When an AP exam comes out below expectation the first thought is a retake, and in AP this works differently from the SAT.
How it works
The same exam can be taken again in the following year's administration. AP exams are held once a year, so a retake means waiting a year.
Both scores remain in the account. Which scores go out when a report is sent is a separate process.
Why the return is low
Three reasons. First, a year passes and the course material loses its freshness; the student is busy with other subjects that year.
Second, the role of an AP score is limited: credit, and an indicator of academic rigour. A one point rise is rarely decisive in an application.
Third, that year could go to another AP, and a new course says more in a file.
When a retake makes sense
When the score fell one point below the credit threshold of the target institution and that credit genuinely matters, for instance where skipping a course saves serious time or money.
Also when something actually went wrong on the day: illness, a technical problem, an accommodation not being applied.
The alternative: not sending it
If the application does not require all scores to be reported, simply not sending a low score is usually more efficient than retaking.
That frees up the year a retake would consume.
Cancelling a score
It is possible to have an AP score removed from the record, and it is irreversible. The rules and deadlines are on the College Board's own pages.
⚠️ Cancellation is not the only way to prevent a score being sent; look at the sending options first, because cancellation is permanent.