Growth
Between 1990 and 2004, the number of students taking the AP Calculus exams has increased more than threefold. The exams are now taken by more than 250,000 students each year. The College Board intentionally schedules the AP Calculus AB exam at the same time as the AP Calculus BC exam in order to make it impossible for a student to take both tests and receive college credit for both in the same academic year. They do not, however, bar a student from taking the two classes simultaneously; it is usually at the discretion of the individual school to label Calculus AB as a pre-requisite class for Calculus BC. However, the majority of schools only require precalculus as a prerequisite to Calculus BC.
Format
The structures of the AB and BC exams are identical. Both exams are three hours and fifteen minutes long, comprising a total of 45 multiple choice questions and six free response questions. They are further subdivided as follows:
The two parts of the Multiple-Choice section are timed and taken independently; students may work on the Section II Part A during the time for Section II Part B but are NOT allowed to resume using a calculator. The Free-Response section, however, is one hour-and-a-half administration. New to the exam in 2011, the calculator-required section will only contain 2 questions, while the non-calculator section will contain 4 questions, putting emphasis on the test-taker's knowledge of concepts and theorems. Students are required to put away their calculators after 30 minutes have passed during the Free Response section, and only at that point may begin Section II Part B. However, students may continue to work on Section II Part A during the entire Free Response time, albeit without a calculator during the latter half.
Scoring
The multiple-choice section is scored by computer, with a correct answer receiving 1 point, a blank answer receiving 0 points and an incorrect answer costing no points as a new change made by AP Central. This total is multiplied by 1.2 to calculate the adjusted multiple-choice score.
The free-response section is hand-graded by hundreds of educators each June. The raw score is then added to the adjusted multiple choice score to receive a composite score. This total is compared to a composite-score scale for that year's exam and converted into an AP score of 1-5.
Students generally receive this score report by mail in mid-July of the year they took the test. Alternately, they can receive their scores by phone as early as June 27 for a fee of $8 (although the College Board only officially recognizes July 1 as the first available date to receive grades by phone). For the Calculus BC exam, an AB sub-score is included in the score report to reflect their proficiency in the fundamental topics of introductory calculus. The AB sub-score is based on the correct number of answers for questions pertaining to AB-material only.
Grade distributions for AP Calculus AB
The grade distributions for the 2010 and 2011 AB scores were:
| 5 | 21.4% | 21.2% |
| 4 | 16.4% | 16.4% |
| 3 | 18.5% | 18.0% |
| 2 | 10.7% | 11.2% |
| 1 | 33.1% | 33.1% |
| Mean | 2.82 | 2.81 |
| Number of Students | 255,357 | 245,867 |
Grade distributions for AP Calculus BC
The grade distributions for the 2010 and 201 BC scores were:
| 5 | 47.6% | 49.4% |
| 4 | 15.9% | 15.4% |
| 3 | 16.7% | 18.0% |
| 2 | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| 1 | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| Mean | 3.77 | 3.86 |
| Number of Students | 85,194 | 78,998 |
AB Subscore Distribution
| 5 | 55.1% | 51.0% |
| 4 | 17.9% | 19.4% |
| 3 | 13.2% | 14.2% |
| 2 | 4.9% | 5.7% |
| 1 | 8.9% | 9.7% |
| Mean | 4.05 | 3.96 |