AP Music Theory
AP Music Theory is a College Board course and exam in the United States that high school students take to earn college credit for music theory. It covers sight reading, music terminology, musical phrasing and composition, music history, chords, cadences, texture, and more. Part-writing is a major focus and makes up about half of the eight units. The course is best for students who are strong in music or who plan to study music in college.
The AP Music Theory exam has two main sections: Section I is multiple choice, and Section II is free response. Section I is mainly listening-based. You’ll hear musical selections or other auditory prompts and answer questions about them; each item is played two to four times.
Section II has three parts, all requiring you to produce music or written analysis: a listening-based part, a part-writing part, and a sight-singing part.
- Listening-based section: melodic dictation and harmonic dictation.
- Melodic dictation: a one-part melody is played several times. You’re given a starting pitch, a time signature, and a key, and you must write the pitches and rhythms. Usually two melodies are tested—one major in a compound meter and one minor in a simple meter, with one line in treble clef and one in bass clef.
- Harmonic dictation: a four-part SATB texture is played, and you must notate the bass and soprano lines and provide a Roman numeral analysis with correct inversions.
- Part-writing: you use classical (18th-century) guidelines, common circle-of-fifths progressions, cadences, voicing, and part ranges to write a short two- or four-part texture. You may be given different kinds of starting information (figured bass, a complete bass part, Roman numerals, or a completed soprano line) and must complete the rest of the parts or fill in the missing pieces accordingly.
- Sight-singing: you analyze a given melodic line and then perform it. You’ll sing two melodies, with a short practice period before singing. Transposition is allowed if needed. Typically one melody is in a major key with a compound meter and the other in a minor key with a simple meter. You can use solfège or other neutral syllables.
Overall, AP Music Theory is designed to test your ability to read, hear, analyze, and create music at a college level.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:17 (CET).