APCS - is this the norm?

<p>now wait, how much are the free response worth, or is each one different?</p>

<p>Each one is worth 9 points total. There is no variation from each question.</p>

<p>Dal, that's for AB right? I wish I had taken the AB today, the A was really easy, except a few: the MB MC was weird and the first FRQ took me a long time until I realized why it was question #1 and did not require some 20 lines of code... XD </p>

<p>Our teacher basically told everyone that we'd fail the AB, so 6 of us took A and 3 took AB, and the result? Random airplanes started zipping and the proctor didn't care. I wish I had remembered that we could draw in pics, but I was probably too annoyed by some paper balls...</p>

<p>That is for both tests.</p>

<p>Edit: actually it <em>may</em> not be. I'd have to check. I thought we used this same sheet last year but it says AB scoring sheet on it.</p>

<p>I'm kind of surprised how many of you are citing kids not taking the test seriously. I'm not exactly enrolled in a large high school, but its decently sized (Around 1000?). Our main computer lab has about 25 new computers, but there were only 4 people enrolled in APCS AB this year. I'm kind of confused why anyone who even takes the class wouldn't take the test seriously. In a small room of 8 people (4 taking AB, 4 taking A), none of us were misbehaving. I don't get why they'd pay $83 for the test either...</p>

<p>Some places don't have the kids pay for the tests like my school. In fact, we are required to attend or we do not get the extra 0.5 weight for the AP class.</p>

<p>EDIT:
and I'm reading it could vary. This was the little * comment that I didn't read in the small print:</p>

<p>The students' scores are weighted according to formulas determined in advance each year by the Development Committee to yield raw composite scores' the Chief Reader is responsible for converting composite scores to the 5-point AP grade scale.</p>

<p>a.k.a He can change the weight depending on how hard the test was.</p>

<p>Whoa wait, .5 as in GPA?</p>

<p>we have a .5 tacked onto out GPA for taking an AP class (for that one class's GPA). I'll have a 4.5 in Computer Science AB this year.</p>

<p>I failed at EVERYTHING! I was pretty confident going through Barrons and Litvin... and then I took the test ran into a brick wall and I'm REALLY depressed now. (btw, I took AB - self studied)</p>

<p>I only answered 34 MCs and I got 20-25 maybe upwards of 27/28 (highly unlikely) right and I answered only two thirds of the FRQs, but my algorithms were EXTREMELY complicated and I'm guessing I won't get anywhere near full credit on any of them. Looking at the 99 (70/100 = 5) and 04(68/100 = 5) curves, I'd be lucky to get a 3. </p>

<p>Is there any chance the curve will be easier this year since it seems like almost everyone had a lot of trouble with it?</p>

<p>Possible, depends internationally.</p>

<p>That's only for the AB test, the A test curve is slightly different. The FRQ section is worth 50 points (36 multiplied by w/e) and the MC is 50 points also.</p>

<p>I thought the A part was pretty easy (hopefully got 30+ on that)</p>

<p>The FR was damn hard...maybe got a 15 if im lucky...so raw score of 45ish = ?</p>

<p>I took a practice test before actually taking the exam and scored a 5, so hopefully I will on this too. the first FR, the one that was probably the hardest, happened to be on the practice exam that I took(it may have been in a little different format, but the hard part of it was essentially the same). I thought the MC was relatively easy and the FR was pretty hard, so it'll probably be an average curve. I took A btw</p>

<p>Dal: that is for 2004 ONLY because 2 questions were omitted. In the 2007 test I did not find any questionable problem so the weighing will probably x1.25.</p>

<p>Unlike you, I think about it in the reverse way lol.
18*1.39 = 25.02
I'm playing it safe and saying a 70 is needed for a 5.</p>

<p>70 - 25.02= 44.98</p>

<p>44.98/1.25 = 35.984 (raw score)...and I'm pretty sure I got a 37 or 38 raw score on the test so I'm thinking a very VERY low 5...if a 68 is the cut off for a 5 then I'm in good shape lol.</p>

<p>yeah tapedDuck, I had a very long algorithm for part a on the first problem and I guessed based on the data structure for part c. I only successfuly did 1/2 of the MBS question and got maybe a combined 12 points on everything else. That's probably a 18 - 20 right there.</p>

<p>I don't know, I'm kind of regretting not taking the AB exam. The A exam was ridiculously easy. I was really worried going into it - our teacher kind of left after first semester and we got a permanent sub after first semester who didn't know anything about the subject and the class basically turned into a "do homework for next period" class. </p>

<p>But I don't think I missed any more than two questions on the M/C.. and I'm pretty sure I got all of the FRQ parts right, minus a few minor unavoidable goof ups I'm sure everyone makes. I was really worried about the fish simulation since we never went over it in class.. but I luckily found out that they gave you the code in the info booklet so you could just figure it all out while taking the test.</p>

<p>I had a semi-lengthy algorithm for part one but I'm positive it works. As for part c and d, I know I messed that up. I just wasn't awake and thinking on that one or something because... well lets just say I got it wrong.</p>

<p>Yeah s0lly thats pretty much how I feel. I thought part a was the hardest on the FRQ, the rest were pretty straight forward.</p>

<p>Again, my hope is to just get at least 2 5's and 2 4's on the FRQ because I had that multiple choice in the bag (say, 37 - 39 raw score?)</p>

<p>Basically, I answered all but 2 parts, made elementary progress on one part, so that's about 8 points off right there. I'm down to a 28. Now I think I might have lost 7 - 9 points on everything else just for not doing things right/efficiently....the more and more I think about it, the more confident I feel that I got about a 20+ (!) on the FRQ and thus a definite 5.</p>

<p>:/ I come from the largest public high school in Oregon, I was the last person to sign up for ANY APs at our school, and yet I was still the first person to sign up for the AP Computer Science (of any kind), and the only one to show up on test day.</p>

<p>Poor proctor.</p>

<p>Edit: Whoah whoah, is that the curve for A also? Because it's not according to Barron's. They say you need like 60/80 for a 5, and the multiplier for the second section is 1.11, not 1.36 or whatever.</p>