Practice Exams

How to use the AP English Literature and Composition practice exams

Each exam is a timed AP English Literature and Composition practice exam, with multiple-choice and free-response sections. Every question has an explanation of the correct answer and of each wrong choice, and is tagged with the AP skill and topic it tests, so a missed question points straight to what to review.

1. Work through the units first. The exams draw on all 9 units: Unit 1 (Short Fiction I), Unit 2 (Poetry I), Unit 3 (Longer Fiction or Drama I), Unit 4 (Short Fiction II), Unit 5 (Poetry II), Unit 6 (Longer Fiction or Drama II), Unit 7 (Short Fiction III), Unit 8 (Poetry III), Unit 9 (Longer Fiction or Drama III).
2. Take Exam 1 in one sitting with the timer on, the way you will sit the real exam. Your score estimate is only meaningful under real timing.
3. Review every question you missed or guessed. Group the misses by unit and skill, then go back to that unit's video, notes, and flashcards before the next exam.
4. Space the remaining exams about a week apart so each one measures what you learned since the last. Save Exam 5, the hardest, for the final week before test day.

Not ready for a full exam?

Start with the free AP English Literature and Composition practice test (20 questions with explanations, no login) or the free AP English Literature and Composition study guide, which covers the exam format and every unit.