I’m taking my AP Physics 1 exam in 9 days… I took a practice exam in my physics class set by collegeboard, and after getting the test back I realized that I’m not good at effectively showing what I know. I got a 4 on the pratice, but I lost a lot of points on the free response, specifically on the lab question. I feel as though I know enough physics to get a 5 but my poor test taking strategies are making me lose easy points. Any advice?
What specifiically are you having trouble with for the experimental question? I was having trouble with being very explicit with my procedure: saying exactly how I set up all of my instruments to get my data. There is a lot of FRQ practice material that you can use in these final 8 days to get ready; I am assuming that you have done the questions on the course audit since you took a full practice exam, but there are also: 5 questions from the 2015 exam, 5 from the 2016, 3 on the course description, and 2 in the sample questions.
The FRQs from the past year exams are very useful because they have with them scoring statistics, specifically what the college board is looking for to earn each point, and sample answers so that you can see how perfect responses are approaching the questions.
You sound very well prepared since you already have a 4. The difference between a 4 and a 5 may be closer than you think depending on your current raw score. I would suggest using an online calculator like appass to see how close you are to a 5 given your raw scores. I will be taking this as my first AP exam in 10th grade and you can DM me with any questions. Good luck next Tuesday!
Thanks for your advice! I found that the easiest way to not lose points as I continued to practice was switiching from paragraps to bullet points. Having organized answers is helping me a lot, not only for points but also for saving time. I also found that I do better just by reading through each parts to a question before starting it. Sometimes its just the little things. Good luck to you too!
My son got 5 last year. Here is my understanding. In free response, first, try to understand which physics topic it covers, then follow the trends of questions. questions are given step by step and they are related each other. You can get some hints from them. When you start to answer any question, try to start from a physics formula, basis principle you know, then give explanation. Don’t just calculate it or give a result. Free response is always about step by step, to be smart to find their relations. Good luck