AP® exams through UC Scout
Advanced Placement® (AP®) exams are standardized tests designed to measure how well a student has mastered the course material and skills of a specific AP® course. Most universities and colleges located in the U.S. grant units of course credit, automatic placement into higher-level courses, or both for a qualifying AP® exam score.
Students who complete an AP® course through our On Demand plan may elect to take the corresponding exam at our campus in May. Students who take an AP® course are not obligated to take the exam – you can take the course for a grade and high school credit only!
If you completed an AP® course through our On Demand plan in the year leading up to the annual exam period in May, you can opt to register for the exam through UC Scout and travel to our physical campus to take your AP® exam.
Unfortunately, due to space limitations at our campus, we cannot facilitate an exam for an AP® course taken through another course provider or school. However, you may be able to take your exam at your high school if allowed by registering for the "Exam Only" option at your school site.
All exams taken at our campus are proctored and delivered in person. Please note that if you elect to take an AP® exam hosted and proctored by UC Scout you will need to be able to travel to our campus location in Santa Clara, California on the day of your exam.
Campus Location
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension
3175 Bowers Ave.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
The AP® exam fee is not included in the cost of an On Demand course. The fee is set by and goes directly to the College Board, the creator of the exam, rather than to UC Scout.
Please make sure you have transportation to our campus in Santa Clara, California for your exam before submitting payment. If you choose to cancel or reschedule your AP® exam after registering through UC Scout, we cannot provide a refund since the money will already have been distributed to the College Board, an external entity.
There are two registration periods leading up to the annual May exam period. One will take place during the fall term (September 11-November 8), with another window during the spring term. Current UC Scout students enrolled in an AP® course will receive email instructions detailing the two-step process to secure a spot to take the exam with us.
While AP® exams have traditionally been offered only on paper, starting May 2025 the College Board will discontinue paper testing for 28 AP® exams, which will instead be administered through the Bluebook digital testing application to complete the exam while at our physical testing location
You can find the list of exams that will be fully or partially ("hybrid") digital on the AP Central Announcement and learn more about this change in format on the Digital AP Exams FAQ page.
Fully Digital means students complete multiple-choice and free-response questions for their exam in the Bluebook application, with all responses automatically submitted to the College Board for scoring at the end of the exam.
Hybrid Digital means students complete multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions for their exam in the Bluebook application, but they handwrite free-response answers in paper exam booklets that are mailed to the College Board for scoring.
Paper means students complete the exam in a paper booklet or through audio recordings (for oral language and music exams). These are also mailed to the College Board for scoring.
You must submit your exam accommodations directly to the College Board (the organization that develops and administers AP® exams) for consideration by their deadline. Accommodations for AP® exams are not something UC Scout can directly approve.
Students will follow the procedure for Requesting Accommodations Without Going Through the School.
If your testing accommodation is approved, you must bring your approval letter from the College Board, listing the approved accommodations, with you on the day of your exam(s).
Prepping for your exam
So you’ve registered for your AP® exam in May… now what?
Before Exam Day
Your On Demand AP® course will be available to you up to your exam day even if you were not enrolled in the course for the UC Scout spring term. You can use the video lessons and course resources to continue studying.
We recommend reviewing the list of items to bring for your exam. We cannot provide calculators or rulers, so students should plan to bring an approved personal calculator if needed for an exam.
On Exam Day
As your scheduled AP® exam day approaches, we encourage you to review this list of requirements and tips so you encounter no unnecessary stress on the day.
- On your AP® exam day, you must present a government- or school-issued photo ID for verification of identity during the check-in process.
- We recommend that you arrive at the UCSC Silicon Valley Extension campus 45-minutes prior to the start time of your exam so you have plenty of time to check in and settle your nerves before it begins.
- UC Scout will not provide drinks, meals, transportation to campus, or overnight accommodations so please plan accordingly. Food and drink consumption is not permitted during the exam session unless it is a designated break time.
- We do not have enough room to host student parent(s)/guardian(s) during the exam session at our campus, but there is a Whole Foods and several restaurants located across the street from campus.
- Before you start your exam, the proctor will read instructions, explain how breaks work, distribute the exam and materials, and give you an AP® label to identify your unique answer sheet for scoring.
- All exam session end times will be posted outside the room and all students will be dismissed simultaneously, so there will be a predictable exam end time for pickup at the campus.
- Students must stay in the testing room until the exam is over, even if the exam is finished before the end of the session. Students will not be allowed to send or receive calls or texts during the exam session.
After Exam Day
Hurray, you’re done! Time to decompress. Your exam will be graded by College Board and they will send you a notification once it’s ready in July. You can access your score(s) online through your College Board account.
AP® Exam Success with UC Scout
Excel with us! Our students have a 20% higher pass rate than the national average.