<p>@Remembrance</p>
<p>That seems pretty logical, although many of the other kids at my school did terribly on the calculator FRQ section as well. I thought they released only 2002 and 2008 grading curves? But yeah I’m hoping for a mid-90s curve.</p>
<p>I agree that it was harder. </p>
<p>Also, if it makes anyone feel better, based on the results from the 2008 exam 88% of test-takers that got anywhere between 55-64 MC right still got a 5.</p>
<p>On my FRQ’s I accidentally wrote my answers in the wrong order… I skipped them and I forgot to make space for it. I did make a note saying that it was in the wrong order and wrote my answer for a previous part under there… I should be fine right?</p>
<p>I walked out of that test not knowing what in the world I just did.</p>
<p>@thecollective </p>
<p>as long as you were clear about the proper way they should read your answers and they won’t have to decipher it, you should be it. remember that it’s a person scoring it, and from what I see from the collegeboard, they like to give partial credit where they can.</p>
<p>@thecollective yeah you should be fine, if you wrote the subsection (a, b, c, etc.) next to each of your answers.</p>
<p>If I didn’t do net ionic on two of the three equations in part 4 and did complete ionic instead, how many points off of the 5 for each equation do you think that’ll be? It can’t be more than -2 or -3 right ?</p>
<p>lol I hope I don’t get points taken off for writing on the problem 5 with the kinetics/mechanism part “This is a terrible mechanism. Ethene would never produce a primary carbocation.” Sorry y’all but I love me some organic chemistry</p>
<p>@upsilon</p>
<p>I think not putting net ionic means it’s wrong… </p>
<p>I already know that I got one of the writing equations totally wrong.</p>
<p>A few things…</p>
<p>Firstly, I found the multiple choice to be easier than previous years. I was very excited, but then I saw the first three free response. The first wasn’t too bad although I didn’t know all of it, but the second and third were very tough, I thought. The second one was a topic I learned in the beginning of the year and didn’t really appear on any AP free response tests in the past five years or so, so had difficulty with it. The third one was just ridiculous. The last three questions were acceptable, maybe got a few points off here and there.</p>
<p>NOW, as for the curve… I truly hope that it’s lenient. At least a curve of 100/150 for a 5. If that’s the case, I’m confident I’d get a 5. BUT last year, the curve was 110/150 to get a 5. If that’s the case, I really don’t know - I’m borderline. I’m not sure why the curve was so tough last year - last year, the multiple choice were a bit tough while the free response were pretty simple (except the first question for many people). I know because I took it as my final in school. I got the highest grade in my class, a high 5. But I found this year’s free response very difficult - and I’m worried that will affect my score a lot.</p>
<p>I don’t know why the curve was so tough last year. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the year before, they started to not deduct points for incorrect answers, so to compensate maybe they made the curve tougher? I hope not, because that could mean the curve will be like that this year… I hope it was just a rare occasion, like my teacher said.</p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>@thecollective as in totally wrong and -5 pts? I’d still get a point for a correct answer to the bottom question and wouldn’t they give me credit for balanced equation even if its complete?</p>
<p>This kid in my class wrote a letter to the graders lol</p>
<p>@upsilon</p>
<p>1 point for reactants, 2 point for products, 1 point for balancing, 1 point for question</p>
<p>Therefore you can still get points for balancing (even if it’s wrong) and the question, but not using net ionic counts as incorrect reactants and/or products. I think…</p>
<p>@upsilon If you didn’t put the net ionic equations your equation is wrong. It’s nothing to debate over. I think I even answered this earlier. The products aren’t correct. The reactants aren’t correct. You would most likely get one point per equation for it being balanced.</p>
<p>By the way, bear in mind that we often give ourselves a lower grade than what CollegeBoard will give us. The graders don’t want us to do badly, they try to give as much partial credit as possible. So if you just wrote something, you could get a point. If you got part of a reaction correct, that’s a point. And then just because we think our explanation doesn’t match the released explanation so it’s wrong, that isn’t necessarily true. Whenever I calculuate my score on my own, I always do a significant number of points less than what my teacher gives me (about 9 or 10 points…).</p>
<p>ALSO, I don’t think that it’s just the people who found it tough are coming on here. My whole class found the FRQ’s to be very tough, including the very smart kids. I’m the top of my class, I got a high 5 (above 125) on the 2012 exam (took it as a final), and found the free response to be tough.</p>
<p>@manganese </p>
<p>In preparation for the exam, I did all the released FRQ’s from 2012-2008. I thought 2012 was pretty easy, maybe that’s why the curve was harsher for that year. Out of all the FRQ’s I’ve taken though, I must say, today’s was the hardest. </p>
<p>I suck at calorimetry and enthalpy stuff; I barely saw it in the FRQ’s in the past years so I thought it wouldn’t show up today… but of course, it did. </p>
<p>Just my luck, huh?</p>
<p>@upsilon</p>
<p>Looking at the scoring guides, I think if you didn’t get the correct products and reactants, which are in net ionic form, then it is wrong and you lose all the points. You might still get the points for balanced equation though. I hope my interpretation of the scoring is wrong though.</p>
<p>@manganese Oh okay, so you think that if my complete ionic was all right but i just forgot to put net ionic, I might get one or two points back?</p>
<p>@thecollective Yeah the calorimetry was definitely rough. Do they always change up the curve based on the results for this year, unlike the SAT curve (which I think is predetermined, not sure)?</p>
<p>And yeah I really do hope it was partial credit. You’re probably right though (@thecollective).</p>
<p>
Your interpretation is correct, as far as I know.</p>
<p>The problem with partial points for this years FRQs was that I didn’t know how to set up problems. I’ve done most of the past free responses and I’ve always scored very high, and usually the free responses would be repetitive (always one on gases, always on a galvanic cell…) but for some reason, questions 1-3 I knew nothing! I don’t even think I got a and b right! If I’m lucky I got three points on each. MAYBE 4 or 5 one ONE question. What scares me is that I didn’t know how to set up most problems because they were things I had never seen or even learned before. I mean who remembers specific heat?! There wasn’t even an acid base equilibrium. There were alot of critical thinking FRQs rather than the traditional “Do you know your stuff?” It really upsets me because those of us who deserved 5s and really studied and KNOW about AP Chemistry were basically fooled with concepts that were deemed unimportant. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst…</p>
<p>@upsilon</p>
<p>I think the curve is predetermined… I remember reading somewhere (I think the Barron’s book) that the exam is given to college students and the curve depends on how well they do. </p>
<p>Hopefully they thought it was as hard as we did?</p>