"No single test score can be considered a definitive measure of a student's knowledge."
--National Research Council Report, High Stakes
An Overview of AP Exam Grades
(for more information you can visit AP Central's web site)
Each AP exam grade is a weighted combination of the
student’s score on the multiple-choice section and of
the free-response section. The final grade is reported
on a 5-point scale.
5=extremely well qualified
4=well qualified
3=qualified
2=possibly qualified
1=no recommendation
In general, AP grades of 5 and 4 are comparable to a
college course grade of A. An AP grade of 3 is approximately
equal to a college course grade of C.
The results of AP examinations are sent to candidates,
their secondary schools, and the colleges they select.
The fee for each AP exam is $78.00
AP exams are typically more difficult than classroom tests.
Generally, to obtain a total grade of 3 or higher, on an
AP exam, students need to answer about 50% of the
multiple-choice questions correctly and to do acceptable
work on the free-response section.
THE AP BIO EXAM IS MONDAY, MAY 10TH
How AP Biology Tests Are Scored:
I. Section I (multiple Choice Questions)
Number of Questions you answer correctly: ____x 1= _____
Number of Questions you answer incorrectly: ____x .25= _____ *
Number of Questions you left unanswered: ____x 0= _____
TOTAL for section 1 (0-120 points) _____ **
*Round to the nearest whole number
**If less than zero, enter zero
II. Section II (Free-Response Questions)
Score for essay I (0-10 points) ______
Score for essay II (0-10 points) ______
Score for essay III (0-10 points) ______
Score for essay IV (0-10 points) ______
TOTAL for section II (0-40 points) ______
III. Combined Score (Sections 1+2)
Total for section I (from above):____x 0.75= _____
(60% of 150 points=90 points maximum)
Total for section II (from above):____x 1.5 = _____
(40% of 150 points=60 points maximum)
COMBINED SCORE (add sections I and II)_____
(0-150 points)
|
COMBINED SCORE |
AP GRADE |
| 102-150 | 5 |
| 80-101 | 4 |
| 60-79 | 3 |
| 39-59 | 2 |
| 0-38 | 1 |
Multiple Choice Tips
120
questions-90 minutes
Answer
all questions that you can on the first attempt
-if you can't answer the question-SKIP IT AND MOVE ON!
Use
left over time to check your answers
First
answers are normally the correct ones
Use
guessing to your advantage
Question Break Down
30% Molecules and Cells
30% Heredity and Evolution
60% Organisms and Populations
**there are many good web sites that contain practice ap questions**
1. Look over the objectives for each chapter as well as old tests
and quizzes.
2. Look over the objectives for each of the 12 AP labs.
3. ACCEPT THAT YOU WILL NOT KNOW EVERYTHING!
4. Realize that you have been preparing for this exam all year.
A 60% (+/-a %pt) earns a 5 on the AP. Understand that
you have earned over 60% on many/all chapter tests
this year!
Test Day Prep:
1. Get plenty of sleep
2. Eat breakfast in the morning to give you some energy.
3. Walk around between sessions to get your muscles moving.
4. Get a good eraser!
Advice For Answering Essay Questions
(more information can be found on Robert Taylor's home page)
1. Read the question three times, to be sure you understand
what the question is asking. Do NOT panic and rush into
writing your response.
2. Underline key parts of the question. Be sure you understand
what the question asks. Most responses to AP essays are
factually correct, however, many do not answer the question
that was asked!
3. Organize your answer; use a table, outline or cluster
diagram.
4. Do your best to address all parts of the question, do
not spend your time writing a very detailed answer
to one part and forget the other parts. There is a
maximum score for each section, you can not get a
10 by answering only part of a question. Often
you get points for very obvious items such as definitions.
5. Mechanics of writing:
Do NOT write an introduction or a conclusion
Do NOT worry about spelling or
grammar
You get NO CREDIT for an outline, your response
MUST
be in essay form.
GOOD LUCK!
TO GUESS OR NOT TO GUESS?
Facts:
120 m.c. questions
90 correct
20 wrong
10 not wrong
Count Up:
90 correct=+90
Questions not answered don’t count in scoring
20 wrong -1/4 (20) = -5
90-5= Score 85!
Count Down:
120 total
10 not answered= -10 (-1 point each)
20 wrong=-25 (-1.25 each)
120-25-10=score 85!
Therefore:
If a student has no idea what the correct answer is,
it is better to leave the answer blank.
Example:
100 Questions- you KNOW the answer to 80.
A. Answer 80, leave 20 blank
Score=80
B. Answer 80 and guess at the other 20
Statistically you will get one-fifth of the 20 right
(5 choices: a,b,c,d,e) get 4 right and 16 wrong.
Score= 80+4 –1/4(16) =80
You
get the same score when guessing or not!!
There are two advantages to guessing:
-
You don’t leave any blank answers, which could result in your bubbling in the next question in the wrong place.
-
The above example assumes you know nothing about the question, that your answer is a total guess and if you read the book and listened in class, you probably know something about the question subconsciously which will make your answer even better than a true guess (coin toss).
-
Of course, if you can eliminate even one answer, GUESS, for you have better than even odds that you will choose the correct answer.