elective courses.
What grade takes AP Research? ›
Students typically take AP Seminar in grade 10 or 11, followed by AP Research. Each course is yearlong, and AP Seminar is a prerequisite for AP Research.
Colleges typically view both AP Seminar and AP Research courses as equally rigorous, and both can demonstrate your willingness to take on challenging coursework. So, the decision is more about which one you feel will set you up better for academic success down the road, given your goals and priorities.
How long should my AP Research paper be? ›
The academic paper should be 4,000–5,000 words long. You'll be evaluated on the content, structure, format, and conclusions of the paper as well as your ability to properly and accurately cite sources.
Can I take AP Research without AP Seminar? ›
Students must first complete AP Seminar, including the end-of-course exam and all required performance tasks, to develop the skills necessary to succeed in AP Research. Students who score a 1 or 2 in AP Seminar are still eligible to enroll in AP Research but might need additional support and guidance during the course.
Should I take AP Seminar or AP Research? ›
Colleges typically view both AP Seminar and AP Research courses as equally rigorous, and both can demonstrate your willingness to take on challenging coursework. So, the decision is more about which one you feel will set you up better for academic success down the road, given your goals and priorities.
Do colleges really care about AP Capstone? ›
Similar to IB, since AP Capstone is only offered at a select few schools, colleges won't be specifically looking for AP Capstone or favoring it, since not all students have access to it. Still, if you take Capstone, aspects of the program—especially the long research paper—will likely look desirable to most colleges.
When should I take AP Research? ›
Students typically take AP Seminar in grade 10 or 11, followed by AP Research. Each course is yearlong, and AP Seminar is a prerequisite for AP Research. In both courses, students investigate a variety of topics in multiple disciplines. Students may choose to explore topics related to other AP courses they're taking.
Should I take AP Seminar and research? ›
Should You Take AP Seminar? If you hope to earn an AP Research and Seminar Certificate or an AP Capstone Diploma, you need to take AP Seminar. The AP Capstone program culminates in a 5,000-word research paper that is completed in the AP Research class—an impressive accomplishment for a high school student!
