The AP English Language & Composition test is divided into 2 sections: multiple choice and free-response. The questions are designed to test essential skills covered in the course curriculum:
reading comprehension of rhetorically and topically diverse texts
rhetorical analysis of individual texts in isolation
synthesis of information from multiple texts
written argumentation
The multiple choice section consists of 52 to 55 questions pertaining to excerpts from provided non-fiction texts. This part of the exam is timed at 1 hour and is worth 45% of the exam’s overall score. The free-response section includes 3 free-response questions:
Synthesis: Students read several texts about a topic and create an argument that synthesizes at least three of the sources to support their thesis.
Rhetorical analysis: Students read a non-fiction text and analyze how the writer's language choices contribute to his or her purpose and intended meaning for the text.
Argument: Students create an evidence-based argument that responds to a given topic.
This section is timed at 2 hours and 15 minutes, including 15 minutes of reading time, and is worth 55% of the exam’s overall score. Click here to view sample questions and take practice exams.