AP Statistics past papers and free-response questions
College Board publishes the AP Statistics free-response questions every year, with scoring guidelines, sample student responses and a chief reader report. This page collects every year it currently makes public, 2023 to 2026, to preview, open or download. From May 2027 the exam is fully digital, with 42 multiple-choice questions and 4 free-response questions, each section 1 hour 30 minutes.
On this page
AP Statistics free-response questions by year
Each file opens from College Board's official site. Preview shows it here, Open in new tab gives you the full screen, and Download saves a copy to print.
2026
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample responses and chief reader reportCollege Board usually adds these in the autumn after the exam
2025
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Chief reader reportPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring statisticsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Score distributionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample student responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5Q6
2024
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Chief reader reportPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring statisticsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Score distributionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample student responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5Q6
2023
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Chief reader reportPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring statisticsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Score distributionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample student responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5Q6
Source: AP Statistics past exam questions on AP Central. All papers are © College Board.
What each AP Statistics free-response question tests
Use this index to find past questions on the topics you need to practise. The descriptions are our own summaries.
2026
| Q1 | Comparing the weights of two breeds of goat: distributions |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Experiment on coffee grounds and roses: experimental design |
| Q3 | Normal model for the length of a team song: probability |
| Q4 | Two fertilisers and the number of oranges: inference for two means |
| Q5 | Age group and sport for professional athletes: association between categorical variables |
| Q6 | Hits and runs for baseball teams: regression (longer question) |
2025
| Q1 | Gas mileage for cars from two countries: comparing distributions |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Aphids in a cabbage field: choosing a sampling design |
| Q3 | A restaurant playlist: probability |
| Q4 | Students using a homework app: significance test for a proportion |
| Q5 | Mean number of bedrooms in new houses: significance test for a mean |
| Q6 | Time of day and reading comprehension: analysing an experiment (investigative task) |
2024
| Q1 | Exercise centre members' opinions: sampling and comparing groups |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Bottle sizes sold for a fund-raiser: categorical data |
| Q3 | Mileage of four car models: comparing groups and study design |
| Q4 | Collecting crystals in an online game: probability |
| Q5 | Baseball cards at a convention: inference for a proportion |
| Q6 | Estimating the mean price of a whistle: estimators and sampling (investigative task) |
2023
| Q1 | Dissolved oxygen in cold and warm streams: comparing distributions |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Fibres in concrete driveways: completely randomised design |
| Q3 | Cash prizes in bath fizzies: random variables and expected value |
| Q4 | Omega-3 supplement versus placebo: experimental design and inference |
| Q5 | Chest circumference and weight of tule elk: linear regression |
| Q6 | Gold coating on necklaces: normal model and process monitoring (investigative task) |
AP Statistics exam format
| Section | Questions | Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: multiple choice | 42 questions, four answer choices each | 1 hour 30 minutes | 50% |
| Section II: free response | 4 questions | 1 hour 30 minutes | 50% |
This is the format from the May 2027 exam onwards, when AP Statistics becomes fully digital in the Bluebook app, with a graphing calculator allowed throughout. The 2023 to 2026 exams had 40 multiple-choice questions and 6 free-response questions, the sixth being a longer investigative task. The past questions still cover the same statistical skills, so they remain excellent practice.
How to use past free-response questions
- Start with the newest papers. They match the current exam most closely.
- Do one question at a time, timed. Use the timings in the exam format above, with no notes open.
- Mark yourself strictly with the scoring guidelines, point by point, before reading anything else.
- Compare with the sample responses to see exactly what earned or lost each point.
- Read the chief reader report for the mistakes most students made that year, and keep a list of your own.
- Go back to weak topics using the topic index, then redo the question a week later.
Tips specific to AP Statistics:
- Always answer in context: name the variable, the population and the units. A correct calculation with no context usually scores only partially.
- For inference, follow four steps every time: state hypotheses or the parameter, check conditions, do the calculation, and write a conclusion in context.
- Compare distributions on shape, centre, spread and unusual features, using comparative words such as 'greater than'.
- Read the sample responses: they show what 'essentially correct' looks like and how small wording slips lose credit.
Free AP Statistics practice questions
Ten original multiple-choice questions written by our tutors in the style of the exam. Choose an answer to see if you are right and why.
Answered 0 of 10 · 0 correct
1. Test scores have mean 70 and standard deviation 8. What is the z-score of a score of 82?
Show answer
C. z = (82 − 70)/8 = 1.5.
2. A researcher splits subjects into groups by age, then randomly assigns treatments within each group. This design is called:
Show answer
B. Grouping similar units first and randomising within each group is blocking.
3. Events A and B are independent, with P(A) = 0.4 and P(B) = 0.5. What is P(A and B)?
Show answer
B. For independent events, P(A and B) = P(A)·P(B) = 0.2.
4. X is binomial with n = 10 and p = 0.3. What is the mean of X?
Show answer
C. The mean of a binomial distribution is np = 10 × 0.3 = 3.
5. The correlation between two variables is r = 0.8. What percentage of the variation in y is explained by the linear model?
Show answer
B. r² = 0.64, so 64% of the variation in y is explained by the linear relationship with x.
6. The sample size for estimating a proportion is increased from 100 to 400, with nothing else changed. What happens to the margin of error?
Show answer
B. The margin of error is proportional to 1/√n; √400/√100 = 2, so it is halved.
7. A test gives a p-value of 0.03 at the 5% significance level. What is the correct decision?
Show answer
B. 0.03 < 0.05, so we reject H₀: there is convincing evidence for the alternative.
8. What is a Type I error?
Show answer
B. A Type I error is rejecting H₀ when H₀ is actually true.
9. A regression line predicts 10.5 for a point whose actual value is 12. What is the residual?
Show answer
B. Residual = actual − predicted = 12 − 10.5 = 1.5.
10. Which statement correctly interprets a 95% confidence interval of (4.2, 5.8) for a population mean?
Show answer
B. The confidence is about the method capturing the population parameter, not about individual data values or sample means.
Frequently asked questions
Are AP Statistics past papers free?
Yes. College Board publishes the AP Statistics free-response questions, scoring guidelines and sample responses free on AP Central. This page links to those official files so you can preview, open or download them.
Why are there no older AP Statistics papers before 2023?
College Board currently makes the most recent years public on AP Central and removed older years from public access. Teachers can find many older released questions in AP Classroom.
Can I get full AP Statistics past exams with the multiple-choice section?
College Board does not publish full past multiple-choice sections publicly; complete practice exams are released to teachers through AP Classroom. The free-response questions, which are half of your score, are public, and this page has 10 original multiple-choice questions to practise with.
How is the AP Statistics free-response section scored?
On the 2023 to 2026 papers, each part of a free-response question was judged essentially correct, partially correct or incorrect, and each question scored 0 to 4. From 2027 there are four longer questions, each worth more points; the scoring guidelines show exactly what earns credit.