AP Chemistry Updates for 2024-25
To give teachers more clarity about course content and help students engage with the concepts, we’ve made minor updates to the AP Chemistry course framework.
These updates take effect with the 2024-25 school year. The scope of the course is not changing.
What’s Changing
We made minor updates to the AP Chemistry framework in the updated course and exam description (CED), including:
- Retitling 4 units and 6 topics to more accurately describe the content, based on feedback we’ve received from AP Chemistry teachers.
- Resequencing Topics 7.13 (pH and Solubility) and 7.14 (Free Energy of Dissolution) to help students better engage with the concepts.
- Updating the equation sheet to better organize the information and for consistency with other AP science courses.
- Removing big ideas and enduring understandings from the framework.
- Updating learning objectives (LOs), essential knowledge (EK) statements, and skills to align with the resequenced topics and for greater transparency.
What’s Not Changing
- The scope of the AP Chemistry course is not changing.
- The sections, numbers and types of questions, timing, and percentages of units and skills assessed on the AP Chemistry Exam remain the same.
Learn More About the Updates
- Watch this video walkthrough led by College Board’s AP Chemistry course lead. The video includes additional details and side-by-side illustrations.
- Download the slides from the video (.pdf).
- Download the AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description (.pdf) to read the updated framework.
AP Classroom Updates
To support teacher planning and student learning, we’re updating the following free AP Chemistry resources in AP Classroom on a rolling basis:
- AP Daily topic videos, including a new video for Topic 9.6
- Question bank items, recoded to match the updated framework coding
- Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in the question bank with 4 answer choices instead of 5, reflecting the current exam
- Practice exams
Send Us Your Questions
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FAQ
Will AP Chemistry teachers need to resubmit in the AP Course Audit?
No. Since the framework updates are minor and the scope of the course has not changed, AP Chemistry teachers are not required to resubmit in the AP Course Audit.
Why did you make these updates?
We updated the course framework to provide a more complete and accurate description of the essential knowledge students must demonstrate on the AP Chemistry Exam and to address concerns around the topic sequencing and unit structure within the course.
Who was involved in updating the course?
As with all AP courses, a development committee including experienced educators and college faculty made the AP Chemistry updates. The AP Chemistry Development Committee also worked with high school teachers and higher education faculty reviewers and consultants.
When will the updated CED be available?
The updated AP Chemistry CED (.pdf) is now available.
Will there be AP Classroom resources for the updated course?
Yes. We’re making the following updates in AP Classroom:
- Adding a new AP Daily topic video for Topic 9.6: Free Energy of Dissolution.
- Recoding question bank items to match the updated framework coding.
- Revising multiple choice questions (MCQs) to include 4 answer choices instead of 5, reflecting the current exam.
- Retiring 25 duplicate MCQs from the question bank.
We’re adding these updated resources to AP Classroom on a rolling basis.
What will happen to the questions and quizzes that teachers created in AP Classroom?
Questions and quizzes created by teachers will stay in AP Classroom. We’ll contact AP Chemistry teachers with more information about how to retag their questions and quizzes to the new course framework.
Will the practice exams be aligned to the updated framework?
We will release updated practice exams on a rolling basis this summer, fall, and spring.
What professional development opportunities are available to support AP Chemistry teachers?
In addition to watching the course update video walkthrough and reviewing the slides from the video, AP Chemistry teachers can attend AP Summer Institutes to explore updated course resources with fellow educators.
Will the textbooks we previously used work with the updated course?
Yes. Textbooks published within the last 10 years adequately address the material needed for the updated course, as the course scope has not changed.