Before the Clock Starts: Check-In and Bluebook Setup
The AP English Literature and Composition exam is administered digitally in the Bluebook app (next exam: Wednesday, May 5, 2027; your school’s AP coordinator confirms your exact arrival time and room). No reference materials, dictionaries, or calculators are permitted.
What to Bring to the Testing Room
- Testing device and charger: If you are testing on a personal or school-issued laptop or tablet rather than a school desktop, bring it fully charged along with its power cord. On a tablet you also need an external keyboard (required for fully digital exams); external keyboards are not allowed with laptops.
- Login details and, if needed, photo ID: Know your College Board username and password (a password saved on your device will not work). Bring a school- or government-issued photo ID if you are testing at a school you do not attend.
- Scratch paper and pens/pencils: Proctors provide scratch paper for outlining essays and noting shifts in passages. Bring two sharpened pencils and two dark blue or black pens.
- Break supplies: Water and a snack for the break between sections. Food and drink should not be brought into the exam room, so leave them where your school tells you; during the break you may leave the room to get them, with the proctor’s permission.
Check-In and Digital Readiness
Once seated, you will sign into Bluebook, complete the digital readiness steps, and wait for the proctor’s start code. Before the timer begins, set up your physical workspace: place your scratch paper and pen immediately next to your keyboard so you can jot down line numbers and essay skeletons without shifting your screen position.
Exam-Day Timeline and Pacing Checkpoints
Total testing time is 3 hours across two sections, separated by a break (normally 10 minutes).
| Phase | Duration | Weight | Structure & Pacing Checkpoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: Multiple Choice | 60 minutes | 45% | 55 questions across 5 passage sets (8–13 questions per set; at least 2 prose fiction/drama and at least 2 poetry sets).• 12:00 elapsed: Finish Set 1• 24:00 elapsed: Finish Set 2• 36:00 elapsed: Finish Set 3• 48:00 elapsed: Finish Set 4• 58:00 elapsed: Finish Set 5; use final 2 minutes to fill any blanks. |
| Break | ~10 minutes | — | Leave the desk, drink water, eat a snack, and reset mentally from multiple-choice analysis to essay composition. |
| Section II: Free Response | 120 minutes | 55% | 3 typed essays (scored 0–6 each; 18 raw points total). You manage your own time across the 2-hour block.• 40:00 elapsed: Finish Essay 1 (Poetry Analysis)• 80:00 elapsed: Finish Essay 2 (Prose Fiction Analysis)• 120:00 elapsed: Finish Essay 3 (Literary Argument) |