<p>I've been looking at statistics for AP tests, and usually there's around a 50% pass rate..and around 10-20% or so get 5's.
Is it really that difficult to earn a 5? I'm kind of frightened that I won't be able to earn 5's or 4's on any of my tests.
I've been trying to study really hard for all of my classes, but I don't know if any of my preparation is nearly enough. :(
Is there a way to guarantee a 5 on exams? Can I just study really hard and gain complete mastery of all of the concepts? Or is there too much luck involved?</p>
<p>I know some kids that got 1s and 2s on the exams, and they were usually the kids that:</p>
<p>A) Never did their work.
B) Cheated on their tests.
C) Never payed attention in class.
D) All of the above.</p>
<p>So unless you have a terrible work ethic, you shouldn’t get straight 1s and 2s on your exams. Just do your work. Last year I got two 4s on exams that I did not even study for and a 5 for an exam that I used a prep book.</p>
<p>Most people in the United States aren’t like those you encounter here on this forum. Furthermore many AP classes require every student to take the test even though there are many of them who should have not signed up for the class in the first place.</p>
<p>Get a review book, or just read your textbook well, take practice tests if you can, and you’ll get a 5 easily. Worked for me, and probably for a majority of people.</p>
<p>Yes, there has been a big push to expand AP testing in schools. The idea seems to be that the more students take AP classes, the better. For instance, the state of Florida has spent $650 million to expand access to Advanced Placement courses and provide teacher incentives. The state pays exam fees and provides teacher bonues for passing scores. This all started under Governor Jeb Bush, who formed a partnership with the college board.</p>
<p>What was once a niche program for talented students has become mainstream. There was huge increase in those taking AP classes, and it is now much more likely that less students are taking the exams. The result of all this is more and more students who do not pass the tests.</p>
<p>People get a 1 for showing up at the exam. Lots of seniors who find out they get no credit for the test in the college they plan to atend show up and take naps. I have proctored some AP exams and noticed people taking naps.</p>
<p>The other reasons for faiiling are weakness of the curriculum at their school and/or weak students trying to do AP classes. The grading of the tests is straight forward and the score determines how much one scored in the AP exam.</p>
<p>[AP</a> Central - Exam Information](<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board)</p>
<p>You can go to the above link, explore each subject you are interested in and check out the tests. They also provide scoring guidelines, expected answers in some cases, and the points to get a score. </p>
<p>If you do some of the older tests and know the answers which match the key, then you should be good enough to pass.</p>
<p>You have a lot of schools in the middle of nowhere that are pushed by the sort of programs bob1188 mentioned to offer and push more kids into AP classes. Often times, these APs are taught by teachers who don’t know what they’re doing or are severely unaware about how AP tests function. On top of that, you have situations where schools allow people to get out of final exams if one takes the AP test.</p>
<p>Of course, there’s also the widespread onset of senioritis every year after around January (typical starting month of second semester) - early April (when everyone gets their college decisions).</p>
<p>I think sometimes the schools offering AP (and IB) do so to offer upper level classes, often with the accompanying GPA bump…but the classes aren’y taught at the level they should be and students can get A’s in the class but the grade doesn’t translate to test. I was actually proud of my Ds’ HS’s record for AP scores pretty well matching rigor of class (except for those students who didn’t try). There was one class with a reputation of easy A but no one did really well on test. Thankfully that teacher was replaced. Students at our HS were required to take AP or no credit for class.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that not all of those people are trying. Some don’t try at all, while others try in class but don’t care about the exam. They might not necessarily take the initiative to study the subject material by themselves.</p>
<p>Because they are unprepared in some way. Either that person, their teacher, or both failed to sufficiently prepare that person for the exam. It really isn’t that hard to get a 5 on an AP exam then say, getting a 2250+ on the SAT, a 33+ on the ACT, or an 800 on an SAT subject test. Many of the exams have a pretty generous curve, especially the harder ones such as AP Calculus BC and both of the AP Physics C tests. While other exams such as those for AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics have a much harsher curve, the actual content of the exam is easier. </p>
<p>In perspective, many think that getting a 5 on an AP exam is not as difficult as getting a 7 on an IB higher level exam. Also, some colleges don’t even give credit for a 5 in some subjects. Some don’t even give credit at all, due to the gap in rigor between an AP class and an actual undergraduate class at a top university or college. Darthmouth is one of those prestigious colleges that have stopped accepting AP credit all together, claiming that the AP program (or at least most school’s rendition of it) is inferior to its own classes in those respective subjects.</p>
<p>Too many kids who shouldn’t be in AP classes are placed there. For instance, I was just reading another thread where a kid listed his grades. After receiving a C- in Algebra 1 he took AP Microeconomics the next year. Who thought that was a good idea? Not surprisingly he didn’t do well in that class either.</p>
<p>Most people fail because they don’t study hard enough and there are others that fail because they don’t take it seriously. AP Exam questions are harder than the ones that an average school uses. It’s more critical thinking than what others are used too. </p>
<p>A lot of schools encourage their students to take AP classes but if the students aren’t motivated then they probably won’t pass the course.</p>
<p>A lot of high schools do not teach particularly well, so they do not cover the AP syllabus completely and thoroughly, even for “AP lites” where a high school takes a full year to teach a semester or less of college freshman course. Some high schools routinely offer “AP lites” (human geography and the like) to high school freshmen and sophomores. In other cases, the “easier” APs or “AP lites” suffer from a selection effect (e.g. the strongest-in-math students go for calculus BC, while the good-but-not-great go for calculus AB, and some of the weaker-in-math students go for statistics to avoid the “harder” calculus).</p>