AP exams, 2 portfolio components
AP 2-D Art and Design exam guide
A portfolio course with no timed exam: build a sustained investigation and five selected works in two dimensions.
Follows the fall 2026 course and exam description, from 7 May 2027
Overview
What AP 2-D Art and Design covers.
AP 2-D Art and Design is assessed by portfolio, not by a timed exam. Over the year you develop a body of work using two-dimensional design elements and principles — line, shape, value, texture, color, space, balance, contrast, repetition, and unity — in media such as graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, printmaking, painting, and illustration.
The portfolio has two components. Sustained Investigation is fifteen images documenting an inquiry you define and pursue through practice, experimentation, and revision, accompanied by written responses about your guiding questions and process; it is weighted 60%. Selected Works is five works that demonstrate synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas, each with brief written commentary; it is weighted 40%.
Because everything is produced over months and uploaded to the AP Digital Portfolio, the practical risks are logistical rather than academic: undocumented process, poor photography, and last-minute uploading. Building documentation habits from the first week is the single highest-value change most students can make.
At a glance
- Structure
- Two components: Sustained Investigation (15 images plus writing) and Selected Works (5 works plus writing)
- Timing
- No timed exam; work is produced across the course
- Weighting
- Sustained Investigation 60%, Selected Works 40%
- Delivery
- Submitted digitally through the AP Digital Portfolio by College Board's spring deadline; confirm the exact date for your exam year
- Score range
- 1 to 5
- Governing body
- College Board
- Who takes it
- Art and design students building a two-dimensional body of work for college credit, placement, or portfolio review.
Scoring
There is no multiple-choice or free-response exam. Trained AP readers score the submitted portfolio against published rubrics, with Sustained Investigation weighted 60% and Selected Works weighted 40%, producing a single AP score from 1 to 5. Written responses are scored as evidence alongside the images, so weak writing can lower an otherwise strong portfolio.
Exam structure
Portfolio components
AP 2-D Art and Design covers 2 portfolio components. Open one for its topics, published weighting, and section-specific study tips.
Sustained Investigation
60%Fifteen images document an investigation driven by your own questions. Images may show finished works, in-progress states…
6 topics
Selected Works
40%Five works are submitted as images with brief written identification of the materials, processes, and ideas behind each. These…
5 topics
Study strategies
How to work through this exam.
These strategies follow from the exam's own structure. Adapt them to the time you actually have each week.
- Work backward from College Board's spring portfolio deadline with monthly targets for finished pieces and uploads.
- Keep a process journal with dated entries; it becomes the raw material for your written responses.
- Upload images to the AP Digital Portfolio throughout the year instead of in one session at the end.
- Seek critique from outside your usual circle; unfamiliar viewers reveal whether the inquiry reads clearly.
- Read the published scoring rubrics early and evaluate your own portfolio against them mid-year.
- Photograph work in consistent, neutral light so weak documentation never undercuts strong pieces.
Common questions
AP 2-D Art and Design questions students ask.
Is there an AP 2-D Art and Design exam?
No. The course is assessed entirely by a portfolio submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio. There is no multiple-choice section and no timed exam.
How is the portfolio weighted?
Sustained Investigation is 60% of the score and Selected Works is 40%. Together they produce a single AP score from 1 to 5.
How many images do I submit?
Fifteen images for Sustained Investigation, which may include process documentation, plus images of five works for Selected Works.
What is the difference between AP 2-D Art and Design and AP Drawing?
AP 2-D emphasizes two-dimensional design elements and principles across media such as photography, graphic design, and collage. AP Drawing emphasizes drawing skills such as mark-making, line quality, surface, and light. Students may submit portfolios in more than one AP Art and Design course.
When is the portfolio due?
College Board sets a spring deadline, in early May in recent years, after which components cannot be changed. Teachers usually set an earlier internal deadline, so confirm both dates.
Before you build the schedule
Exam structures change. Confirm the current format, eligibility, and policies with College Board before you commit to a study plan.
Official exam information opens in a new tabGuide structure last checked against official sources on August 30, 2026.
Markdown version of this guide for citation, offline reading, and language models.
Study AP 2-D Art and Design with a plan you can keep.
Create your Arcade Academy workspace to pair this structure with spaced-repetition flashcards, resources, notes, and progress you can review.