Whether you’re a candidate for the upcoming AAP exams or a worried parent, you must be quite curious about what exactly this exam is all about, how many people attend it, and how high of a score can be considered a good score.
Worry no more, as we have your answers all in one place, read this article to find out everything you want to know about the AP’s and how they can affect you or your ward.
1. What are the AP exams?
The AP exams, expanded to Advanced placement exams, are a number of tests administered to students in high school. These are no ordinary tests, however, they are college-level tests that not only test your mental ability but also give you a chance to participate in several placement programs in the course you choose.
Collegeboard, the host of these exams describes these tests as standardized exams designed to measure the degree of mastery of the contents and skills of a specific AP course ( On which the test is based ). These tests are based on such courses and are conducted at the end of each year.
2. How many people attend this exam every year?
With over 1.24 million high school students writing the AP exam in the year 2019, you can preemptively predict the kind of competition you may face when competing against so large a crowd.
With 5,000 more high schools offering the AP program, the reach of this program is only expected to grow. However, this might see a reducing trend due to the sudden pandemic that hit last year. Despite all this, it is still expected to rise back and bring more and more high school students towards increased awareness of the subject they plan to continue studies in and an easier college application process.
3. How is the AP exam conducted?
The AP exam is conducted after courses created by College professors are passed through College Board. Once these courses are accepted, students are taken through every part of it by their specific teachers. On completing this stage at the end of the academic year, the students will be required to write the AP test.
The AP exam is between 2 and 3 hours long. The AP test is generally conducted in two parts, a multiple-choice section, and a written section.
In the first section, you are required to bubble one out of 4-5 answers, while the second section consists of free response questions to be answered in your own format, be it written, in the form of diagrams tables, or orally in certain cases.
There is no negative marking in these tests and you will be marked solely on the basis of which answers you get right.
4. How high Should I score?
A score of three is considered around average or a little above it, so as long as your score is above a three, you’re already set for a good time ahead. Apart from this, some institutions require a score of 4 or higher to give their students a certificate of completion. On the other hand, there are schools with lower requirements, so remember to do your best so that you can carry yourself through the test whether your school encourages an easy system or not.
5. How do students prepare for the AP exam?
Preparing for the test that can make or break your future is no small task and most students take this quite seriously. So how do they get through these tests with such outstanding scores? The answer lies in their method of preparation.
Listed below are some of the best practices adopted by students while studying:
6. Short over long:
The Pomodoro method is one of the best methods of preparing for a test and has significant advantages over other studying methods. These shorter sessions give you the calmness of mind to give your all to the tasks in front of you rather than being distracted by the happenings around you. With heightened efficiency over every other study method, this plan of 30 minutes of studying and 5-minute gaps has long proven to be the most effective method for anyone who wants to focus.
7. Online Coaching:
With offline classes not always providing all you want from the course, you are always free to attend online tutoring sessions hosted by organizations such as Etutorworld. With incredibly convenient means of coaching that can completely negate the advantages of offline coaching, online coaching gives you the advantages of one to one coaching, freedom to pick your own times, easier availability of materials, direct tutoring by the best teachers across the country, and a sense of competition like no other. These advantages cannot be replicated by any offline coaching center anywhere in the country.
8. Practice:
The practice is not just a way of improving your scores but will also ensure that you remember what you have been taught. By practicing example problems and going through tests over and over again, you will be able to amass a great deal of skill in the subjects of your interest as well as learn how to time your sum time, therefore, ensuring that you solve the final paper in time.
9. Proper diet and sleep:
The advantages provided by these tests can only be cashed out if you’re in good health. Thus, even if you study for hours a day and follow all of these tips to do better, if you don’t receive enough sleep and good nutrition, you will end up doing worse than someone who had a healthy schedule of work, play, and sleep.
Your health should always be your first priority to keep you in peak performance.
Hopefully, this article has provided you with the ideas and insights you will need to get a good score on the test. Giving yourself a clear perspective of what the test is and what it stands for can and will be incredibly beneficial for every single student.
Remember to put your best foot forward and dream big.
