2026 AP Official Exam Calendar — Complete Schedule & Key Dates

For students and parents planning to take AP Exams in the 2025–26 school year, knowing when each exam is, whether late‑testing is possible, and which exams require project or portfolio uploads is essential. Here we give you a full, up‑to‑date guide for 2026, based on the official schedule published by College Board.

I. Overall 2026 AP Official Exam Timing

The 2026 AP exams will be administered within two main weeks in May: May 4–8 and May 11–15.

• Morning exams begin between 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. (local time).

• Afternoon exams begin between 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (local time).

• Your school’s AP Coordinator will notify you of the exact start time and location — always follow your school’s schedule.

II. 2026 AP Exam — Subject‑by‑Subject Schedule

III. Late Testing (“Make‑up Exams”) — May 18–22, 2026

If a student cannot take the exam during the regular two‑week window (because of conflict, illness, approved reason, etc.), the College Board provides a late‑testing window. Alternate exam forms are used to maintain security and fairness.

• Late‑testing exams are held May 18–22, 2026, with the same morning (≈ 8 a.m.) and afternoon (≈ 12 p.m.) time windows.

• Schools must pre‑approve late testing — students cannot simply choose a late date independently.

• Alternate exam forms differ from regular ones, but difficulty and scoring standards are equivalent.

IV. AP Digital Portfolio / Project Submission Deadlines

Some AP courses require portfolios, projects, or performance tasks. For 2026:

• AP Seminar & AP Research — Final submission of performance tasks: April 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET

• AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) — Create Performance Task submission also due April 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET 

• AP Art and Design (2D / 3D / Drawing) — Final digital portfolio (all 3 components) due May 8, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET.

• Note: After the official deadline, the system will no longer accept uploads — submit at least 2‑3 days ahead to avoid technical issues.

  
  

V. How to Use This Calendar to Plan Your 2026 AP Prep

Since the 2026 calendar is now official, you can plan backward to build your entire prep schedule:

• Mark exam dates for all APs you plan to take — then block out the 2–3 months before as your “intensive review period.” A common approach: make March–April the primary “content mastery + mock exam” phase.

• Balance heavy weeks. If you have 2–3 exams in one week, avoid packing all the hardest prep into the last month — spread reading, essays, practice, and math early.

• Factor in school tests and major assignments. Many high schools have finals, projects, or internal assessments around the same time — plan carefully to avoid overlap.

• For AP courses with project/portfolio requirements (like Art & Design, CSP, Seminar/Research): start early — ideally: choose topic and collect resources in fall, do main work in winter, polish and submit by official deadlines.

• Stay in touch with your AP Coordinator. Even though the global dates are fixed, local arrangements (rooms, accommodations, late‑testing requests) vary per school.

VI、Useful Official Links (for Bookmarking)

• 2026 AP Exam Dates – College Board official page：

  👉 2026 AP Exam Dates – AP Students apstudents.collegeboard.org

  
  

• 2026 AP Late‑Testing Dates – College Board：

  👉 2026 AP Exam Late-Testing Dates – AP Central apcentral.collegeboard.org

  
  

• AP Digital Portfolio & Exam Registration Info：

  👉 AP Digital Portfolios – AP Students apstudents.collegeboard.org