AP Psychology - AP Students - College Board

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AP Psychology

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AP Psychology

• About the Course
• About the Exam

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• About the Course
• About the Exam

About the Course

Have you ever wondered why you act a certain way around different people? Or how your family and society influence your behaviors? In AP Psychology, you’ll learn the foundational concepts that detail how and why people think and behave the way they do.

Skills You'll Learn

• Connecting psychological concepts and theories to real-life scenarios

• Understanding and interpreting data

• Analyzing research studies in psychology

Equivalency and Prerequisites

College Course Equivalent

A one-semester, introductory college course in psychology

Recommended Prerequisites

None

Exam Date

Tue, May 12, 2026

12 PM Local

AP Psychology Exam

This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP Psychology Exam.

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About the Units

The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences.

Course Content

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Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior 

You’ll study behaviors and mental processes from a biological perspective and explore the effects of the interaction between human biology and our environment. 

Topics may include: 

• The interaction of inherited traits, environment, and evolution in shaping behavior 
• Structures and functions of nervous systems
• Neural firing and the influence of psychoactive substances 
• The study of the brain, including its structures and functions 
• Sleep
• Sensation

On The Exam

15%–25% of exam score

Unit 2: Cognition

You’ll examine the complex nature of how memory, intelligence, and other mental processes impact human behavior. 

Topics may include: 

• Perception
• Biases and errors in thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving strategies 
• The cognitive and physiological processes that make up memory 
• Forgetting and typical memory errors 
• Defining and measuring intelligence and achievement

On The Exam

15%–25% of exam score

Unit 3: Development and Learning

You’ll study how physical and social changes over humans’ lifespans can influence behavior and mental processes from a variety of perspectives and how learning works. 

Topics may include: 

• Research methods used in developmental psychology
• Physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development across the lifespan 
• Gender and sexual orientation

On The Exam

15%–25% of exam score

Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality

You’ll study how the social experience influences behavior of individuals and groups and how personality is studied and develops. 

Topics may include: 

• Attribution theory and person perception
• Attitude formation and change
• The psychology of social situations
• Psychodynamic, humanistic, social cognitive, and trait theories of personality
• Motivation
• Emotion

On The Exam

15%–25% of exam score

Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health

You’ll learn how psychologists promote mental and physical health and evaluate, study, and treat a range of psychological disorders. 

Topics may include: 

• An introduction to health and positive psychology
• Standards for diagnosing and approaches to explaining psychological disorders 
• Neurodevelopmental and schizophrenic spectrum disorders 
• Bipolar, depressive, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders 
• Dissociative and trauma- and stress-related disorders 
• Eating disorders and personality disorders 
• Historical developments in psychological treatment 
• Modern treatment options and methods 

On The Exam

15%–25% of exam score

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Course Resources

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Download

AP Psychology Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for the course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the exam and AP Program in general.

• PDF

Additional Information

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