The Secrets to Getting a 5 on Your AP Test
AP tests are upon us. There is very little time between now and test day, so it is time to make the most of it. There also happens to be another SAT on May 1st, which is great for any AP students who are also taking SAT II's in their respective subjects. The two are very similar, so studying for one is the same as studying for both. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Now the question remains; how do you pass your AP test??
The Test Itself
The AP tests themselves are hard. There is no way of getting around that, but if you have a great AP teacher, then it should not be much of an issue. The teacher makes a huge difference. A bad AP teacher gives you no hope of passing the test unless you plan to dedicate time outside of class to learn the material. The test itself is 2 parts, one part multiple choice and one part essay. EVERY AP test has some sort of essay/written part which accounts for about half of the grade. In English and History, students write actual essays or analyses, where as in Math or Science, a student will solve very long problems. The written section is divided into multiple parts and students get about 2 hours (depending on the test) to complete all of the parts. Guessing is beneficial on the multiple choice if you can eliminate one or more answer choice. 1/4 of a point is deducted for each wrong answer so do not guess blindly, but educated guessing is to your advantage. The quarter point deduction no longer exists. It is to your advantage to guess, even blindly on every question that you do not know the answer to. So now that you understand the breakdown of the test, how do you study for it?
Do Not Freak Out
