<p>I'm not sure what thread this should go on (I'm new) so I'm posting it on a couple...</p>
<p>Okay, so, I have kind of a dilemma. I'm a sophomore right now and I'm in Spanish IV. I've been taking Spanish since 7th grade, which would normally land me in Spanish III as a sophomore (2 yrs middle school=1 yr high school) but I studied really hard over the summer to get into Spanish III freshman year. I had an incredible teacher who really taught me a lot and ignited a kind of passion for Spanish in me. This year my teacher is terrible, I've learned nothing, but I've been doing an IP in Spanish as well with my old teacher.</p>
<p>Here's my question: the other day my Spanish IV teacher asked me if I might want to consider taking the AP test at the end of this year (normally it's taken at the end of Spanish V). I really, really want to, because I would then be able to take Spanish at a university next year, but I'm not sure about how prepared I am. I really want to get a 5, at least a 4, to show colleges how passionate about Spanish I am. I think I'll be fine on the reading section, I've been reading lots of novels in Spanish, but I'm not so sure about listening/writing. I'm a normally really good student, 4.0 UW, newspaper editor, etc., so I don't want to take the test and blow it with a 2. But I really don't want to go thru another year of boring Spanish in V. </p>
<p>Has anybody taken the test? How hard was it? How comfortable were you with your Spanish (listening& writing esp.)? What are your suggestions?</p>
<p>The AP Spanish test is different this year than it was last year, they changed it quite a bit. I really think that you need to be really prepared for the test to do well. I got a 5 last year but our teacher prepared us really well and we had at least a previous year of the same test to practice with. The speaking part seems easy, it's just talking right? Wrong!! I'm fluent in Spanish and you have to practice with the exercises many times before you can do two minutes of error free speaking without freaking out even a little. Even the nerds can screw up. I would advise you to actually take the class next year and then take the exam and get the best score possible and then take a class at a university your senior year. I did it and I got an easy A in a senior level college spanish class at UNC Chapel Hill 1st semester senior year and I regret none of it. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Like the previous poster said, the test is completley new and different this year. I'm not exactly sure of all the specifics, but I know generally what all the sections are, since my AP class has been practicing since day one. </p>
<p>45 minute formal essay based on souces (2 text, 1 audio)
5 minute extended listening and questions (MC)
Short listening and questions (MC)
Directed conversation*
2 minute presentations based on presented sources (1 audio, 1 text)
Vocab sections (verbs given)
Vocab section (fill in the blank)
Reading comprehension </p>
<p>*I think the directed conversation would be particularly hard to do without some practice. I'm not sure if it was on the previous year's exam or not, but it's ... interesting. It's harder to have a sensible and intelligent conversation with a recorded machine than it is to have a conversation with a real person. </p>
<p>Also remember there are native speakers in the mix, who may have an advantage over you. </p>
<p>“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.” Erica Jong </p>
<p>I think that quote up there is probably true about 75% of the time. You and your teacher know your Spanish speaking, comprehension, and composition skills better than any stranger over the internet. If she/he is pushing you to take the exam, would they be willing to help you prep for it outside of class? Are you willing to put in a decent amount of time after class? In the end, it all comes down to you.</p>
<p>I have around 15 friends in their 6th year of spanish as seniors (2 in middle school, which would probably together count as one, so technically 5 years), and they are apprehensive about taking the exam.</p>
<p>I'm in AP Spanish right now as a soph and yeah.. this test looks like it's gonna be super hard, haha. So much listening/writing.. I'm so jealous of the old test takers. :(</p>
<p>My Spanish teacher told us that the new AP Spanish test was designed to challenge even the native speakers. It looks pretty difficult (I'm a senior in Spanish V AP), and although I have usually gotten A/A+s in Spanish throughout high school, and come in the top 5-8 in state on the National Spanish Exam every year, I am very nervous about this exam and I am not getting my hopes up for a 5 at all. I expect a 3, possibly a 4 with a good deal of luck.</p>
<p>Another thing recently occurred to me. We were talking in my AP Chem class about the difficulty of the AP tests, and my teacher commented that they often make the tests more difficult if they've been recently changed. I think the intent is to spread out scores, so the high achievers are easier to pick out. If the test is relatively easy and everyone does fairly well, it's a lot harder to assign scores fairly. That might apply to this year's AP Spanish test too, yikes! </p>
<p>It's just something else to take in consideration, especially since you have more time left in highschool.</p>