<p>@Monoclide - No, you really can’t. But that’s the problem with kids - they pin they’re successes (and most oft-encountered with this method) failures on their instructors. Those with a drive to do well absolutely do not. I feel that my success or failure will pertain to how I prepare and MY dedication to the subject; not anybody else’s dedication or persistence will earn me the score I desire. However, I feel there is a sort of comfort in not holding oneself accountable, hence why most do not.</p>
<p>I got a 2 on the AP World test because it was my AP teacher’s first year teaching that class and my first AP. We were only prepared for the DBQ, and he made it seem waaaaaay easier than it was. If I knew it was going to be that hard I would have studied for it or not taken it. </p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t know how someone could get a 1…</p>
<p>I’ve gotten a 1… and a 2… and a 3… and a 4… and a 5…</p>
<p>It happens.
My schools requires us to take the exam… makes it way easier to blow it off that way. If you have a new teacher that contributes A LOT. But honestly… it just matters how much you care.</p>
<p>oh what you don’t think people intermittently through schools can get 1s and 2s?</p>
<p>not everyone is a genius like everyone on this site and you OP and get 5s on every test.</p>
<p>welcome to the real world</p>
<p>They come from my school. My Calc AB class took a practice 17 question MC (the bit with calculator) and the average score in the class was probably about 3/17. The teacher’s not too bad, and he knows his stuff. My school…</p>
<p>Also, my APUSH teacher with a peculiar way of teacher (but with a ridiculously high pass rate) passed away. He was one of the best teachers of my school, and now the history department of the school is scrambling to teach us the rest through history teachers and incomplete information.</p>
<p>But yeah. A lot of people just aren’t cut out for the test. The CC boards are such a small and skewed representation.</p>
<p>I guess i’m in one of the lucky schools that have great math AP scores… ~95% AB pass rate and ~100% BC pass rate. We took like a practice BC exam as a class test in BC and the class average was like a raw score of 80/108 or a comfortable 5. Our teacher goes way beyond the collegeboard reqs, our regular tests are composed of questions harder than the FRQ BC section (yes even like the “harder” questions, with no ap curve… gasp)</p>
<p>but I’ve known people with 2s… even though they studied. I would say they studied the “wrong way” probably not really their fault either…
There are schools further away from where i live where the average score for the school is closer to 2 than it is to 3… many urban schools have it much harder.</p>
<p>like people said before, CC is too skewed, there are many people who legitimately tried, but didn’t do so well.</p>
<p>I think that even if the teacher is miserable, if you’re actually enrolled in an AP class you’re expected to work yourself off. But a lot of students just don’t give a damn. Yesterday, during the first FRQs section on the Calc AB exam, a student raised his hand after about five minutes of the section’s start and was like “Sir I’m done can I please leave”. Seriously.</p>
<p>
The state of Florida pays for our AP exams. :p</p>
<p>Some of the low scores also come from schools like mine where if you take an AP course you are REQUIRED to take the AP exam if you want AP credit. Some people don’t care about their exam score or college credit; they just want to boost their high school GPA, and therefore don’t care about doing well on the exam.</p>
<p>At my school, its the complete opposite. Its like, “Where do all the 4’s and 5’s come from?” Except for the Spanish exams…we do well on that.</p>
<p>My school’s definitely one of the ones where a grade of 4/5 is the norm. Nearly everything in our classes is geared toward the test, and when the stats come back our teachers tell us how many people got 5’s, 4’s, 3’s, etc. I guess it makes us more motivated. ^^ Lit apparently has only around 7% of people who take it getting a five. Over here, I know that last year for my class only one kid got a 2, and most were 4 or 5. Gives you something to try and keep up with. We all study really hard, but I think it’s 'cause my school is rather competitive, and everyone takes the test to get college credit. The tests are required, and they do make us pay, which is really hard on the people who take 5+ tests. >.<</p>
<p>I usually just lurk CC, but decided to make an account to respond to this particular question…</p>
<p>I generally get good grades (top 5%), but I got a 2 on my APUSH test last year. I don’t think it’s always a matter of understanding the material - my teacher wasn’t horrible (though maybe a little boring), I paid attention in class, scored well on the practice tests, and went in feeling fairly confident. And still, regardless of effort, I got a 2. Sometimes it just happens.</p>
<p>I also go to a school mainly consisting of low-income families, so the course material usually caters towards the lazy kids who don’t want to be there in the first place. Basically, our AP classes are the equivalent of most schools’ regular curriculum. This wasn’t really the case with APUSH, but it’s common with fairly “easy” AP courses that parents force their kids to take for the GPA multiplier.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I got a 5 on AP Language last year without studying. Different people have different strengths, and not everyone aspires to get into an Ivy League school. Getting a 1 or 2 doesn’t always mean you’re stupid.</p>
<p>My daughter took Human Geo in 9th grade. Since we homeschool, she took the exam at a local private school. At that school, it in a class for seniors. Now, they all know where they are going to college, so they probably know if they are going to get credit for it or not. Human Geo is, from what I have seen, one of the least likely to actually give college credit. So, the test starts. My daughter starts working, and then notices practically everyone in the room seems to be napping or day dreaming. Being in a classroom with a bunch of seniors was pretty scary for her. Seeing them all nap was down right freaky :-)</p>
<p>Haha yeah I would assume some of the slacking seniors (aka me next year!) won’t really care too much…</p>
<p>If we’re talking French, I contributed to the multitude of 1’s and 2’s this year…</p>
<p>My school has few 1s and 2s.</p>
<p>I live in the South, and anything below a 5 is a disappointment for some people where I go to school.</p>
<p>So ignorant.</p>
<p>Effing Rice is in the south…jesus</p>