AP Score Inflation Closes Racial Gaps
False Assumption: Inflating scoring standards on AP exams will narrow persistent racial performance gaps and prepare underrepresented students for college success.
Written by FARAgent on February 11, 2026
Racial gaps in AP exam performance have long persisted. In 2022, average scores across all AP exams stood at 2.1 for Black students, 2.4 for Hispanic students, 3.0 for White students, and 3.4 for Asian students. The College Board, facing pressure from the Racial Reckoning, began recalibrating exams to boost passing rates. English Literature led in 2022, with over 50% of Black students then scoring a 3 or higher, unlike other subjects.
The College Board extended inflation to AP Chemistry in 2023 and AP European History, US History, and US Government in 2024. This recalibration added about 500,000 more 3+ scores yearly across nine popular exams. The board hid detailed ethnic breakdowns in public data to limit analysis by critics. It lobbied states to mandate college credit for 3+ scores, competing with dual credit programs at $99 per test.
Growing evidence shows inflated scores do not reflect improved skills. Students enter advanced college courses unprepared, risking failure. Critics question if freshmen skipping intro classes via easy 3s face academic and psychological setbacks. Gaps remain consistent across subjects, with Hispanics outscoring Blacks by less than half the White-Black margin.
People Involved
- In the world of standardized testing, John Moscatiello stood out. He ran MarcoLearning and documented the College Board's recalibration efforts. Starting around 2022, he noted how these changes added some 500,000 more scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.
- Moscatiello presented this as a way to expand access for underrepresented students. He assumed that higher pass rates would mean better preparation for college. Growing evidence suggests this view was flawed, though the debate continues. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“From MarcoLearning in 2024: The Great Recalibration of AP Exams by John Moscatiello The Advanced Placement program is undergoing a radical transformation. Over the last three years, the College Board has “recalibrated” nine of its most popular AP Exams so that approximately 500,000 more AP exams will earn a 3+ score this year than they would have without recalibration.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
Organizations Involved
The College Board took the lead in promoting the idea that inflating AP scores could close racial gaps. Starting in 2022, they recalibrated exams to boost scores and narrow those gaps. This move came amid broader pushes for equity in education. The organization also lobbied state legislatures. They pushed for laws requiring public universities to grant credit for AP scores of 3 or above. Increasingly, this approach is seen as misguided, as it may not truly prepare students. The College Board enforced the assumption through these institutional channels. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Beginning in 2022, the College Board has been grade-inflating scoring of its Advanced Placement exams.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
“College Board has spent a lot of money lobbying state legislatures to pass laws requiring public universities grant credit for AP exams (usually a 3 or above).”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
The Foundation
The assumption rested on visible racial gaps in AP scores. Blacks averaged 2.1, while Whites hit 3.0. Experts cited this as proof that something needed fixing, often through score inflation. They argued it would signal readiness for college credit. This seemed plausible during the equity drives of the early 2020s. Yet it overlooked consistent gaps across subjects. In English Literature, the 2022 inflation was pitched as a boost for minority passes. Proponents claimed it did not devalue the tests. But growing evidence suggests it merely masked the issues, as gaps persisted elsewhere. The debate on its credibility lingers. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Like other measures, student performance on AP® Exams also reveals gaps by race and ethnicity. Average scores (on the 1-5 AP scale) across all 2022 AP Exams, for example, are lower among Black (2.1) and Hispanic students (2.4) than among White students (3.0) and Asian students (3.4).”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
“Why are scores on English Lit so much higher? Because English Lit in 2022 pioneered inflating AP test scores as part of the College Boards plan to boost AP scores. That didn’t close The Gap, but it did mean that over 50% of blacks scored a passing 3 or higher in English Lit these days, unlike in any of the other top ten most popular AP tests in 2022.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
How It Spread
The idea gained traction during the Racial Reckoning around 2020. The College Board recalibrated scores and cut back on data transparency. They aimed to avoid analyses focused solely on ethnicity. This helped spread the narrative of expanded access. The organization limited detailed ethnic data, fearing misuse by critics. They cited risks of racists twisting the numbers. All the while, revenue from tests flowed in. Increasingly, this is recognized as a flawed strategy, though not everyone agrees. Social pressures and funding incentives kept the assumption alive in academia and media. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“One solution, however, has always been simple: inflate scores, whether GPAs or AP test scores. Not surprisingly, the College Board has been doing just that during the Racial Reckoning”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
“Those days are gone. The transparency The College Board touts as a value seems to have its limits, and I understand this to some extent: Racists loved to twist the data using single-factor analysis, and that's not good for a company who is trying to make business inroads with under-represented communities as they cloak their pursuit of revenue as an altruistic push toward access.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
Resulting Policies
Policies built on this assumption took shape in statehouses. Laws emerged mandating college credit for AP scores of 3 or higher. These were based on the belief that inflated scores meant real readiness. Public universities had to comply. The changes started rolling out after 2022. Growing evidence suggests these policies set false expectations, but the consensus is still forming. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“College Board has spent a lot of money lobbying state legislatures to pass laws requiring public universities grant credit for AP exams (usually a 3 or above).”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
Harm Caused
The consequences showed up in college classrooms. Students with inflated AP scores entered advanced courses unprepared. Freshmen often flunked sophomore-level classes after skipping introductions. This pattern emerged in various institutions. The inflation also devalued AP credits for everyone. It competed with dual credit programs by offering easy high scores. Sales of the $99 tests rose as a result. Increasingly, this is seen as harmful, though the full impact remains debated. Careers and educations suffered in the process. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Is it altruistic to let freshmen squeeze into college 201 classes instead of 101 classes because they got a grade-inflated 3 on their AP exam? ... So he then flunked most of his sophomore-level first year courses because he wasn’t mature enough to be thrust into 200 level courses.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
“Besides making it easier for blacks and Hispanics to score high enough to get college credit, the intention is to get more not-so-bright kids to sign up at $99 per test by giving them a more plausible chance of scoring high enough to get college credit.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
Downfall
The assumption began to crack under scrutiny. Persistent racial gaps across subjects refused to vanish, even after inflation in specific tests like English Lit. Critics pointed to the data hiding and unchanged relative performance. By 2023, analyses from Higher Ed Data Stories highlighted score jumps from 2022 to 2024. They argued these came from easier tests, not better students. Questions arose about preparation for later classes. Growing evidence suggests the approach failed, but the issue is not yet settled. Whistleblowers and replication efforts exposed the gaps. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“It’s striking how little variation there is from one subject to the next. On all ten tests, Hispanics outscore blacks, but always by less than 50% of how much whites outscore blacks.”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
“Do the changes in performance mean that students are more qualified, or that the tests are easier? And in some subjects, does giving credit for some courses actually set students up for failure in subsequent classes?”— Why are AP tests being made easier?
Sources
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[1]
Why are AP tests being made easier?reputable_journalism