AP Exams
The Advanced Placement examinations (AP exams) are an annual occurrence at many high schools in the US, including Gunn High School.[1] The AP exams are an important component of Gunn culture[citation needed] to demonstrate one's proficiency to colleges and possibly gain college credit,[2] which can be used to reduce tuition fees.
Structure
The structure of AP exams vary significantly depending on the subject of the exam.[3] Most exams have multiple choice and free response sections, usually taking 2–3 hours.[3]
Due to school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, the AP exam format was temporarily changed to allow the test to be taken virtually.[4] However, because the new temporary tests were significantly shorter, the ability of these exams to accurately reflect the student's understanding of a course has been contested.[citation needed]
A list of materials needed for the test is available on College Board's website. However, students generally need to bring two pencils and pens to the test; pencil is required for the multiple choice section which is completed by Scantron. Mechanical pencils are not allowed since their lead may fail to register on the Scantron.
The exam structure is very rigid because of College Board's desire to avoid any cheating or unfair advantages. Students may only bring their materials to their desks and must leave backpacks by the wall. A short break is allowed between the multiple-choice and free-response sections in which students are confined to a small area around the exam room. They are told not to talk about the exam or the exam subject, though this is not strictly enforced.
Registration
At Gunn, registration is only accepted from PAUSD students due to space constraints, especially with COVID.[5]
Payment for the exams is done through Total Registration. However, students who are taking the corresponding AP course must also enroll on AP Classroom.[5] Teachers may use AP Classroom to provide resources to students as practice in-class or out of class.
Grading
Multiple choice questions are graded on a binary scale, solely on the number of correct answers.
Free response questions have strict scoring criteria to prevent grader bias. Each part of a question is generally 2-5 points, with 1 point awarded per feature in the response. These features can range from having a very specific thing written down to implying a certain general idea.
According to Mr. Paley, every free response test is graded by 2 people, who independently grade the test, and if the score for any question differs by more than a point, they discuss the difference.
External Links
References
- ↑ AP Around the World. College Board. Retrieved on October 16, 2020.
- ↑ Will Zuberbuhler. Should I take AP tests?. CollegeXpress. Retrieved on October 16, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Exam Timing and Structure (English). College Board. Retrieved on October 16, 2020.
- ↑ 2020 AP Exam Schedule and Information. College Board. Retrieved on October 16, 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 AP Exams 20-21 (English). PAUSD (2020). Retrieved on October 16, 2020.