I'm currently studying for my AP Gov exam, and I'm wondering how the final grade is determined. Is it purely based on the end-of-year exam, or does class participation and other things contribute as well? Can anyone shed some light on this?
The AP (Advanced Placement) Government grade is primarily determined by your performance on the end-of-year AP exam, which is standardized and administered by the College Board. The test score is what can potentially earn you college credit or advanced placement in college courses, if the college or university you attend accepts AP scores for credit or placement.
The AP exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. Here's a general idea of what each score means:
5 – Extremely well qualified
4 – Well qualified
3 – Qualified
2 – Possibly qualified
1 – No recommendation
If you're asking about your class grade for AP Government, how that's calculated can vary widely depending on your school and your teacher's policies. That grade could take into account things like class participation, homework assignments, essays, quizzes, and mid-term or final exams. Therefore, depending upon your school's policy, your class grade for AP Government class might be calculated differently compared to the standard AP scores given by the College Board based on the end-of-year exam.
However, colleges pay more attention to the score you receive on the AP exam itself. They may use this score for course placement once you're admitted and for granting college credit, depending on their individual policies regarding AP scores.
So, in essence, you have two 'grades' or 'scores' to worry about: the class grade, which affects your GPA and is determined by your school's grading policy, and the AP Exam score, which is used more prominently in the college admissions process. You should definitely clarify grading policies with your teacher if you're unsure about how your class grade is calculated.
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