Advanced Placement Psychology
Free Response Questions: Helpful Hints
In the free-response section of the AP Psychology Exam, students are asked to answer 2 essay questions. The questions may
require you to interrelate different content areas and to analyze and evaluate psychological constructs, and more generally,
theoretical perspectives. You are expected to use your analytical and organizational skills to formulate cogent answers in writing
your essays.
You will have 50 minutes to answer both of the questions given to you on the exam. Therefore, you have about 25 minutes for
each question. It is not enough to answer a question by merely listing facts. You should present an argument based on your
critical analysis of the question posed, using appropriate psychological terminology.
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Read both essay questions to get a quick idea of the topics you’ll need to recall. Directly on the question sheet, jot down
some key terms that sere as retrieval keys for you.
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Read the first question again carefully. Underline or highlight key words. Be sure you know what the question is asking.
Say the question to yourself in your own words.
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Avoid lengthy introductions. It is not necessary to repeat the stem of the question. You get no points for these – they are a
waste of your time!
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See if you can segment the question into parts that will earn a credit. Generally each question has six to twelve segments,
which each earn a credit. For example, if you are asked to differentiate between proactive and retroactive interference, and
give an example that illustrates each; you can segment the question into four points:

o Point 1 – Define proactive interference.
o Point 2 – Define retroactive interference, indicating clearly how it is different from proactive interference.
o Point 3 – Give an example of proactive interference.
o Point 4 – Give an example of retroactive interference.
Identify the verbs in the question. These will give you an idea of how to answer the question.
o
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Words like "identify," "describe," and "define" require straightforward definitions or examples that define the
concepts.
o Words like "explain," "analyze," and "discuss" require extended application of the information to the situations or
contexts within the question.
No matter how much you write, you cannot get more that the one point allotted for any segment. Scorers look for an
adequate answer for the point and move on. So should you!!!
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You should use different terms than those found in the question prompt to answer the question. Simply parroting the
question's language is usually not a sufficient demonstration of your knowledge.
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Even if you are not absolutely sue of something that you think may earn credit, write it. You may get credit for it. Unless
you are contradicting something else that you said, you will not have points subtracted for saying something wrong.
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Use a separate paragraph for each concept addressed in the question. That will help readers find answers more efficiently.
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Outlines cannot be graded. You should write in complete sentences and in paragraph form. You will not earn any points
for an outline.