AP Chemistry FRQ seven questions, long and short.
Section II of the AP Chemistry exam is seven free-response questions in 105 minutes, worth 50% of your score: three long-answer and four short-answer. Here is the format, what each question type rewards, and how the rubric assigns points.
The format at a glance
Section II of the AP Chemistry exam is seven free-response questions in 105 minutes, worth half of your total score. The seven split into longer and shorter prompts, and a calculator is allowed for all of them.
What each question tests
The chemistry FRQ pulls from across the course: stoichiometry and the mole, equilibrium with Ka, Kb, and Ksp and the ICE-table reasoning behind them, thermodynamics and energy, kinetics and rate laws, acids and bases, and electrochemistry. At least one prompt is an experimental-design or data-analysis question that hands you a procedure or a data set and asks you to reason about it. The long-answer questions stack several of these ideas inside a single scenario.
How the rubric scores points
Points come in three flavors: the correct setup, the calculation, and the explanation. Many parts award a point for the work even when the final number is off, so dimensional analysis written out on the page is worth the seconds it takes. Significant figures matter on reported answers. When a question asks why, the rubric wants particle-level reasoning, something like because the stronger acid dissociates more completely, rather than a restatement of the result.
Where students lose points
How to practice
Pull the College Board released AP Chemistry free-response questions and the matching scoring guidelines, and start with the three long-answer questions under a timer, since those carry the most points. Grade yourself honestly against the rubric. Once you have a raw score, the AP Chemistry score calculator will translate it into a projected 1–5.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers — written by humans, not a chatbot.
How many FRQs are on the AP Chemistry exam?
Seven, made up of three long-answer and four short-answer questions, in 105 minutes, worth half of your total score.
Can I use a calculator on the AP Chemistry FRQ?
Yes. A scientific or graphing calculator is allowed for the entire free-response section.
What topics show up most on the Chem FRQ?
Equilibrium, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, kinetics, acids and bases, and electrochemistry, plus at least one experimental-design question.