AP Psychology Exam Tips
How should you approach the
exam?
Easy, DFTBA!
Exam Score Distribution
The process of grade setting takes place immediately after the Reading (where FRQs
are scored). Composite scores are translated
into AP grades by setting boundaries for
2014
each grade based on a statistical technique called equating. This is so performance
5s
4s
3s
2s
1s
from year to year can be compared—looking at common questions on both exams.
18.5
27.1
19.9
13.6
20.9
Don’t fret! The point totals vary from year to year. Here’s some advice based on year’s
past…
5 students earned every point possible (150/150). Students performed very well on social
psychology questions.
Score of 3: generally earn a composite of at least 85
Score of 4: generally earn a composite of at least 95
2013
Score of 5: generally earn a composite of at least 110
5s
4s
3s
2s
1s
I cannot
guarantee
scores
21.2
26.7these scores,
19.6because REMEMBER
13.0
19.5 vary
from year to year. Your BEST BET, therefore, is to simply answer all
the
questions
correctly.
So, DFTBA
2 students
earned
every point possible
(150/150). Students performed very well on the
abnormal psychology questions.
In case you want to see the calculation
process…
• Also, you are no longer
penalized for guessing/wrong
answers! (If you read differently,
the exam was changed in 2011.)
▫ ANSWER ALL MC ?s
Multiple Choice Section
• Read the question carefully.
• Try to answer the question yourself before
reading the answer choices.
• Guess. Try to eliminate answer choices.
• Drawing a picture may help you.
• Don’t spend too much time on any one question.
Multiple Choice Section
• Every multiple choice question has three
important parts
▫ Stem
▫ Correct answer
▫ Distractor options
Heuristics “rules of thumb”
• Carefully read the question. Look for key
words—not just vocabulary.
• Words like “never” and “always” are called
absolute qualifiers. It’s rare that these are the
answer choice.
• Before looking at the answer choices, try to
visualize the correct answer. See if you can find
one that is similar.
• Write in your booklet. Jot down quick notes &
underline key words.
Heuristics “rule of thumb”
• Mark any question you skip in your booklet. You
have about 45 seconds for each question. DO
NOT spend too much time on one question.
• DO NOT OVERTHINK!
• Guessing becomes a better gamble if you can
eliminate some choices. GUESSING does NOT
count against you.
• Change an answer ONLY if you have good
reason to. [retrieval cue]
Heuristics “rule of thumb”
• Time flies…when you are having fun
▫ Get a grand-paw watch.
▫ Set it to 12 (both hands at the #12)
▫ You have 70 minutes total.
MC: Stand Alone Questions
• Majority of ?s are stand alone
• Words in the stem provide you the info you need to answer
the question
• Covers a distinct topic
• Easy, medium, and hard (no order)
• Example
1. A graphical representation of correlational data
is called a
a. Bell curve
b. Chi square
c. Scatterplot
d. Bimodal distribution
e. Skewed distribution
MC: Grouped Questions
• Given a stimulus (sentences or graph) that help you answer a
set of questions
• Make sure you understand the stem and then attack the easy
questions first
• Example stem
▫ A researcher is interested in determining if the amount of caffeine
students consume influences the number of hours they study. To
do this, he varies the amount of caffeine among three groups of
students: group 1 drinks 0 servings of caffeine a day; group 2
drinks 3 servings; group 3 drinks 8 servings. Students keep a log
tracking how long they study each dy. After the study is over, the
researcher collects the logs and obtains an average number of
hours studied per group.
MC: Grouped Questions
1. In this experiment, ____ is the independent
variable.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Group 1
Group 3
Number of hours studied
Amount of caffeine consumed
Number of students per group
MC: Grouped Questions
1. In this experiment, ____ is the dependent
variable.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Group 1
Group 3
Number of hours studied
Amount of caffeine consumed
Number of students per group
General Strategies
•
•
•
•
Pace yourself.
Use the process of elimination.
Be aware of patterns and trends.
Have the right approach.
Where to go…
• www.jjanneckchs.weebly.com
▫ AP Exam Resources
 Practice exams…get familiar with the format.
▫ ALL Unit Notes
• Crash Course Psychology on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOPRKzVLY0jJY-uHOH9KVU6