AP Seminar Exam Info
Download PDFAP Seminar combines a team project and presentation (20%), an individual research-based essay and presentation (35%), and a two-hour fully digital end-of-course exam in Bluebook (45%). The exam has three short-answer questions about one source and one essay using four sources; there is no multiple-choice section. Performance tasks are due April 30, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. APFive multiple-choice items are course-skill drills, not simulations of the official written assessment.
APFive provides original practice material aligned to course skills. These practice questions are not official College Board exam questions or a substitute for required course projects and performance tasks.
Current course and assessment information:
AP Seminar End-of-Course Exam
AP Seminar combines a team project and presentation (20%), an individual research-based essay and presentation (35%), and a two-hour fully digital end-of-course exam in Bluebook (45%). The exam has three short-answer questions about one source and one essay using four sources; there is no multiple-choice section. Performance tasks are due April 30, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. APFive multiple-choice items are course-skill drills, not simulations of the official written assessment.
Exam Components
Team Project and Presentation
Each student develops a 1,200-word individual research report. The team integrates its research in an 8–10 minute multimedia presentation and defense. The research report is scored by College Board; the presentation and defense are scored by the teacher.
Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation
Develop a 2,000-word written argument and a 6–8 minute individual multimedia presentation, followed by an oral defense with two teacher questions. Use the current official stimulus materials and task instructions supplied by the course teacher.
End-of-Course Exam
Part A asks three short-answer questions about a single source, focusing on its argument, reasoning, and evidence. Part B asks for a written argument connecting at least two of the four provided sources. Practice explaining how evidence supports a claim and acknowledging limits and competing perspectives.
- Investigate a focused research question
- Analyze reasoning and evaluate evidence
- Compare and connect multiple perspectives
- Develop and defend an evidence-based argument
- Collaborate and adapt communication to an audience
Units
Unit 1 – Question and Explore
Turn an issue into a focused, researchable question and plan how to locate relevant, credible evidence.
- Research questions and scope
- Source relevance, credibility, and context
- Research plans and information organization
- Ethical attribution and accurate records
Practice application: Choose a local policy question, define its scope, and explain which sources could answer it.
Unit 2 – Understand and Analyze
Identify an author’s main claim, trace supporting reasons, and evaluate the quality and limits of the evidence.
- Claims, reasons, and evidence
- Line of reasoning and underlying assumptions
- Evidence quality and methodological limits
- Conclusions and proposed solutions
Practice application: Annotate an original argument, identify its conclusion, and explain one strength and one limitation in its evidence.
Unit 3 – Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
Compare the assumptions, evidence, and implications of different perspectives without reducing complex disagreements to simple opposites.
- Perspectives and analytical lenses
- Convergence, disagreement, and context
- Counterarguments and implications
- Limits of sources and interpretations
Practice application: Compare two perspectives on a shared question and explain where their evidence agrees or conflicts.
Unit 4 – Synthesize Ideas
Connect ideas across sources to construct a defensible position with evidence, qualifications, and implications.
- Synthesis across sources
- Evidence-based claims and warrants
- Counterarguments and qualified conclusions
- Citation and academic integrity
Practice application: Write a defensible claim that connects two sources, explains the connection, and states a meaningful limitation.
Unit 5 – Team, Transform, and Transmit
Collaborate on an argument and communicate it effectively to a defined audience through writing, multimedia presentations, and oral defense.
- Audience, purpose, and communication choices
- Team roles and synthesis of contributions
- Presentation design and source attribution
- Oral defense, feedback, and reflection
Practice application: Prepare a short presentation, justify one design choice, and answer a question about how evidence changed the argument.