Advanced Placement (AP) classes are considered more rigorous than standard high school classes because they are designed to be college-level courses. Still, there are difficulty levels even within the AP category. A couple of important notes about choosing AP courses before you keep reading:

• There is no definitive guide to ranking the difficulty of AP courses.
• The rigor of an AP class can depend on the individual student's background, strengths, and interests. What may be a challenging class for one student may be easier for another.
• An AP class's rigor can vary from school to school and from teacher to teacher.

That said, some AP classes are consistently noted to be among the most challenging coursework available to students.

The most difficult AP classes typically cover complex subject matter (often requiring students to be already advanced academically in a discipline), require extensive reading and analysis, and demand high critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These classes often have a heavy workload and require significant time and effort outside of class to keep up with the pace of the course. Some examples of AP classes that students often consider to be the most rigorous include:

• AP Calculus BC
• AP Physics C
• AP Chemistry
• AP Biology
• AP Latin
• AP Computer Science A
• AP English Literature and Composition
• AP U.S. History
• AP World History: Modern
• AP European History

On the other hand, some AP classes are generally considered less rigorous than others (even though the exam pass rates may not reflect this--for example, students widely report AP Environmental Science as relatively easy, but the exam's pass rate is very low). These classes may cover subject matter that is more accessible or maybe less demanding in terms of workload and outside preparation. However, it is important to note that even "easier" AP classes are still more challenging than most standard high school courses. Some examples of AP classes that are often considered to be less rigorous include:

• AP Human Geography
• AP Psychology
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Statistics

Playing to a student's strengths and considering future goals (major, career, selectivity of colleges being targeted, etc.) all need to be considered when selecting AP classes--there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation!