Hey everyone, I'm getting ready for the AP Physics EM exam and I'm wondering how the final score is calculated? Does every section carry equal weightage or is it different? Is there a standard scoring range that I can use as a reference? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello,
The AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism exam is divided into two main sections: Multiple Choice and Free Response.
The Multiple Choice section represents 50% of the total score. It typically contains 35 questions which you'll have 45 minutes to complete. Each response is graded as correct or incorrect, and the total correct counts towards half of the overall grade.
On the other hand, the Free Response section also represents 50% of the total score. It consists of 3 questions (one of which is experimental-based) and you'll have 45 minutes to complete them. Each of these questions is scored out of 15 points and then the total score counts towards the other half of the overall grade.
It's worth noting that the score you receive on your AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism exam isn't a percentage or a simple fraction—it is a weighted combination of your scores on the multiple-choice and free-response sections, translated into the 5-point scale (5 being highest).
Remember, your score isn't simply the number of points you earn—it's also affected by the difficulty of the exam, factoring in how other students performed as well. Your raw scores are converted to the AP 1-5 scoring scale using a process called equating, which adjusts for variations in exam difficulty each year.
Continue with your preparation and best of luck with your exam!
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