<p>I was just on collegeboard, looking up the tests I'm gonna take this year.</p>
<p>% Breakdown of students getting 5's...</p>
<p>41.9% Calc BC
12.8% Physics B
11.0% US History 5.4% Language</p>
<p>Does that scare anyone else? I like my odds for BC, but every other exam seems like a longshot to get a 5, statistically speaking. Any confidence-raising advice? I figure more students take US History, which might actually make the scale easier, but I've heard that Physics B is very difficult, and this is the first year that my school is offering Language. I don't like the odds of it at all.</p>
<p>I though I was going to get a 2...and I got a 5 on Language, no joke. People on here always suspect the truth of the score, but I wouldnt lie about it. </p>
<p>Anyways, the best thing that really helped...was concentration. Seriously, when you are taking the exam, concentrate as much as you can. Dont think about colleges, or scores, or friends, just think about the question, and the answer. Don't try to be too fluffy on your essays, but rather explain them with detail, and don't forget to say WHY, like why does the author's tone show animosity, EXPLAIN. I always used to forget that in class, but just remember that on the exam. </p>
<p>And don't be thinking about getting a 5, just think about doing well. I left the exam not automatically thinking a 5, but that I did as best as I could, and probably the best I had ever done, which satsified me, no matter what score i got.</p>
<p>Ehh I am taking lang too. My only belief is that if I can get 3/5 of the MC right then I can ace the essays because the new synthesis essay is a dbq (9), the quote response is easy as hell (I'll use history + one book for this for a 9) and the passage analysis is not too bad if you just break your essay into chronological order (works for me every time and I have gotten in the 7 - 9 range on every essay doing this strategy)</p>
<p>Tha's a 25 - 27....a 5 can be attained with just 15 - 20 Raw score on the MC :)</p>
<p>Does anyone have strategies on how to tackle the MCQ portion of the lang exam? For some reason I can't seem to get the hang of it and it's getting rather frustrating. =/</p>
<p>Your essay scores from class aren't that great of an indicator for your score on the exam. I got 6's all year, and got a 5. My friends would get straigh 8's, and get 2's or 3's. You could be the most amazing writer, and just have a bad day.</p>
<p>Christalena, thanks for the advice. So just be really explicit in my essays - The author shows contempt for the subject through the repetition of the words, "Blahblahblah," or The author establishes her ethos by explaining her credentials (line 12-14). Like so?</p>
<p>And boo on the essay scores in class not being indicative of essay scores on the test!</p>
<p>Did you use any prep books? Also, our class hasn't done any MC practice - what's on the MC, how should I be preparing for it, what score am I shooting for on there for a 5? Thanks much!</p>
<p>lol so what? It's just common knowledge that the synthesis and quote essays are insanely easy. It's only the analysis that presents a challenge.</p>
<p>don't let the percentages fool you for the bc...it's way hard...it's just the testing pool is WAY smarter than the testing pool for ab...so it seems like it's easier to get a five on BC than AB, but it's not.</p>
<p>The reason BC has such a high 5 rate is because the not that many people take it...and trust me, if you are smart enough to take BC in high school you should be smart enough to obtain a 5.</p>
<p>"Did you use any prep books? Also, our class hasn't done any MC practice - what's on the MC, how should I be preparing for it, what score am I shooting for on there for a 5? Thanks much!"</p>
<p>No I didnt use any prep books. We spent about a week on practice MC. If your teacher doesn't have any, then go look at some prep books and just see what types of questions they ask. As you see the types of questions there are, you'll notice things while reading through the passage.</p>
<p>"lol so what? It's just common knowledge that the synthesis and quote essays are insanely easy. It's only the analysis that presents a challenge."</p>
<p>Not really bragging there, just pointing out the facts: We have DBQs in US and we have those "critical lens" essays on the SAT. The only novelty found on the English Language exam (WRT Free response) is the passage analysis. It's called finding significant overlaps...but hey maybe I shoulda moderated my diction ( "insanely easy")...too late now though, can't edit my post.</p>
<p>"lol so what? It's just common knowledge that the synthesis and quote essays are insanely easy. It's only the analysis that presents a challenge."</p>
<p>I'm the exact opposite. I dominated first semester, getting 7-8 on rhetorical and lit analysis in-class essays. This quarter, I've gotten anywhere from a 2 to a 5 on the argumentive essays.</p>
<p>It may be that I've just been screwing up the main point consecutively. But I seem to just suck as arguing on paper. Should I just practice writing lots of argumentive essays on my own?</p>
<p>Choose better examples. I always use at least one history and if I have to choose another source, I quickly think of something from one of the books I have read and use that. Just make sure in your example you clearly draw threads from the topic to how it applies with your position.</p>