Could you pass an AP test with no studying

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nai06
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3:02p, 5/13/26
AG
It's prime time advanced placement testing season for high school students right now. Are there any subjects you think you could score a 5 out of 5 on? Like decided to go in tomorrow cold, no studying.
Full list of courses here

I think I could probably get a 5 on:
  • Psychology
  • U.S. History
  • Macroeconomics
  • English Literature and Composition
  • English Language and Composition
  • AP European History
Realistically I don't think I would get a 5 on United States Government and Politics because I think there are too many court cases that I don't have memorized. Same with Bio, probably a 4 on both of those.

No way I'd pass any of the physics, math, or foreign languages.
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An L of an Ag
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3:05p, 5/13/26
AG
I could probably still pass the math one. Definitely English and US History. Probably European History as well.
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Biz Ag
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3:28p, 5/13/26
AG
The only one I can pass without studying is a blood test.
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one safe place
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3:39p, 5/13/26
Back some time ago, I was a pretty good test taker. I passed all four parts of the CPA exam on the first try, with three of the four grades in the 90s, 98 in theory.

I am 73, and I am 99.99% sure I could not pass any of the AP tests you list, without studying. And I doubt that I could pass them even if I did study.

For this reason, I favor age caps on certain types of work. Judges for instance. As well as congress folks. The mind not being as sharp or as bright as it was when you are younger impacts different people at different ages but there is some point where complex issues take more brain power than most older people have. Maybe the cutoff should be 60, maybe 65. Pick a number and just accept maybe a few would still be super functional up until 80 or 90, just not many.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to one safe place • 3:56p, 5/13/26
one safe place said:
Back some time ago, I was a pretty good test taker. I passed all four parts of the CPA exam on the first try, with three of the four grades in the 90s, 98 in theory.

I am 73, and I am 99.99% sure I could not pass any of the AP tests you list, without studying. And I doubt that I could pass them even if I did study.

For this reason, I favor age caps on certain types of work. Judges for instance. As well as congress folks. The mind not being as sharp or as bright as it was when you are younger impacts different people at different ages but there is some point where complex issues take more brain power than most older people have. Maybe the cutoff should be 60, maybe 65. Pick a number and just accept maybe a few would still be super functional up until 80 or 90, just not many.


Clearly you have not watched Logan's Run.
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ToddyHill
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In reply to one safe place • 5:33p, 5/13/26
AG
Quote:
For this reason, I favor age caps on certain types of work.

I agree. I'm 69 and definitely not in the early stages of dementia. However, my brain does not function with the precision I was used to back in the day.
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maroon barchetta
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6:21p, 5/13/26
Probably not.

Next question.
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Aston04
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6:38p, 5/13/26
AG
Econ and govt, no question.
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Biz Ag
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In reply to one safe place • 7:37p, 5/13/26
AG
Impressive.

I made an 86 on the law portion and figured I'd studied too much.
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one safe place
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In reply to Biz Ag • 7:42p, 5/13/26
Biz Ag said:
Impressive.

I made an 86 on the law portion and figured I'd studied too much.

lol thanks. They gave me a 75 in law. I hated the subject so much I only studied law for about a week. Sure was tired of Blackacre by the time of the exam.
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HTownAg98
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9:29a, 5/14/26
A 3 is passing, a 5 is the highest score you can get.
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Emotional Support Cobra
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10:00a, 5/14/26
AG
Our son took AP World History last week. I would not be able to pass that due to all the facts and dates they ask in the MCQ section from what he described.

I bet I could pass English and English Lit with no problem.
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agnerd
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10:23a, 5/14/26
AG
Could probably pass physics. I've forgotten too much calculus to pass the math ones.
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dabo man
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In reply to nai06 • 10:27a, 5/14/26
AG
Quote:
Could you pass an AP test with no studying

Absolutely not. I passed the AP English exam in 1990 but that was because I'd just spent four years in AP English classes reading novel after novel.

I never took another English class again, and I don't read fiction.
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NoahAg
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10:53a, 5/14/26
Interesting humble brag?

With dual credit, I'm not sure why high schoolers bother with AP.
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Motot
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12:08p, 5/14/26
AG
Is there a difference?

  • English Literature and Composition
  • English Language and Composition
So, probably not.
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fc2112
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2:53p, 5/14/26
I like to think I'd do fine on the calculus tests, but truth is there's a lot of functions they cover that I haven't seen since grad school.

I am one of the weirdos that uses calculus in his job - but just some of it.
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TXAG 05
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In reply to NoahAg • 3:57p, 5/14/26
AG
NoahAg said:
Interesting humble brag?

With dual credit, I'm not sure why high schoolers bother with AP.

