# AP 3-D Art and Design exam guide > Build a three-dimensional portfolio — sustained investigation plus five works shown from multiple views. - Canonical page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-3d-art-and-design - Markdown source: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-3d-art-and-design/llms.txt - Exam family: AP exams - Governing body: College Board - Official exam information: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-3-d-art-and-design - Who takes it: Students making sculptural, ceramic, architectural, or other three-dimensional work who want AP credit or a documented portfolio. - Follows the fall 2026 course and exam description, from 7 May 2027 - Guide structure last checked against official sources: August 30, 2026 ## Overview AP 3-D Art and Design is assessed by portfolio rather than by exam. Students work with three-dimensional design elements and principles through media such as sculpture, ceramics, architectural models, jewelry and metalwork, three-dimensional fiber arts, and installation, and are judged on how deliberately form, material, and space carry an idea. The portfolio has two components. Sustained Investigation is fifteen images documenting an inquiry pursued through practice, experimentation, and revision, with typed written responses; it is weighted 60%. Selected Works is five works presented in ten images — two views of each work — with brief written identification of materials, processes, and ideas; it is weighted 40%. Documenting three-dimensional work is its own skill. Lighting, background, and viewpoint decide whether a reader can read the form at all, and the required second view exists precisely because a single photograph flattens sculpture. Building a simple, repeatable photography setup early protects months of studio effort. ## Exam format - **Structure:** Two components: Sustained Investigation (15 images plus writing) and Selected Works (5 works shown in 10 images, two views each) - **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 ## Scoring There is no written exam. Trained AP readers score the uploaded portfolio against published rubrics, weighting Sustained Investigation 60% and Selected Works 40% to produce a score from 1 to 5. Readers evaluate only what the images and writing show, which makes documentation quality part of the assessment in practice. ## Portfolio components AP 3-D Art and Design is organized into 2 portfolio components. Each one below lists its published weighting where the governing body publishes one, the topics it covers, and study tips specific to it. ### 1. Sustained Investigation - Position: 1 of 2 - Published weighting: 60% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-3d-art-and-design/sustained-investigation Fifteen images document an inquiry of your own design, including finished forms, maquettes, tests, and in-progress states, with typed responses explaining the guiding questions and the role of practice, experimentation, and revision. For three-dimensional work, process images often carry the clearest evidence of decision-making. This component is weighted 60%. #### Topics - **Inquiry and guiding questions** — A question that can be pursued through form, material, and space over many works. - **Practice, experimentation, and revision** — Maquettes, failed tests, and reworked pieces that show a real investigation rather than a series. - **Materials and fabrication processes** — Choosing and combining materials deliberately, including joins, finishes, and structural decisions. - **Three-dimensional elements and principles** — Mass, volume, plane, and space handled with balance, proportion, scale, and repetition. - **Written evidence** — Typed responses tying the inquiry to specific images so a reader can follow the reasoning. - **Documentation and scale cues** — Photography, viewpoint, and stated dimensions that let a reader judge size and surface accurately. #### Study tips - Photograph maquettes and failures; in three dimensions they are often the strongest process evidence. - Record dimensions and materials for each piece as you finish it, not at upload time. - Build a consistent shooting setup with neutral background and raking light for surface detail. - Revise the written responses after your mid-year critique, when the inquiry is clearer. ### 2. Selected Works - Position: 2 of 2 - Published weighting: 40% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-3d-art-and-design/selected-works Five works are submitted as ten images, showing two views of each so readers can understand form in the round. Each work is accompanied by brief written identification of materials, processes, and ideas. Works may come from the Sustained Investigation but are not required to. This component is weighted 40%. #### Topics - **Two views per work** — Choosing a second angle that reveals what the first hides — depth, join, interior, or back. - **Synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas** — Works where the fabrication choices are inseparable from the concept being explored. - **Selection strategy** — Five works that demonstrate range of thinking and technical control without repeating themselves. - **Written commentary** — Concise statements of materials, processes, and ideas that add information the images cannot show. - **Presentation and installation** — Backgrounds, bases, and framing choices that keep attention on the work rather than the setting. #### Study tips - Shoot more angles than you need, then choose the pair that explains the form fastest. - Avoid busy backgrounds and cluttered studio shots; they read as noise at review scale. - Say in the commentary what a photograph cannot convey, such as weight, movement, or interior structure. ## Study strategies - Plan the studio calendar backward from College Board's spring deadline, allowing weeks for final photography. - Keep a dated process log with dimensions, materials, and problems solved for each piece. - Upload to the AP Digital Portfolio as you go so nothing depends on one late session. - Test documentation early with a single finished piece and fix the setup before the portfolio depends on it. - Ask a critique partner to describe your work from the images alone; gaps in their description are gaps in your documentation. - Read the published rubrics mid-year and score your own portfolio against them honestly. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many images does AP 3-D Art and Design require? Fifteen images for Sustained Investigation and ten images for Selected Works — two views of each of five works — for a total of twenty-five images. ### Is there a timed exam? No. The course is scored entirely from the portfolio submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio. ### What media count as three-dimensional? Sculpture, ceramics, architectural models, jewelry and metalwork, three-dimensional fiber arts, installation, and related forms all qualify, provided the work is genuinely three-dimensional. ### How is the portfolio weighted? Sustained Investigation counts for 60% of the score and Selected Works for 40%. ### Can I submit more than one AP Art and Design portfolio? Students may submit portfolios in more than one AP Art and Design course, but each portfolio must consist of different work. Confirm current rules with College Board. ## Related exam guides - [AP 2-D Art and Design](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-2d-art-and-design): A portfolio course with no timed exam: build a sustained investigation and five selected works in two dimensions. - [AP Drawing](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-drawing): A drawing-focused portfolio course scored on sustained investigation and five selected works, with no exam. - [AP Art History](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-art-history): Learn the 250-work image set and the ten content areas that structure the AP Art History exam. ## Independence and trademark notice AP® is a registered trademark of College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource. Confirm current portfolio requirements, deadlines, and policies with College Board. AP® is a registered trademark of College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource.