Get Ready for the AP and PSAT Digital Testing

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TAKING THE DIGITAL AP EXAMS AND PSAT TESTS

(updated 10.3.2025)

We recommend students regularly visit the official College Board website and use it as their main source of information.

For information on AP exams, click here:

What to Know About AP Exams – AP Students | College Board

Most AP exams are taken digitally starting in 2025.

AP exams are either fully digital, which means you take all parts of the AP exam on your laptop, or they are hybrid, which means you take one part of the AP exam on your laptop and read the questions for the other part of the exam on your laptop as well, but write your answers in a paper answer booklet provided by the proctor who will be administering the AP exam. Only a few AP exams are still taken in pen-and-paper form.

You can find important information about the PSAT tests below:

The PSAT/NMSQT – SAT Suite | College Board

The PSAT 10 – SAT Suite | College Board

The PSAT 8/9 – SAT Suite | College Board

All PSAT test are now digital.

What does it mean that the tests and exams are digital?

You will still need to come to our testing locations in Prague to take the PSAT tests or AP exams, but you will be writing them on your laptops. CTM does not provide laptops for students.

Which exams and tests does this apply to?

This applies to all PSAT tests, AP Digital exams and AP Hybrid exams (a combination of digital exams and paper-based exams, where one part is taken digitally on the student’s laptop and the other is written in an answer book). See below for a full list.

AP Digital exams, where you take the entire exam on your own laptop which you will bring on the exam day:

• AP Art History 
• AP Comparative Government and Politics 
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Computer Science Principles  
• AP English Language and Composition  
• AP English Literature and Composition  
• AP Environmental Science 
• AP European History  
• AP Human Geography 
• AP Psychology 
• AP Seminar  
• AP United States Government and Politics 
• AP United States History  
• AP World History: Modern 

AP Hybrid exams, where you will take part of the exam on your own laptop and part in an answer booklet:

• AP Biology
• AP Calculus AB 
• AP Calculus BC 
• AP Chemistry 
• AP Macroeconomics  
• AP Microeconomics 
• AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based  
• AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based 
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 
• AP Physics C: Mechanics 
• AP Statistics  

Pen-and-paper AP exams
Other exams (AP French, AP German, AP Italian) remain unchanged in their paper-and-pencil format.

What does this mean for you, students taking the PSAT tests and AP exams?

Downloading and trying out the BlueBook app in advance of the exam

If you are taking the PSAT or AP exams in the digital or hybrid form, you must download the Bluebook app at home to the laptop you will be testing on before the actual exam day. The test or exam will then take place on this app after you connect to the Wi-Fi at the test centre. If you show up for a PSAT test or AP exam without the Bluebook app downloaded to your laptop, we will not be able to wait for you and you will not be allowed to take the test or exam without a refund.

Laptop with sufficient battery life

In addition to the Bluebook application, your laptop must be fully charged and must be capable of lasting the duration of the exam (at least 4 hours for AP exams and 3 hours for PSAT tests) without being plugged in. Charging points will be available in limited quantities on testing day, however you must bring your own charger.

Wondering what will a digital PSAT test or digital AP exam will look like?

Check out this video about AP exams:

Introduction to Digital AP Testing—Hybrid Digital AP Exams

Or watch this video on the PSAT/NMSQT test (all PSAT tests are administered in the same digital environment):

What to expect with the digital PSAT/NMSQT

What are the technical requirements for my laptop?

The AP Digital and Hybrid exams, and PSAT Digital tests can be taken on these devices:

• Windows laptop
• Tablet
• Mac
• iPad

The exams cannot be taken on a mobile phone.

For Windows:

The minimum version is Windows 10 and the recommended maximum version is Windows 11. 
Your device needs to have 1 GB of free space.
If you are testing with a laptop, an external keyboard is not allowed.
External mice are allowed.

AP exams on Windows tablets: External keyboards are required for AP digital exams and allowed for hybrid exams. 

PSAT tests for Windows tablets: External keyboards are strongly recommended. 

For Macs:

The minimum version is macOS 11.7.5 and the recommended maximum version is macOS 15.3. 
Your device needs to have 1 GB of free space.
If you are testing with a laptop, external keyboards are not allowed.
External mice are allowed.

Important: To avoid technical problems on testing day, do not upgrade your computer on the day of the test until after the test.

For iPads:

The minimum version is iPadOS 15 and the recommended maximum version is iPadOS 18.3.
Your device needs to have 250 MB of free space. 
External mice are allowed. 
AP exams: External keyboards are required for full digital exams and allowed for hybrid exams. 
For PSAT test: External keyboards are allowed. 

Important:  To avoid technical issues on the day of testing, do not upgrade your iPad on testing day until after the test.  

You can read more about the technical requirements for the device on the official College Board website below:

Approved Testing Devices - Bluebook for Students | College Board

Where do I download the Bluebook app and how do I know if my laptop/iPad/tablet meets the technical requirements?