My high school didn't have dual credit courses, but I was able to place out of a bunch of hours due to the AP tests.
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permabull
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In reply to NoahAg • 4:18p, 5/14/26
AG
NoahAg said:
Interesting humble brag?

With dual credit, I'm not sure why high schoolers bother with AP.

At my high school AP was an honors class where an A got you a 5.0 on your GPA while dual credit was not honors so an A was 4.0. You had no shot of getting into the top 10% if your GPA was 4.0 or under so you needed as many honors As as you could get to have a chance at that.
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Ragoo
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4:28p, 5/14/26
AG
Absolutely not
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The Chicken Ranch
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4:37p, 5/14/26
AG
This is a stupid question!

I couldn't pass an AP test back in the day.
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EastSideAg2002
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5:28p, 5/14/26
Sounds like a last place in fantasy football punishment.
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nai06
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In reply to EastSideAg2002 • 6:17p, 5/14/26
AG
EastSideAg2002 said:
Sounds like a last place in fantasy football punishment.


I actually looked into it and it's only available for high school students
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Mega Lops
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In reply to nai06 • 7:03p, 5/14/26
AG
nai06 said:
It's prime time advanced placement testing season for high school students right now. Are there any subjects you think you could score a 5 out of 5 on? Like decided to go in tomorrow cold, no studying.
Full list of courses here

I think I could probably get a 5 on:
  • Psychology
  • U.S. History
  • Macroeconomics
  • English Literature and Composition
  • English Language and Composition
  • AP European History
Realistically I don't think I would get a 5 on United States Government and Politics because I think there are too many court cases that I don't have memorized. Same with Bio, probably a 4 on both of those.

No way I'd pass any of the physics, math, or foreign languages.
not on my radar to worry about.
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JDCAG (NOT Colin)
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9:49a, 5/15/26
AG
No way I'd get a 5 on any of them.

Unless you are in an industry that is exercising that skill heavily, I'd be shocked if any folks could get a 5 on these with no studying 10+ years out.

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YokelRidesAgain
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9:57p, 5/15/26
AG
Of the AP tests I took, I think US history would be a layup. Physics and calculus, no chance.

Of those I didn't take, I would like my chances on US government quite well. Biology medium confidence, although it depends on what is on the test. If there's a lot of stuff about botany or insects I might be out of luck.

I think I have college freshman level English literature and language knowledge, but whether I could demonstrate that on an unfamiliar test with time pressure, I don't know.

I could maybe scratch out a 4 on Euro history and 3 on chemistry. Spanish I could probably do 3 work on multiple choice but the writing sample would sink me.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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YokelRidesAgain
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In reply to JDCAG (NOT Colin) • 10:12p, 5/15/26
AG
JDCAG (NOT Colin) said:
No way I'd get a 5 on any of them.

Unless you are in an industry that is exercising that skill heavily, I'd be shocked if any folks could get a 5 on these with no studying 10+ years out.

One thing that makes me confident in history (other than having a degree in it) is that this is a test written for high school students. 9/11 is something that happened years before they were born. There's a pretty good chance that the essay prompt is something that I actually lived through.

My essay prompt in 1995 was about the civil rights movement. In addition to MLK and Rosa Parks, I threw in a few references to Medgar Evers and Stokely Carmichael and bam, easy 5. On today's test, I would probably know obscure historical knowledge like Robert Gates' role as defense secretary in the Bush administration.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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The Lost
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10:13p, 5/15/26
Stats the only one I'd for sure do well on probably a 4 though since there's probably random ****, but mainly because it's my career. May be able to pull a 3 in English, a thing else is a total toss up to awful.
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toucan82
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10:13p, 5/15/26
I don't need college credit for anything so probably not
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NormanEH
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10:58p, 5/15/26
Without studying yes.
Without lube no.
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3rd Platoon
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11:26p, 5/15/26
AG
As a US History professor, I'll take a stab at AP US History and AP Government.
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dabo man
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11:43p, 5/15/26
AG
My 17 yo took a computer science AP exam today. He did study for it. Hopefully it's reflected in his score.
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Aggie71013
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6:27a, 5/16/26
AG
For those that are so confident in the history ones, have the tests changed? When I took AP US History the essay portion about some native American tribes I'd never even heard of. Multiple choice wasn't bad, but essay seems like a wildcard.
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Wolfpac 08
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In reply to The Lost • 6:29a, 5/16/26
AG
The Lost said:
Stats the only one I'd for sure do well on probably a 4 though since there's probably random ****, but mainly because it's my career. May be able to pull a 3 in English, a thing else is a total toss up to awful.

You're off to a good start
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beerag04
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10:18a, 5/16/26
AG
The 1999 AP US History test is still the hardest test I've ever taken, It was the only AP test I did not pass. It was harder than any undergrad engineering test, law school tests, and the bar exam.

Second place goes to my law school Federal Income Tax final.
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