15 Best AP Research Sample Papers
Updated: 16th October, 2026
TL;DR
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. Each paper is graded on a 5-point scale, so you can compare a 5 with a 2. Start with the top three on this list: the carbon-plated shoe study, the coffee grounds dye study, and the mealworm iron study. If you want to write a paper of your own, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor.
Which AP Research paper examples does College Board publish?
Reading a finished AP Research paper is the fastest way to see what the exam wants. You get the question, the method, the data, and the write-up in one place.
All 15 papers below come straight from College Board. AP Research is the second course in the AP Capstone sequence, after AP Seminar. It ends with an academic paper instead of a final exam. College Board posts a set of these papers each year, with commentary that explains each score.
The paper is scored on a 5-point scale, where 5 is the top mark (AP Research scoring guidelines). The samples are free. The set runs across the score range, so you can compare a strong paper with a weaker one. If you are still picking courses, our guide to the hardest and easiest AP classes shows where AP Research fits.
Which AP Research sample papers can you read in full?
Each paper links to its official College Board PDF. Read two or three at different scores to see how the same rubric rewards a clear question and a solid method.
Subject: Sports science and biomechanics
Score: 5 out of 5
Tracks how the stiffness of carbon-plated and carbon-rodded running shoes breaks down over 100 miles.
Subject: Environmental chemistry
Score: 5 out of 5
Tests whether used coffee grounds can pull a common dye out of water.
Subject: Biology and nutrition
Score: 5 out of 5
Tests whether calcium lowers the iron mealworms take in, as a step toward better insect-based iron sources.
Subject: Education
Score: 5 out of 5
Designs a school curriculum on Asian American and Pacific Islander history that textbooks often skip.
Subject: Media studies and sociology
Score: 5 out of 5
Looks at how often Vogue cosmetic ads from 1950 to 2019 show Eurocentric beauty standards.
Subject: Media studies
Score: 4 out of 5
Asks whether Disney villains and their live-action remakes shape how Gen Z sees beauty.
Subject: Public health
Score: 4 out of 5
Reads FDA warning letters to herbal remedy makers to see how violations change over time.
Subject: Education
Score: 4 out of 5
Asks what draws people who did not study education to become high school teachers.
Subject: Environmental science
Score: 3 out of 5
Compares emissions from electric and gas-powered cars in Washington state.
Subject: Occupational health
Score: 3 out of 5
Surveys Michigan firefighters on gear-cleaning rules meant to cut cancer risk.
Subject: Social science
Score: 3 out of 5
Surveys Michigan teens on how online betting ads affect their attitudes and behavior.
Subject: History and economics
Score: 3 out of 5
Studies 150 tie-on pockets from 1800 to 1900 and whether cotton prices shaped them.
Subject: Communication and media
Score: 2 out of 5
Asks whether a video game's design shapes the slurs players use in chat.
Subject: Medicine
Score: 2 out of 5
Looks at clot-dissolving drugs as a treatment for frostbite.
Subject: Demography and economics
Score: 2 out of 5
Examines how economic and social factors affected Japan's falling birth rate from the 1940s to the 2000s.
Frequently asked questions: AP Research sample papers
Where can you find AP Research sample papers?
They live on College Board's AP Central, on the AP Research past exam questions page. The site posts 30 full academic papers from 2023 to 2025. They are free to read. Every paper above links straight to its official PDF.
How long is an AP Research paper?
The academic paper should be 4,000 to 5,000 words, according to College Board. That count covers the body of the paper. Tables, figures, and the reference list sit outside it.
What score do the sample papers get?
Each paper is graded on a 5-point scale, where 5 is the highest and 1 is the lowest (AP Research scoring guidelines). College Board picks samples across that range on purpose. The published set holds 5s, 4s, 3s, and 2s. The score for each paper above comes from the scoring commentary in its PDF.
Which AP Research sample papers scored a 5?
Five papers on this list earned a 5. They cover carbon-plated shoes, coffee grounds and dye, mealworm nutrition, an AAPI school curriculum, and Vogue beauty ads. You can open each one from entries 1 through 5. Read them next to the 2s to see the gap.
Do the sample papers come with scoring commentary?
Yes, each sample is posted with commentary from College Board. The commentary explains why the paper earned its score. It is the quickest way to see what graders look for. You can find it inside each paper's PDF.
Can you reuse a sample paper's topic?
You can study a sample's topic and method, but your paper has to be your own question and your own work. Copying a published sample would be plagiarism, so use the samples as models, not as source text. A good move is to borrow the method, not the question, and point it at something you care about. You can also pair the samples with AP exam prep resources.
Want a mentor to guide you through your own paper, not just samples to read? Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you with a PhD mentor for a 1-on-1 research project, done online. Apply here. If cost is the main barrier, also look at the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.