AP Chinese Preparation Course

In 2007, the U.S. College Board started to offer an Advanced Placement (AP) exam for “Chinese Language and Culture.” The AP Chinese Exam includes 3-hour Mandarin language analysis and communicative skills activities. It assesses students' interpersonal communication skills, their ability to present and interpret Chinese language in spoken and written forms, and their functional familiarity with Chinese culture.

The AP Mandarin preparation course is aimed at helping high school students achieve higher scores through intensive practice and training in exam-taking strategies. Entry is by assessment to set requirements and learning objectives. Private, semi-private or small group lessons are available.

Frequently Asked Questions about AP Chinese (Mandarin) Exam (FAQs):

1. What is the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®)?
   In 2003, more than one million high school students participated in the USA College Board’s Advanced Placement Program (AP), each student taking one or more of the Program’s 34 college-level AP courses. Based on their performance on the rigorous end-of-course AP Examinations, students earn credit or advanced placement for college, or both, and demonstrate their ability to succeed in college-level studies. The tremendous growth in AP participation attests to a strong commitment from educators and students to elevating the standards in America’s classrooms. The first AP Chinese course was offered in fall 2006.
2. What level of Chinese language ability and what aspects of Chinese culture will be taught in the course and assessed in the exam?
   The AP Chinese Language and Culture course is roughly equivalent to a third-year college study of language. The course and exam incorporate Chinese cultural information within the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to the language.
3. On which Chinese dialect is the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam based?
   The AP Chinese Language and Culture course and examination is based on Mandarin/Putonghua Chinese.
4. What type of characters is used on the exam?
   The exam provides its questions using both traditional and simplified characters, enabling students with knowledge of either type of characters to take the exam. Similarly, student responses using either set of characters are accepted.
5. How can I find out if AP Chinese Language and Culture is available in my high school?
   Please check with your Chinese teacher/Chinese school, your school's AP Coordinator, or principal/head of school to find out whether your school offers the AP Chinese Language and Culture course. If your teachers and school administrators are unaware of this course, encourage them to visit AP Central for more information. For more information on AP Chinese exam, please email: APChinese@collegeboard.org, providing with your name, school affiliation, mailing address and email address and a detailed enquiry.
6. How is the AP Chinese exam scored?
   The AP Chinese Reader's scores on the essays and problem-solving questions are combined with the computer-scored multiple-choice questions, and the total raw scores are converted to a composite score based on AP's 5-point scale: 5 (Extremely well qualified), 4 (Well qualified), 3 (Qualified), 2 (Possibly qualified), and 1 (No recommendation).