Advanced Placement Latin Literature - Exam Format

Exam Format

The AP Latin Literature exam began with a 60-minute multiple-choice section. Students were given four passages, three of which were shared with the AP Latin: Vergil exam and one of which was a passage of Catullus that students should have already studied. The multiple-choice questions were concerned with comprehension, translation, metrical scanning, poetic devices, and grammatical structures.

The students were then given a 120-minute free-response section. This section began with a 15-minute reading period, during which students would view the free-response questions and outline their responses, but could not begin writing the essays. Students then had the remaining 105 minutes to respond to the questions.

Twelve questions were provided, three for each author on the syllabus. All students would have to answer the questions pertaining to Catullus. They then answered the three questions pertaining to the secondary author that they studied. It was suggested that students devote one hour of the essay-writing period to the Catullus questions and forty-five minutes to the remaining three questions.

Each set of questions included one short translation of a poem or passage from the syllabus. For each of the remaining two Catullus questions, students were provided with one or two poems or excerpts of poems and must respond to a specific questions concerning the poetry. They must have also answered a similar prompt for one of the essays for their secondary author. For the final question of the free-response section, students were given a passage from the secondary author. They must have responded to short-answer questions concerning poetic devices, grammatical structures, and comprehension of both the literal text and implications from the grammar and vocabulary.