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AP Exams Schedule and Registration

AP Courses for High School Students

The high school Advanced Placement program is a College Board program that allows high school students to access college-level curriculum. This curriculum assists and prepares students for their college or university coursework. 

A variety of Advanced Placement Courses are offered districtwide at SPS high schools. On the next page, you can find a list of the 2023-24 AP Courses offered at 11 comprehensive high schools. AP Course offerings change annually based on staffing and student enrollment.

Note: Chief Sealth and Ingraham high schools are International Baccalaureate (IB) schools, so they offer fewer AP Courses. Rainier Beach High School is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) school and does not offer AP courses. Read more about IB. 

For more information on AP courses at Seattle Public Schools, please visit the Advanced Placement webpage.  

2023-24 AP Exam Schedule and Registration

Seattle Public Schools will administer AP exams during the weeks of May 6-10 and May 13-17, 2024.

SPS will administer late AP exams during the College Board’s late AP testing window of May 20-24, 2024. These exams will only be administered for SPS students who were already registered for an exam but could not take the exam during the regular testing window for medical reasons or due to scheduling conflicts.

The district cannot accommodate any late AP testing requests after May 19th. Graduating seniors are encouraged to work with the College Board directly for identifying alternate options for AP exams after May 19th. All other students are encouraged to consider taking the AP exams next year if they are unable to take an exam by May 24, 2024.

Request Accommodations for AP Exams

Request Accommodations for AP Exams

To take an AP Exam with accommodations, a student must be approved for each accommodation by the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. Each student must work with their high school’s AP or SSD Coordinator to ensure their request for accommodations has been accurately submitted by the College Board deadline of January 18, 2024. Please visit College Board’s website to learn more about the different ways to request accommodations for AP exams for your student.

Note that if a student has previously been approved for an accommodation for any of the other College Board exams (e.g. PSAT/SAT, CLEP, etc.), then the student automatically qualifies for the same accommodation for all AP exams and no further action is required.

If a student recently qualified for new accommodations, a request must be submitted by the family or the high school’s SSD Coordinator to the College Board no later than January 18, 2024.

For questions, please contact your high school’s AP Coordinator.

AP Exam Schedule, Registration, and Deadlines

The 2024 Advanced Placement (AP) Exams will be administered in schools as paper-and-pencil* exams over two weeks in May: May 6-10 and May 13-17, 2024.

*As usual, AP Chinese and AP Japanese Exams are administered in schools on computers. There will be no other digital or at-home testing option available in 2024.

Please visit the College Board website for the May 2024 AP Exam Schedule.

AP Testing is highly encouraged, but not required. Per the College Board, AP courses offer the opportunity to study a subject in-depth at the college level. This better prepares students for college work. If the student receives a high enough score on an AP Exam, the student may be eligible for credit, advanced placement, or both at most colleges and universities in the United States.

AP Exam Registration and Fees

New for 2023-24

Seattle Public School (SPS) students who wish to take AP exams at their high school must register to take the exam(s) by the district-wide AP Registration & Fees Payment Deadline of Monday, November 6, 2023.

The College Board has set the national deadline for ordering all AP exams by November 15, 2023. In order for the SPS AP Coordinators to complete the process for ordering all AP exams by this national deadline, the district needs to finalize all registrations and fees from students by Monday, November 6, 2023. The only exception made for late registration is for new students from another district that enter mid-year. 

Students who are enrolled in a yearlong AP class at SPS will not be allowed to take the test for that AP course at SPS if they are not registered for that exam by Monday, November 6, 2023

AP exam registrations that are not paid for (or have no payment arrangements made) by the exam order deadline date of November 15, 2023 will be cancelled and exams will not be ordered.

AP Exam Registration for SPS Students Enrolled in AP Classes

  • SPS students need to join their AP class section online.
  • Click on the Register button in the class section view in My AP after you join your class sections.
    • Clicking this button will let your coordinator know that you plan to take the exam, and they will order it for you.
    • If you don’t see that button, it means you’ve already been automatically registered for the exam.
  • Once you have selected to register for an exam, the date and time of your exam will appear in your course card in My AP. You can review the exam schedule and talk with your AP coordinator if you have any questions about the start time for the exam(s) you’re scheduled to take.
  • For students wishing to take an exam not offered at their high school, please send an inquiry to their AP Coordinator.
    • The AP District office will work with SPS partner high schools to register you for an exam, please check your email for additional details and forms.
    • If the exam subject is not being offered at the 16 SPS schools, the AP District Office will provide additional resources to register for the AP Exam.

