How is the AP English Literature Exam structured?
The exam is divided into two parts: a multiple-choice section and an essay section. The multiple-choice section, which is one hour long, contains about 55 questions based upon either four or five readings. These readings are a mixture of prose (usually fiction) and poetry (and sometimes there’s a bit of drama too). At the hour’s end the questions and answer sheets are collected. The free-response section consists of three essays and it lasts for two hours. Students are asked to read both a poem and a prose fiction selection, then answer an analytical essay question based upon each text. The third essay is written in response to an “open question” that allows students to choose an appropriate literary text to answer a general question about literature.
