The first thing to know: your school orders the exam
Students do not buy AP Exams directly from College Board. An AP coordinator at a school that administers the exam handles the order. Your job is to find the right coordinator, join the correct My AP section, and confirm that an exam—not just a course enrollment—has been ordered for you.
Student, parent, teacher and AP coordinator: who does what?
Student
Ask whether the exam will be offered, enroll in the My AP class or exam-only section using the join code you receive, and check your exam registration status.
Parent or guardian
Help with deadlines, fees, transportation if another school is administering the exam, and a quiet place to practice on a compatible device.
AP teacher
Explain course expectations, share the appropriate class join code when directed by the school, and point students to the AP coordinator for orders and fees.
AP coordinator
Create the relevant AP section, submit the official exam order, explain the school’s payment rules, and arrange the testing location and day.
Joining a class in My AP and having an exam ordered are connected steps, but they are not the same thing. Ask your coordinator to confirm both.
How to register when your school offers AP Networking
1. Ask whether your school will teach and test AP Networking in 2027–28.
Course availability does not guarantee that a particular school will administer every AP Exam. Ask the counselor or AP coordinator about both the class and the exam.
2. Find the school’s registration instructions and local deadline.
Schools can set earlier deadlines for collecting fees and completing forms. Do not wait for the national ordering deadline to begin.
3. Sign in to My AP with your College Board account.
Use the join code your teacher or coordinator provides for your AP Networking class section. If you are testing without taking the course, ask about an exam-only section instead.
4. Confirm that the coordinator placed your exam order.
After joining your section, check your My AP exam status and ask your coordinator to confirm that the exam is on the school’s official order. Resolve any mismatch early.
5. Confirm the exam-day plan.
Ask when and where to report, whether the school provides a testing device, and how accommodations or a scheduling conflict will be handled.
Official starting points: My AP and AP Registration and Ordering.
What if your school does not offer AP Networking?
You may be able to take an AP Exam at another school even if you do not take the corresponding AP class. The important catch: the host school must agree to accept you, order your exam and provide a seat. For a newly launched subject such as AP Networking, confirm that the host actually plans to administer that particular exam.
1. Start with the AP Course Ledger.
Search for nearby schools that offer AP courses. The ledger helps you identify schools to contact; it does not guarantee that a school accepts outside test-takers or administers AP Networking.
2. Call or email the AP coordinator.
Ask whether the school plans to administer the May 2028 AP Networking Exam, whether it accepts students from other schools, and what its local registration and payment deadlines will be.
3. Get an exam-only join code if the school accepts you.
The host school’s AP coordinator creates the exam-only section. Join it in My AP, then confirm that the coordinator placed your order.
4. Arrange the details before exam day.
Confirm the testing address, arrival time, approved accommodations if applicable, required identification, device arrangements and any local administrative fees.
Find schools through the official AP Course Ledger and read College Board’s outside-school registration guidance.
Can homeschool students register for AP Networking?
Under College Board’s general AP rules, homeschooled and independent-study students can arrange to take AP Exams through a school willing to administer them. Parents and students cannot submit the official order themselves. For the 2028 AP Networking Exam, start contacting possible host schools early in the 2027–28 school year rather than assuming that every AP testing site will offer this new subject.
If the answer is yes, request the coordinator’s deadline, fees, My AP join code, testing-device rules and written confirmation of your exam order. If the answer is no, ask whether the coordinator knows of another local school offering the exam.
A short email to the AP coordinator
Subject: Question about registering for the May 2028 AP Networking Exam
Hello,
I’m planning to take the AP Networking Exam in May 2028. Will your school be administering this exam, and do you accept students who are not enrolled in your AP Networking class?
If so, could you let me know your registration deadline, total exam cost, how to receive an exam-only join code, and whether students need to bring a device?
Thank you for your help.
[Student or parent name]
For students enrolled at their own school, change the second sentence to ask whether the school plans to offer the AP Networking Exam and how enrolled students should register.
