The Authentic AP Testing Experience lets you take AP practice exams in Perfection Next the same way you'll take the digital AP Exam. This guide explains every button, icon and tool you'll see, so nothing on the screen is a surprise on test day.

The screenshots show an AP U.S. History practice exam. The sections, question types and times you see depend on your course.

Open the practice exam from your To Do list and select Start.

Each part of the exam opens with its directions, which describe the question types, the number of questions and the time allowed. On a full-page Directions screen, select Resume Testing to begin.

If you leave before you finish, your answers are saved. The button on your To Do list changes to Continue, so you can go back in and keep working.

The screen is split into two panes. The left pane holds the source material - a passage, excerpts or, when a question has a diagram, an image. The right pane holds the question and your answer area. When a question has no source material, the screen isn't split. Drag the ↔ handle between the panes to make either side wider.

The testing tools sit along the top and bottom of the screen:

Each practice exam follows the structure of that course's AP Exam. Like the AP Exam, it's usually split into a multiple-choice section and a free-response section, and some sections have more than one part.

On the real exam you can move freely within a section, but you can't move on to the next section until time runs out. In the practice exam, select Next whenever you're ready to move on.

Select Directions (top left, under the section name) at any time to reopen the instructions for the part you're working on. Select Close to return to your question.

Select Highlights & Notes to turn the highlighting tool on or off. When it's on, the button is underlined.

With the tool on, select any text - in the source material or in a question - and a small toolbar appears. From there you can:

When you add a note, the note editor shows the text you highlighted at the top, with a box underneath for your note. Type your note, then click outside the box to save it. A small note icon marks the highlighted text. To delete the note, select the trash icon in the note editor.

Select More (the three-dot icon, top right) to open these tools:

Select an answer choice to record it. To come back to a question later, select the bookmark icon next to Mark for Review at the top of the question. The bookmark turns red to show the question is flagged.

Select the ABC button (top right of the question) to turn on the answer eliminator. A cross-out button appears next to each choice. Select it to strike through a choice you've ruled out. To bring the choice back, select Undo.

Select Question X of Y at the bottom center of the screen to open the navigator. It shows every question in the part, with a legend for Current, Unanswered and For Review. Select any question number to go straight to it.

Select Go to Review Page in the navigator to open the Check Your Work page. It lists every question in the part and shows which ones are unanswered or marked for review. Select any question to go back to it. When you've checked your work, select Next to continue.

For questions that need a written answer, type in the response editor below the question. If a question has more than one part, such as (a), (b) and (c), answer each part. Your response saves automatically.

The response editor's toolbar has these buttons, from left to right:

Some questions put their documents or prompt choices in numbered tabs.

When a question comes with several documents, they're under Sources for Review in the left pane, in numbered tabs: Document 1, Document 2 and so on. Select a tab to show that document underneath. The prompt and the response editor are on the right.

When you can choose from several prompts, numbered tabs appear under Prompts at the top left. Select each tab to read that prompt. The prompt above the response editor changes to match the tab you select. Choose the prompt you're best prepared to answer and type your response in the response editor.

Between sections you'll see a Practice Test Break screen with a short countdown. In the practice exam, select Resume Testing whenever you're ready. On the real exam, you wait for the countdown to finish. The screen also lists the rules that apply during a break on test day.

After the last part of the exam, you'll see a final Check Your Work page. Review any questions still marked for review, then select Submit to turn in your exam. Once you submit, you can't go back to your answers, so make sure everything is complete first.

AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this guide. Screenshots show the Perfection Next practice exam and may differ slightly from the College Board testing application.