<p>i've heard that form B [alternate] of all the AP tests are harder than the ones taken on the regular dates
and now i'm worried
i have to take the AP US alternate exam on the 19th
will it truly be more difficult?
and if so, how will the curve be? a new curve based on the pple who take the form B test.. or use the same curve as those who took form A?</p>
<p>Im not bringing any useful information into this thread other than the fact that i have also heard that form b is indeed harder</p>
<p>I think that Form B's tend to be harder, but for APUSH I wouldn't worry...I'm sure it will be easier (well, the FRQs, anyway).</p>
<p>Aren't they all online @ collegeboard.com though?</p>
<p>yeah, what's up with that?</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm taking the APUSH makeup on the 18th...and I'm really nervous! Studying right now.... :/</p>
<p>don't be nervous! the MC will NOT be as bad as you think. Also, the DBQ could not be worse than Form A's. As long as you know most of you stuff you'll be fine ;).</p>
<p>Wait but aren't FORM B's currently online? How can this be?</p>
<p>Form B is taken by internationals; late takers take a completely different form of the test.</p>
<p>i found form B calculus BC to be a killer...whereas the regular US one is a piece of cake...</p>
<p>But an important q..are the curves different for the each form? Since the questions are different, the curves should be easier for int'ls</p>
<p>personally i think the tests are similar in difficulty.
i do believe the tests are graded separately(heard it somewhere on CC on one of the threads); it would make sense as they are a completely different set of questions...but then again, they have similarities and thus could possibly be grouped together.</p>
<p>my teacher told me the later form tests are never released and are supposedly much harder.</p>
<p>form B= internationals (and for APUSH i believe the FRQ were easier)</p>
<p>late test takers take a totally different test.</p>
<p>Uh, callthecops, form B for ap stats was much easier, especially Question 6. US takers had a more difficult chi squred whatever question . . that a lot of people bombed. And last year, Form B in US History seemed easier too. I don't know about BC though, I guess it could be true or all personal opinion.</p>
<p>Form B is for internationals, the late test is never released. </p>
<p>The tests are similar in difficulty, it just seems harder because the curve is harsher, since it's a new curve based only on the people that take it later, which is a much smaller population.</p>
<p>I know this is almost a decade old by now, but just for people who might be revisiting the topic later on:</p>
<p>Yes, many Form B tests are harder (sometimes by FAR) than the Form A exams. Form B is administered in schools outside the US, not just for alternate dates, and so is designed to be much more difficult, as statistically speaking international schools fare much better on exams than schools within the States (not sure exactly why, and my particular school was not very high-performing). The use of two different forms makes it easier to determine a distribution curve for two different sets of test-takers that possess different characteristics, and it allows the testing service to perform research on how to develop future exams and courses.</p>
<p>For many APs B is slightly harder but the difference is almost negligible (particularly APs like APUSH, other history courses, the humanities, and social sciences). Where Form B becomes markedly more difficult is in the science and math exams- the most recent Form B Biology exam didn’t even closely resemble the Form A, and the difficulty and content of the questions it asked on the free response section made it look almost like an entirely different course. Chemistry, Math, and Physics are also rather more rigorous on Form B- of course this also depends on the particular year.</p>
<p>@MedBound17 Interesting. I took the Form B exam for APUSH this year and thought the FRQs were WAY easier than Form A. The multiple choice were relatively easy for me (maybe it’s just because the questions were in my areas of better knowledge? I don’t know).</p>
<p>@silverdrop That isn’t too surprising. APUSH is one of the ones that Form B seems to be less difficult for; I’m not sure exactly why that is and I won’t make any claims that are based just in speculation, but it might have something to do with Form B students often not being American or at least not from a traditional American background, so they perform differently than American students who are likely more familiar with the more basic concepts and patterns found in US history (the rest of us have been learning various US history concepts since kindergarten and have lived kind of steeped in American culture, so that may be a strong influence). My year of APUSH seemed pretty similar but the FRQs were somewhat easier on mine than Form A (the multiple choice seemed a bit harder, though). </p>
<p>Like all the exams it changes every year and I really don’t understand their methodology.</p>