AP Lang Exam Date 2027

The 2027 AP English Language and Composition exam is Wednesday, May 12, 2027, in Session 1 (the slot formerly called the morning session). At most U.S. schools it starts at 8 a.m. local time.

Source: College Board, AP Central: 2027 AP Exam Dates, 2027 AP Exam Start Times, and 2027 AP Exam Late-Testing Dates. Last updated: November 2026.

What changed for 2027

The College Board now calls the two daily exam slots Session 1 and Session 2 instead of morning and afternoon. Start times stay the same for most U.S. schools: 8 a.m. for Session 1 in the lower 48 states, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. Some locations moved, including Alaska (7 a.m.) and several international time zones. The College Board says the new times are meant to prevent secure exam content from being disclosed across time zones. If you test outside the lower 48 states, look up your school in the official start time lookup tool.

Why the date changes every year, and how to verify it

AP exams run over two weeks in May, and the College Board assigns each subject a day and session in that window. The exact day shifts from year to year, and the schedule is published more than a year in advance. Your school's AP coordinator works from the same official calendar, so if anything you hear differs from this page, go by your coordinator and the official AP exam schedule.

What happens on exam day

The exam is about 3 hours 15 minutes of testing, in two sections:

• Section I — Multiple choice: 45 questions in 1 hour, 45% of your score.
• Section II — Free response: the three FRQ essays in 2 hours 15 minutes (a 15-minute reading period plus 2 hours to write), 55% of your score.

Check-in starts before the posted time, so plan to arrive early. Scores are typically released in July. To see how scores have broken down in past years, see the AP Lang score distribution.

Use the months before the date well

Knowing the date is the easy part; arriving ready is the work. In the weeks before the exam, practice under the real time limits and grade your essays on the official rubric. Write a timed essay and score it on our AP Lang essay grader, build a routine with a practice test, and estimate where you stand with the score calculator.

Frequently asked questions

When is the AP Lang exam in 2027?

The 2027 AP English Language and Composition exam is on Wednesday, May 12, 2027, in Session 1. At most U.S. schools that means an 8 a.m. local start.

Is AP Lang in the morning or afternoon?

AP Lang is a Session 1 exam. For 2027 the College Board renamed the morning and afternoon slots to Session 1 and Session 2. Session 1 starts at 8 a.m. local time in the lower 48 states, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C., and at 7 a.m. in Alaska. Some locations outside the U.S. start at different times; check yours with the College Board's start time lookup tool.

What if I miss the AP Lang exam? Is there a makeup date?

Yes. The 2027 late-testing date for AP Lang is Friday, May 21, 2027, in Session 1. Late testing has to be arranged through your school's AP coordinator for an approved reason; you can't simply pick the later date.

Did the AP Lang start time change for 2027?

Not for most U.S. schools, which still start Session 1 at 8 a.m. local time. The College Board changed start times in some other locations (including Alaska, which starts at 7 a.m.) to prevent secure exam content from being disclosed across time zones.

How long is the AP Lang exam?

About 3 hours 15 minutes: Section I is 45 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, and Section II is three essays in 2 hours 15 minutes (including a 15-minute reading period for the synthesis sources).

rubricfy is not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board. Dates and times are from the College Board's published 2027 AP schedule (last checked November 2026); your AP coordinator's instructions take precedence.