Chinese Language and Culture
Download the AP Chinese Language Culture Course Description (.pdf/3.5 MB).
Complete course and exam information is available in the Course Description.
AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam Overview (.pdf/2.2MB): Use this presentation to preview the question types and directions screens you'll see on exam day.
The AP Chinese Exam assesses students' interpersonal communication skills, their abilities to present and interpret language in spoken and written forms, and their functional familiarity with Chinese culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What level of Chinese language ability and what aspects of Chinese culture will be taught in the course and assessed in the exam?
The AP Chinese Language and Culture course is roughly equivalent to a 4th semester college course. The course and exam incorporate Chinese cultural information within the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to the language.
On which Chinese dialect is the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam based?
The AP Chinese Language and Culture course and examination is based on Mandarin/Putonghua Chinese.
What type of characters are used on the exam?
The exam provides its questions using both traditional and simplified characters, enabling students with knowledge of either type of characters to take the exam. Similarly, student responses using either set of characters are accepted.
How can I find out if AP Chinese Language and Culture is available in my high school?
Please check with your Chinese teacher, your school's AP Coordinator, or principal/head of school to find out whether your school offers the AP Chinese Language and Culture course. If your teachers and school administrators are unaware of this course, encourage them to visit AP Central for more information.
How is the AP Chinese exam scored?
The AP Chinese Reader's scores on the essays and problem-solving questions are combined with the computer-scored multiple-choice questions, and the total raw scores are converted to a composite score based on AP's 5-point scare: 5 (Extremely well qualified), 4 (Well qualified), 3 (Qualified), 2 (Possibly qualified), and 1 (No recommendation).
