College Board
AP Calculus AB
Advanced Placement Calculus AB Exam
The College Board's first-semester-college-calculus exam for high-school students. A score of 3+ earns college credit or placement at most US universities, making it a standard accelerator for STEM-bound students.
Full program: 8 decks, 807 cards.
What's on the exam
AP Calculus AB Course and Exam Description (2026-27 update; new multiple-choice count and timing effective May 2027 exams)
Limits and Continuity
10–15%Estimating and evaluating limits · Limit laws and algebraic manipulation · Squeeze theorem · Continuity and discontinuities · Asymptotes and limits at infinity · Intermediate Value Theorem
Differentiation: Definition and Fundamental Properties
10–15%Definition of the derivative · Differentiability and continuity · Power, product, and quotient rules · Derivatives of trigonometric functions · Derivatives of exponential and logarithmic functions
Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions
5–10%Chain rule · Implicit differentiation · Derivatives of inverse functions · Derivatives of inverse trigonometric functions · Higher-order derivatives
Contextual Applications of Differentiation
10–15%Rates of change in context · Straight-line motion · Related rates · Local linearity and approximation · L'Hospital's Rule
Analytical Applications of Differentiation
15–20%Mean Value Theorem · Extreme values and critical points · Increasing/decreasing behavior and concavity · Curve sketching · Optimization · Behavior of implicit relations
Integration and Accumulation of Change
15–20%Riemann sums and the definite integral · Accumulation functions · Fundamental Theorem of Calculus · Antiderivatives and basic rules · Integration by substitution
Differential Equations
5–10%Modeling with differential equations · Slope fields · Separation of variables · Exponential growth and decay
Applications of Integration
10–15%Average value of a function · Motion and accumulation problems · Area between curves · Volumes by cross sections · Volumes of revolution (disc and washer)
Frequently asked questions
How much does the AP Calculus AB cost?
The AP Calculus AB costs $99. US/Canada exam fee; international fee is higher and late-order fees apply.
How long is the AP Calculus AB and how many questions does it have?
42 multiple-choice + 6 free-response — 3 hours 10 minutes (1 hour 40 minutes multiple-choice; 1 hour 30 minutes free-response).
What do you need to pass the AP Calculus AB?
Scored 1–5; most colleges grant credit or placement for 3 and above.
Can you retake the AP Calculus AB?
Offered once per year; the exam may be retaken in a subsequent year.
What is the best way to study for the AP Calculus AB?
Start from the official outline and your primary study materials: the exam is weighted by domain (Limits and Continuity 10–15%, Differentiation: Definition and Fundamental Properties 10–15%, Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions 5–10%, Contextual Applications of Differentiation 10–15%, Analytical Applications of Differentiation 15–20%, Integration and Accumulation of Change 15–20%, Differential Equations 5–10%, Applications of Integration 10–15%). Once you've learned the material, spaced-repetition flashcards organized by those domains are an efficient way to retain it and refresh it before test day.
Ready to prepare?
Our AP Calculus AB program is organized by this outline's domains and scheduled by spaced repetition, with a path from first card to test day.
Flashcards are a memory tool. Learn the material first, then use NoReread to retain it and refresh what you already know. It doesn't replace studying the subject.