Questions? Please contact your school’s AP Coordinator

AP Exam Ordering Deadline with Seattle Public Schools

November 6, 2023 (5:00 p.m. PT) This is the final ordering deadline for all SPS students to register for an AP exam for first semester and yearlong AP courses.

Important

  • No registrations will be allowed after November 6, 2023 for first semester and yearlong AP classes at SPS.
  • All unused or cancelled AP exams will incur a $40 fee per exam. (Note: this is a policy that the College Board is reinstating for 2023-24, not a Seattle Public Schools policy.) 

AP Exam Fees and Payment*

  • $118 per exam
  • $20 per exam for students eligible to receive an exam fee reduction or waiver for the 2023-24 school year. Students who are eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch should work with their school’s AP Coordinator to receive an exam fee reduction or waiver for 2023-24.
  • $166 per exam for AP Capstone (AP Seminar or AP Research)

*All payments made by credit card are subject to the following fees:

  • $1.95 per transaction for all transactions $15.00 to $49.99
  • 3.99% of the total invoice amount for all transactions greater than or equal to $50.00

Payment

If you have any questions, please contact your high school’s AP Coordinator.

Families of out-of-district or homeschooled students interested in registering for an AP exam in 2023-24 should should complete the AP Exam Request for Out-of-District Students. Upon receipts, the SPS Assessment and Instructional Improvement staff will contact you within three business days.

AP Exam Refund Policy

AP Exam Refund Policy

Students who are unable to take the AP exam(s) after their exam has been ordered for any reason are eligible for a partial refund of $77 per exam.

Students only receive a partial refund because of the fees that the College Board charges for all changes to exam orders after November 15, 2023, and the administrative fee that Seattle Public Schools charges to administer the exams districtwide.

The AP Coordinator at your school will work to refund the $77 per exam for any unused AP exams through SchoolPay following the completion of AP exam administration at your school.

Families can expect refunds between June 1st-June 25th, 2024 but the timing may vary at each school. Please note that processing refunds is quickest for credit card payments and will post within 1-3 days after the refund process is initiated at your school. Any AP exams that were paid for with cash or check will require several additional weeks of processing time for a refund.

Please reach out to your high school’s AP Coordinator for questions regarding your refund.

Deadline to Make Changes to AP Exam Orders

The final national and SPS deadline to make any changes to existing AP exam orders is March 15, 2024, including cancelling AP exam orders.

The AP Coordinator at your school will work to refund the $77 per exam for any unused AP exams through SchoolPay following the completion of AP exam administration at your school.

At this point, the district is at capacity for AP testing and can no longer accommodate new AP exam order requests. Please contact The College Board for additional resources if you need support with your AP exam order at this point.

Registration and Payments After Deadline

Options for students who miss the SPS AP Exam Registration and Payment Deadline

Option 1 – If a student in 9th, 10th or 11th grade misses the AP Exam registration deadline, the student has the option to take the desired AP exam next year.  

Option 2 – The College Board has an Advanced Placement phone number for Students & Families that may be helpful.  They are usually able to offer students and families a current list of smaller districts or private schools that may have the capacity to offer late registrations. 

College Board AP Help Line for Students and Families is available via Phone at 888-225-5427 and the AP Services for Students Contact Form.

AP Exams for AP Courses Not Taught in the Seattle Public Schools

This year, Seattle Public Schools will not offer AP exams for AP courses that are not taught at one of the district’s high schools. This will ensure that all district resources are equitably allocated for students who are enrolled in or taking an AP exam for an AP course that is already offered in the district.

Students and families are encouraged to explore one of the alternate options listed below for AP exams not currently administered at one of the SPS high schools.

Option 1: Look at the College Board’s AP Ledger, which provides a list of AP courses offered by school nationwide. Search for a neighboring school that offers the AP course of your interest and directly contact their AP Coordinator for help with registration next steps.

Option 2: Explore alternate exam options with the College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). According to the College Board website, “CLEP offers 34 exams that cover introductory level college course material. With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits at 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities.” Search for a local CLEP test center and register for an available exam in the upcoming school year.  

Option 3: Considering enrolling in a dual-credit course through College in the High School or Running Start courses offered in the district to receive college credit upon course completion. Students should contact their high school counselor for more information about these options.