The registration timeline: what is known and what is not
College Board has published the following 2026–27 ordering dates. They are useful examples of how early AP registration happens, but do not treat them as deadlines for the May 2028 exam.
| 2026–27 milestone | Published date | What families should learn from it |
|---|---|---|
| Preferred ordering | October 2, 2026 | Schools may begin collecting information early in the fall. |
| Final fall ordering | November 13, 2026 | Contact your coordinator early rather than waiting until winter. |
| Spring-course orders and changes | March 12, 2027 | Later additions have rules and exceptions; do not assume a late seat will be available. |
| First national AP Networking Exam | May 2028 | The specific 2028 date and registration deadlines should be checked when College Board publishes them. |
Swipe to see the rest of the table.
Check College Board’s ordering calendar for the current school year.
How much will the 2028 AP Networking Exam cost?
The 2028 AP Networking Exam fee has not yet been published. For comparison, College Board lists a standard 2027 AP Exam fee of $99 in the United States, U.S. territories, Canada and DoWEA schools, and $129 at schools outside those areas. Authorized test centers abroad can have different fees, and host schools may add permitted local administration charges.
Ask about the full amount
Request the exam fee, any host-school administrative charge, the payment deadline, and the refund or cancellation policy. A nearby school accepting outside students may have different procedures from your home school.
Ask about fee reductions
For 2027, eligible students with significant financial need may receive a $37 College Board fee reduction, and state or local support may lower the cost further. Ask your AP coordinator which programs apply to you.
Do not pay a third-party website to “reserve” an AP Networking exam seat. Follow the host school’s instructions. College Board says students cannot pay their AP Exam fee directly on its exam-fee webpage.
Official reference: College Board AP Exam fees.
How to tell whether you are actually registered
A join code gets you into a My AP class or exam-only section. The school’s AP coordinator must still place the official exam order. If your status is unclear, do not guess. Ask the coordinator to check your entry in AP Registration and Ordering.
You have a join code
Good first step. Enter it in My AP and confirm that you joined the intended section.
You joined a section
Check your exam registration status and complete any school-specific forms or payment steps.
The coordinator confirms the order
Save the exam location, date, school contact and any instructions for test day.
If you transferred schools or changed your plan, tell both the original and new AP coordinators. Do not create a second College Board account to fix an enrollment issue.
The 2028 exam is digital: plan for Bluebook
College Board says the national AP Networking Exam in May 2028 will be fully digital in Bluebook, with scenario-based multiple-choice questions and free-response questions built around realistic networking evidence. It is not the same format as the May 2027 pilot, which contains only multiple-choice questions.
Before exam day, ask your coordinator whether the school provides a device or expects you to bring one. Use College Board’s official Bluebook instructions to check compatibility, install the app if required, and complete any assigned exam preview. Do not assume that a phone or an arbitrary Chromebook setup will work.
Study next: AP Networking Bluebook exam preparation, 2028 study plan, and official Bluebook student guidance.
If you need exam accommodations, ask early
Students who need accommodations should contact their school’s SSD coordinator or AP coordinator early. Approved accommodations for College Board exams may include arrangements for timing, breaks or accessible testing, depending on the student’s approved plan and College Board rules. Do not assume that classroom accommodations automatically carry over to the AP Exam.
For the 2026–27 AP administration, College Board lists January 22, 2027 as its AP accommodations-request deadline. The equivalent 2028 deadline should be verified when published. Students testing at another school should tell the host coordinator about their approved accommodations and confirm the testing arrangements.
Official guidance: College Board Services for Students with Disabilities.
A teacher’s first-year AP Networking registration checklist
Students benefit when the registration process is explained before the first big exam-preparation push. A short family handout and one classroom reminder can prevent missed local deadlines.
Your AP Networking registration checklist
Use this checklist at home or print it for a school registration night. You can mark each item as you complete it; the checklist stays on this page and does not send personal information anywhere.
Six questions worth asking at your next school meeting
- Is AP Networking available at our school in 2027–28, and will you administer its exam?
- Who is the AP coordinator, and when is our school’s earlier local deadline?
- How much will the exam cost after any school charges or fee reductions?
- If my child takes the exam elsewhere, who handles the join code, payment and test-day instructions?
- Will the school provide a Bluebook-compatible device and explain approved accommodations?
- How will students practice the free-response section, which is new for the national exam?
Keep the answers in one email or shared document. The biggest registration mistakes are usually missing a school-specific step or assuming that course enrollment automatically means an exam was ordered.