Download the Bluebook app on the website below:

Download the Bluebook Digital Testing App | College Board

Click on "Download Bluebook now" and follow the "Installation Instructions".
Once downloaded, open the app and click on "Test Device" in the upper right hand corner.
This will start a check to see if your laptop meets the technical requirements for the PSAT test or AP exam. If everything is in order, you will see the message "This device meets the requirements" and then click "Done".

Bluebook login, mock tests, full mock exams, graphing calculator, and other tools

Log in to Bluebook using your College Board account credentials. For PSAT tests, you will see that there will also be an option to log in using a "Sign-in Ticket". These will be sent out closer to the PSAT testing dates.

Once students launch the Bluebook app and log in (using Sign-in Tickets or College Board credentials), the Bluebook app will use the device's operating system features and built-in security measures to ensure that students cannot use other apps while testing.

In the Bluebook app, try out the "Test Preview" to get a better idea of what the testing environment will look like and to try out all of the tools that will be available to you during testing (e.g. graphing calculator, bookmarking, timer ....).

Full-length mock exams are only available to PSAT students and AP students who are also taking the relevant AP course with CTM (when the instructor allows it, they will be part of your AP Classroom in College Board, you will not see them in Bluebook). Full-length practice AP exams are not available for students who are preparing for AP exams on their own.

We recommend watching the following YouTube videos from College Board to get a better understanding of the Bluebook app and what to expect from the PSAT test, Digital AP Exam or Hybrid Exam:

Introduction to Digital AP Testing - YouTube

What to expect with the digital PSAT/NMSQT (the video refers to the PSAT/NMSQT test, but also applies to the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 tests)

Introduction to Digital AP Testing—Hybrid Digital AP Exams

After downloading and reviewing the Bluebook, is there anything else I need to bring with me on test day for PSATs or AP exams?

1) Remeber your computer and College Board account sign-in credentials. Do not rely on having them stored on your computer. CTM does not know your copmputer or College Board sccount credentials.

2) You must have the Bluebook app installed,  and it is highly recommended you try out the Test Preview, Full-Length Practice Test (if you have access to them) and the testing tools in the Bluebook app well in advance of testing day.

3) To avoid potential problems on the day of the AP exam or PSAT tests students must open Bluebook the DAY BEFORE on their testing device. Simply opening the app will trigger an automatic update, if available. Updating the app on test day could result in a delay or exclusion from the test.

4) A fully charged device. Your device should be able to stay charged for 3-4 hours.

5) Power cord and/or external charger. We cannot guarantee that you will have access to an outlet during testing.

6) Pencil or pen.

7) An approved calculator. There is a Desmos graphing calculator built into the Bluebook app. This calculator does not offer all the features of a traditional calculator! You are encouraged to bring your own calculator according to the individual AP exam requirements and approved calculators (see below for more information on calculator rules). We strongly recommend calculators for all PSAT tests and for AP exams where a calculator is recommended.

8) An external mouse, if you use one.

9) An external keyboard, if you use one and it's allowed with your type of device (you can only use an external keyboard with tablets - not laptops).

10) ID card or passport

See below for more information on what you can bring on test day (example for PSAT/NMSQT tests, but this applies to all digital exams):

What to Bring on PSAT/NMSQT Test Day - SAT Suite

What tools can I find in Bluebook and how will they help me on PSAT/AP test day?

Testing Timer: A timer will let you know how much time is remaining in each part of the test. You can hide it until 5 minutes remain, then you’ll get an alert.

Calculator: On the SAT, PSAT-related assessments, and certain AP Exams, you’ll have access to a Desmos graphing calculator. You can drag it anywhere on the screen.  

Reference Sheet: A reference sheet with commonly used formulas will appear on all tests with math questions.

Highlights & Notes: Use this tool to highlight text from a question or leave yourself a note. 

Mark for Review: Use the bookmark icon to flag any question you want to come back to.

Line Reader: Use this tool to focus as you read test content.  

Option Eliminator: Cross out answer choices you think are wrong. You can undo this if you change your mind.

Question Menu: See which questions you skipped or marked for review, and navigate to any question in the section.

Zoom: Use keyboard shortcuts on laptops or pinch and zoom on tablets to get a closer look at any part of the question.

Can I take my calculator with me?

You can bring a graphing calculator with you to the PSAT tests.

For AP exams, it depends on which AP exam you are taking. You may be able to take a graphing calculator or only a simple four function calculator. For some AP exams, you are allowed to bring up to two calculators (in case one stops working).

CTM does not provide calculators.

Details on using calculators during AP exams can be found here:

AP Exams Calculator Policy – AP Students | College Board

Bluebook has a built-in Desmos graphing calculator that looks very similar to this one (except it doesn't have the "+" icon):

Desmos | Graphing Calculator

Please note that the Desmos calculator does not provide any functions other than graphing functions.

IMPORTANT! For a complete list of approved calculators (the list is identical for the PSAT and AP exams), please see the following website:

AP Exams Calculator Policy – AP Students | College Board

I still have questions about the Digital PSAT tests, AP Digital or AP Hybrid exams. What should I do?

If you have further questions, please contact our PSAT and AP Coordinator at tereza.petrova@ctm-academy.org