The best AP Research sample papers live on College Board's AP Central, which posts 30 full student papers from 2023 to 2025 with scoring notes.

Updated: 16th October, 2026 TL;DR AP Research is the second course in the College Board's AP Capstone program. You pick your own topic, write a 4,000–5,000 word paper, and defend it in a 15–20 minute oral presentation. The paper counts for 75% of your 1–5 score, and the presentation counts for 25%. You need AP Seminar first, so this course fits juniors and seniors who want a full research project on their record. If you want to keep researching after the class, look at the Lu

AP Seminar is not like most AP classes. There is no giant textbook to memorize. There is no single test that decides your whole grade. Instead, you research real issues, write arguments, work in a team, and defend your ideas out loud.