What to study after your exam registration is confirmed
Once the coordinator confirms your exam order, spend less time worrying about paperwork and more time doing the kind of work the national exam will ask for. Start with your weakest course unit, then practice explaining what a network artifact proves—and what it does not.
Start with the course map
Review the four AP Networking units and mark which concepts you can explain without notes.
Practice with evidence
Use the free Wireshark packet-capture labs to read DNS, TCP and DHCP evidence.
Plan for the national exam
Use the 2028 exam study plan to build a manageable weekly schedule.
Planning a new AP Networking class alongside exam registration
A new course means two calendars: the lessons you will teach and the exam steps the school must complete. Teachers should coordinate early with the AP coordinator so students receive join codes, payment instructions and device information while the class is still settling into its routine.
Build registration reminders into the first weeks of the course, then move toward network diagrams, command output, security decisions and troubleshooting explanations. Keep a short list of students whose registration status still needs checking, following your school’s privacy rules.
Teaching AP Networking when devices and lab equipment are scarce
Not every school has a room full of switches or enough devices for every student. That should not prevent teachers from building students’ networking reasoning. Rotate a shared device through small groups, use printed command output for evidence analysis, and assign paper-based network diagrams when a live lab is not available.
For exam preparation, students still need to read artifacts carefully, choose reasonable troubleshooting steps and explain their decisions. The free overview of the low-resource curriculum shows how the same networking objective can be taught with different levels of classroom equipment.
24 AP Networking registration flashcards
These 24 free cards review the steps that students, parents and teachers are most likely to mix up. Select a topic, flip a card to see the answer, and use the shuffle button for another round. They are about registration—not a substitute for studying the networking concepts on the exam.
Free to use in class or at home. No login required.
AP Networking registration FAQ
Can I register for the 2028 AP Networking Exam myself?
No. Under College Board’s established AP ordering process, a school AP coordinator submits the exam order. Students join the appropriate My AP section and follow the school’s registration instructions.
Can I take the exam if my high school does not offer the class?
Under general AP rules, students can seek a willing host school. Because AP Networking is new, ask whether that school will administer this specific exam and accept outside students.
When does AP Networking open to all schools?
The course is scheduled to become available nationwide in the 2027–28 school year. The first national exam is planned for May 2028.
Is the May 2027 pilot exam the same as the May 2028 exam?
No. College Board says the 2027 pilot has only multiple-choice questions. The 2028 national exam will include multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook.
What is the 2028 registration deadline?
As of September 2026, College Board has not published the 2028 ordering calendar. Your school may also have an earlier local deadline. Ask the AP coordinator in early fall 2027 and check official updates.
How much is the 2028 AP Networking Exam?
The 2028 fee is not yet published. The standard 2027 AP Exam fee is $99 in the U.S., U.S. territories, Canada and DoWEA schools, but 2028 prices and local school charges may differ.
Can I register if I am homeschooled?
College Board’s general AP policy allows homeschooled students to arrange testing through a school that agrees to administer their exam. The host coordinator provides an exam-only join code and submits the order.
Does joining My AP mean the exam is ordered?
Not necessarily. Joining the correct section is important, but the AP coordinator must submit the official exam order. Confirm your status with the school.
Can I get a fee reduction?
Students with significant financial need may qualify for College Board fee reductions and additional state or local support. Ask your AP coordinator about the rules for the year you test.
Where do I find official updates?
Use College Board’s AP Networking exam overview, AP Students registration help, the AP Course Ledger and your school’s AP coordinator. Do not rely on an unofficial website for a final deadline or fee.
Official registration sources and related free guides
College Board: AP Networking Exam Overview
Confirms the national May 2028 exam and its digital multiple-choice and free-response structure.
College Board: AP Registration and Ordering
Explains who places orders, how class sections work and the currently published deadlines.
College Board: Students testing elsewhere
Explains how to find a school willing to administer an exam for a student who is not enrolled there.
College Board: AP Exam fees
Check the published fees and financial-assistance information for your actual exam year.
More free AP Networking help: 2027 pilot vs. 2028 national exam · Bluebook preparation · College credit and credential · Complete site directory.
Independent educational guide. Not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board. Policies, fees and deadlines may change; verify them with College Board and your AP coordinator.