• to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their acquired skills in writing expository essays and analyzing works of literature.

• colleges and universities can use the results of this examination to determine whether or not students should be awarded college credit for their performance
• potential tuition savings
• more flexibility in fulfilling requirements for a degree
• to do well on the examination, students must demonstrate abilities equivalent to those expected of college students who have successfully completed an introductory course in literature or freshman composition

The two AP English exams are Language and Composition and Literature and Composition. Both tests are three-hour examinations that give students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the skills and abilities learned in the two courses.

The AP Examination in English Language and Composition employs multiple-choice questions; these test the student's skills in analyzing the rhetoric of prose passages. However, students are also asked to demonstrate their skill in composition directly by writing several essays of varying lengths in various rhetorical modes. Although the skills tested in the examination remain essentially the same from year to year, each year's examination is composed of new questions. The essay part of the examination is scored under standardized procedures by college and AP English teachers.

Ordinarily, the examination consists of 60 minutes for multiple-choice questions followed by 120 minutes for essay questions. Performance on the essay section of the examination counts for 55 percent of the total grade; performance on the multiple-choice section, 45 percent.

The AP Examination in English Literature and Composition employs multiple-choice questions that test the student's critical reading of selected passages. But the examination also requires writing as a direct measure of the student's ability to read and interpret literature and to use other forms of discourse effectively. Although the skills tested in the examination remain essentially the same from year to year, each year's examination is composed of new questions. The essay part of the examination is scored under standardized procedures by college and AP English teachers.

Ordinarily, the examination consists of 60 minutes for multiple-choice questions followed by 120 minutes for essay questions. Performance on the essay section of the examination counts for 55 percent of the total grade; performance on the multiple-choice section, 45 percent.

• Students are expected to read, analyze, and compose at the college level.
• Section I has four sets of multiple-choice questions based on four literary selections, two each in poetry and prose.
• Section II has three essay questions based on prose analysis, poetry analysis, and an open-ended question based on a novel or play.