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AP EXAMS: ONE WEEK AND COUNTING

April 29, 2013

May is almost here and with it comes the season of tests. In less than a week students all across the country will be taking College Board’s Advance Placement (AP) Exams in the hopes of receiving a high score. For many college and universities, scores of fours and fives are often translated into college credit or advance placement for incoming freshman. Thus, doing well on an AP exam can save students time and money during their pursuit of higher education.

The first step in doing well on these exams is to know what to expect on the test. Although College Board offers 34 exams on a variety of subjects (History, Music Theory, Macroeconomics) all of them test a student’s mental endurance. With exam times ranging between two and four hours long, it is important that students are prepared for the mental challenge of taking the test itself. If you are taking an AP exam in the next two weeks and haven’t taken a full practice test (one that is administered exactly how the test will be administered, limited breaks and all) then it is important to do so this weekend. Getting a feel for how long the test will help you mentally prepare for the length of the challenge.

Next students need to understand the constructs of the test and carefully read the instructions of each questions. Regardless of the subject, each test is divided into two parts. The first part of the test will be multiple choice and the second will be free response. For the multiple choice questions it is important to review all class-material and study guides to ensure you understand the general information about your subject. Try to spend at least 30 minutes a night re-reading any relevant information. If on the test day you don’t know an answer right off the bat, try to eliminate as many of the wrong answer choices as possible and then just guess. You will no longer lose points on the AP exam for answering a multiple choice question wrong or by leaving a question blank. The second part of the test is student response. For some tests this section will require essays while others will need you to problems or equations. In order to do well in this section it is best to understand what the scorers are looking for. Be sure to read and understand any prompt before you start answering a question. It is also a good idea to see what types of responses got the scores you want to get. You can find example answers and their scores for any test on the College Board website.

A recent change to the AP exams is the way in which students will receive their scores in July. For years participating high school students would get their results via the mail, however College Board recently switched to an all online score-reporting system. This change means students must have an active College Board account to view their final results in July. Any student who does not already have an account with College Board can go to apscore.org to set one up.

Doing well on an AP Exam is the result of hard work and effort throughout the school year. Students however can increase their chances of a high score by simply understanding what is expected of them during the exam. If you haven’t already done so, spend time on the College Board website. Familiarize yourself with the length and constructs of the test. Review any and all information from your classes and take a couple practice questions. With the right amount of preparation you CAN get the score you want.

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