AP Macroeconomics Test
Format
|
60 multiple choice questions - 70
minutes - 2/3 of exam grade |
|
3 free response questions - 60 minutes
- 1/3 of exam grade |
Scoring
A.P. exams are scored on a 1 to 5 basis:
5 = Extremely Well Qualified
4 = Well Qualified
3 = Qualified
2 = Possibly Qualified
1 = No Recommendation
The American Council on Education
recommends the acceptance of grades of 3 or above. To see what is
required by a college you're considering, write to the Director of
Admissions.
One quarter of a point is subtracted for
each incorrect answer on the multiple choice section. [Explanation.]
So your score on the multiple choice section is Number Correct - (0.25 x
Number Wrong) = Multiple Choice Score. Wisdom, therefore, dictates that
you not waste time randomly bubbling questions you cannot answer.
However, if you can eliminate one or more answer choices, take your best
shot!
From
The College Board:
How to prepare:
|
Take the
course seriously! Klein Oak students who do well in the course also
do well on the A.P. exam. Do all the assigned readings and
participate in class discussions. Ask questions! Stay current! |
|
Read the
study tips page. |
|
Attend
the review sessions. Don't even think about taking the course in the
fall and taking the test in May without a review. Mr. Nelson will
announce review sessions - on the morning announcements, via e-mail
and on this website. The sessions will begin in March. |
|
Consider
purchasing a review book. I recommend
Cracking the AP Economics Macro & Micro Exam (2004-2005
Edition) by David Anderson. The author is one of the leading experts
on the AP Economics exams and the book is extremely helpful. You can
review Mr. Nelson's copy before you buy. |
Bring to the exam:
|
Your
high school code number. |
|
A watch
to pace yourself. |
|
Dark
blue or black ballpoint pens. You must write your free response
answers in pen and only these colors are allowed. |
|
Number 2
pencils for multiple choice bubbling. |
Explanation of
"guessing penalty": This is common practice. Given that there are five
choices for each question, you will get one out of every five questions
correct with random guessing. Someone (not you!) who only knew 10
answers and guessed at the other 50 would get a score of 20 - twice what
he or she deserved - by virtue of getting 10 answers correct by
guessing. The number of wrong answers would be 40. Multiplying the 40 by
0.25 gives us a guessing correction factor of 10. Subtracting the 10
from the number correct (20) yields a score of 10 - exactly what the
student in question deserved.
Click
here for a table of contents. [This is useful if the navigation
links, above, are not appearing in your browser.]
©2002 by Gary Nelson. All rights reserved.
|