Ask your AP coordinator this week when the school's AP exam order closes. AP exams are sat in May, but your school orders them in the fall, and missing the school's deadline can mean scrambling for late changes and extra fees. This guide explains who orders the exams, which dates College Board publishes, and what to ask now.
Who orders your AP exams?
Your school does, not you. College Board's student registration page says that after you join your course in My AP and click the register button, your AP coordinator is told you plan to take the exam and will order it for you. The AP coordinator is the staff member at your school who runs AP testing.
The same College Board page explains that you join each course in My AP with a join code from your AP teacher or coordinator. If your teacher has not given you a code, ask for it.
What are the College Board ordering deadlines?
As of October 2026, College Board's 2026-27 key dates page lists two ordering deadlines for schools. The preferred deadline was October 2, 2026. The final deadline is November 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. College Board says exam orders submitted after the final deadline carry an additional $40 per exam late order fee.
College Board's page on exam order finalization describes what the coordinator has to do before then: complete the initial setup in AP Registration and Ordering, create class sections, make sure students are enrolled, and submit the orders. It applies to full-year and first-semester courses. The key dates page lists March 12, 2027 as the deadline for spring course orders and fall order changes, and the finalization page says fees may apply to changes made after the November deadline.
Those dates belong to the 2026-27 school year. They are the school's deadlines to College Board, and they are the last possible day, not the day your school will pick.
Why your school's deadline can be earlier than College Board's
College Board's student page says your school sets its own registration deadlines and payment requirements. That means the date your coordinator gives you can fall before November 13, and it binds. A coordinator who has to collect payment, enter every student and check the order before the final deadline needs time to do it, so expect a school date ahead of College Board's. Treat the school's date as the real one.
The same page notes that the process varies by school. Some schools ask each student to register, and others register students automatically. You will not know which yours is until you ask.
What can still change after the order is in?
Some things, but not for free. College Board's finalization page says schools can still add or remove students from the order, add transfer students, update orders for accommodations or special exam formats, and switch students to late testing exams, with March 12, 2027 as the date for those changes. It also says fees may apply to changes made after the November deadline. Changing your mind in the fall, before the order goes in, is the cheapest time to do it.
What does it cost, and when do you pay?
College Board's 2026-27 exam fee page lists $99 per exam for schools in the United States, U.S. territories and Canada, and at Department of Defense Education Activity schools. Schools elsewhere pay $129 per exam. The same page lists a $37 per exam reduction for eligible students. College Board also says schools set their own timelines for collecting payment, so your school decides when the money is due from you.
The fee page lists a $40 per exam fee for unused or canceled exams, with an exception for brand-new AP courses in the year they launch. If you order an exam and then decide not to sit it, ask your coordinator how your school handles that charge before you commit.
The key dates page adds that fee reduction status must be finalized by April 30, 2027. If you may qualify, ask your coordinator early rather than in the spring.
What to ask your AP coordinator this week
You do not need to understand the whole system. You need five answers:
- What is the school's deadline to register for AP exams, and what time of day does it close?
- Do I register myself in My AP, or does the school register me?
- Have I joined every AP course with its join code?
- How much do I owe, when is it due and how do I pay?
- What happens if I want to add or drop an exam after the deadline, and does a fee apply?
Write the answers down with the date you asked. If you are a parent, you can ask the same questions by email, and the written reply gives you something to check back against.
When are the exams themselves?
College Board lists the 2027 AP Exams in two weeks, May 3 to 7 and May 10 to 14, 2027, with late testing from May 17 to 21, 2027. Your exam's exact day and time are on College Board's published schedule, and your coordinator will confirm where you sit it. Ordering in the fall is what puts you on that schedule in the spring.
Exam dates, fees and rules change. Confirm the current details with the official exam body before you act on them.
Sources
- AP 2026-27 Key Dates and Deadlines, College Board
- Exam Order Finalization, College Board
- 2026-27 AP Exam Fees, College Board
- Register for AP Exams, College Board
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