AP Psychology: complete guide to the redesigned exam, units, and skills
A complete guide to the redesigned AP Psychology course and exam. Explains the College Board exam format (multiple choice plus the new free-response questions), the five content units, the science-practice skills, and how to study for a 5, with links to the dot points for all five units.
AP Psychology is a College Board course that surveys psychological science across five content units built on the APA's recommended pillars. The course and exam were redesigned for the 2024-25 school year into a leaner five-unit structure with new free-response formats. This page is the index for our AP Psychology content: below is a map of the exam, the units and skills, and the study approach, with links to the dot-point pages we have published for all five units.
The exam at a glance
The AP Psychology exam is scored 1 to 5 and has two sections:
- Section I. 75 multiple choice questions (90 minutes). This section is two-thirds of the score.
- Section II. Two free-response questions (70 minutes): the Article Analysis Question (Evidence-Based Question) and the concept-application question. This section is one-third of the score.
The free-response question types
Each type is marked differently, so practice them separately.
- Article Analysis Question (Evidence-Based Question). You read a short article or study and apply psychological concepts, evaluate the research design, and draw evidence-based conclusions.
- Concept-application question. You read a real-world scenario and explain how several specified psychological terms apply to it, earning one point per correctly applied term. Defining a term is not enough; you must apply it to the scenario.
The five units
The redesigned course runs through five units based on the APA pillars:
- Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior, the biological foundations of behavior.
- Unit 2: Cognition, perception, memory, thinking, and intelligence.
- Unit 3: Development and Learning, development across the lifespan and the principles of learning.
- Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality, social influence, the personality theories, motivation, and emotion.
- Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health, stress, well-being, and psychological disorders and their treatment.
This hub covers all five units in full.
The science-practice skills
Every question rewards one or more science practices:
- Concept application. Applying psychological concepts and theories to scenarios.
- Research methods and design. Understanding and evaluating how psychological research is conducted.
- Data interpretation. Analyzing data and graphs and drawing conclusions from evidence.
How to study AP Psychology
- Learn each unit's key terms anchored to the Course and Exam Description.
- Apply, do not just define: the concept-application FRQ rewards tying each term to the scenario.
- Drill the two FRQ formats separately against their rubrics.
- Practice the Article Analysis Question by connecting concepts to research evidence.
- Use released questions from AP Central to practice timing and wording.
Unit 1 (Biological Bases of Behavior): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 1, one page per College Board topic:
- Interaction of Heredity and Environment
- Overview of the Nervous System
- The Neuron and Neural Firing
- The Brain
- Sleep
- Sensation
Unit 2 (Cognition): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 2, one page per College Board topic:
- Perception
- Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision-Making
- Introduction to Memory
- Encoding Memories
- Storing Memories
- Retrieving Memories
- Forgetting and Other Memory Challenges
- Intelligence and Achievement
Unit 3 (Development and Learning): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 3, one page per College Board topic:
- Themes and Methods in Developmental Psychology
- Physical Development Across the Lifespan
- Gender and Sexual Orientation
- Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan
- Communication and Language Development
- Social-Emotional Development Across the Lifespan
- Classical Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning
- Social, Cognitive, and Neurological Factors in Learning
Unit 4 (Social Psychology and Personality): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 4, one page per College Board topic:
- Attribution Theory and Person Perception
- Attitude Formation and Attitude Change
- Psychology of Social Situations
- Psychodynamic and Humanistic Theories of Personality
- Social-Cognitive and Trait Theories of Personality
- Motivation
- Emotion
Unit 5 (Mental and Physical Health): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 5, one page per College Board topic:
- Introduction to Health Psychology
- Positive Psychology
- Explaining and Diagnosing Psychological Disorders
- Categories of Psychological Disorders
- Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Deep-dive guides
- How to answer the AP Psychology free-response questions, a full walkthrough of the Article Analysis Question and the concept-application question.
For the official Course and Exam Description
The College Board publishes the full AP Psychology Course and Exam Description, sample free-response questions, and scoring guidelines at AP Central. Always study from the current CED and the College Board's own released questions, because the units, topics, and rubrics are set by the board, and the course was redesigned for 2024-25.
Psychology guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
Psychology practice quizzes
Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.
The AP system, explained
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