AP Psychology · Free Response

AP Psychology FRQ: The AAQ & EBQ, Explained

The FRQ section of the redesigned AP Psychology exam is two questions — the Article Analysis Question (AAQ) and the Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) — worth a third of your score. Both are research-reading tasks: no essays about definitions, just you analyzing real studies.

What Counts as an FRQ in AP Psychology

Section II of the exam gives you 70 minutes for two free-response questions, together worth 33.3% of your score. The 2024–25 redesign replaced the old concept-application essays with two document-based tasks: the AAQ hands you one research summary; the EBQ hands you three sources and asks for an argument. Timing strategy for the whole exam is covered in the exam length guide.

The AAQ: Article Analysis Question

You read a summary of a single study, then answer questions worth 7 points about its method, variables, statistics, generalizability, and ethics — pure Unit 0 skills applied to a real article. Suggested pacing: about 25 minutes. The full rubric, a step-by-step answer method, and the classic mistakes are in the AAQ guide.

The EBQ: Evidence-Based Question

You get three short research sources and build an evidence-based argument across them, again for 7 points: state a defensible claim, support it with evidence from two different sources, and explain the reasoning. Suggested pacing: about 45 minutes. The full breakdown lives in the EBQ guide.

How the FRQs Are Scored

Each question is scored on a 7-point rubric by trained readers, and points are awarded independently — you can miss point 2 and still earn points 3 through 7. That's why rubric-first practice beats essay-polishing: hit every point explicitly, in order, and label your claims. Your 14 raw FRQ points are weighted to a third of the composite that the score calculator converts into a predicted 1–5.

How to Practice FRQs

Three habits move scores fastest. First, learn the rubrics cold — the AAQ and EBQ award the same categories of points every year. Second, practice on released College Board questions under time (25 + 45 minutes). Third, self-score against the rubric, then run the practice test to keep the multiple-choice side sharp — it's still two-thirds of your grade. The research vocabulary the FRQs lean on is all in Unit 0: Research Methods.

AP Psychology FRQ — FAQ

How many FRQs are on the AP Psychology exam?

Two. The redesigned exam (first given in May 2025) has one AAQ and one EBQ, each worth 7 points. Together they make up one-third of your final score, with 70 minutes for both.

Did AP Psychology get rid of the old FRQs?

Yes. The old concept-application and research-design free-response questions were replaced in the 2024–25 redesign by the AAQ and EBQ, which both center on reading and analyzing real research.

How much are the FRQs worth in AP Psychology?

The free-response section counts for 33.3% of the exam score — one-sixth each for the AAQ and EBQ. The 75-question multiple-choice section counts for the remaining 66.7%.

How do I practice AP Psychology FRQs?

Work rubric-first: learn the 7 points each question awards, then write answers that hit each point explicitly. Use released College Board questions, time yourself at 25 minutes for the AAQ and 45 for the EBQ, and self-score against the rubric.

Go Deep on Each Question

The AAQ and EBQ each have a full guide with the rubric, a step-by-step method, and the mistakes that cost points.

Start With the AAQ

Aligned to the College Board's redesigned AP Psychology course (2024–25). AppsychologyLab is not affiliated with the College Board.