The exam
The AP Business with Personal Finance exam
AP Business with Personal Finance Exam Tuesday, May 4, 2027
Format
| Section | Questions | Time | Share of score |
|---|---|---|---|
| I: Multiple Choice | 60 | 70 minutes | 60% |
| II Part A: Free-Response Question 1: Business Canvas Project Exam-Day Validation | 1 | 25 minutes | 15% |
| II Part B: Free-Response Questions 2–4 | 3 | 65 minutes | 25% |
The multiple-choice section includes sets of questions that share one stimulus. In College Board's sample questions, that stimulus is a narrative about a business, a data figure, a company's financial statements or a job posting.
The 4 free-response questions
- Question 1. Business Canvas Project Exam-Day Validation. Questions about the Business Canvas Project you completed during the year: pitch the idea, explain how hypothesis testing informed a decision, and assess a challenge to the idea's viability.
- Question 2. Personal Finance. A household's financial situation with data and goals. Interpret the data and explain how the household could reach its goals.
- Question 3. Business Concept Application. A business gathering evidence for strategic planning. Interpret its data and explain how it could reach its goals.
- Question 4. Business Decision. A business choosing between two courses of action. Set decision criteria, compare the options on them, and make and support a recommendation.
Practice for Question 4 with the decision matrix lab, and for Questions 2 and 3 with the household and income statement labs.
Multiple-choice weighting by unit
| Unit | Approximate weighting |
|---|---|
| Unit 1: Businesses, Competition, and New Ideas | 20–30% |
| Unit 2: Marketing | 20–30% |
| Unit 3: Personal Saving and Borrowing / Business Finance and Accounting | 25–35% |
| Unit 4: Management and Strategy | 15–20% |
Ranges as printed in College Board's AP Business with Personal Finance Course and Exam Description.
Unit 5, Personal Goals, Budgeting, and Investing: Not assessed on the AP Exam.