Hey, does anyone have some insight into how the AP Physics 1 scoring curve works? I'm just wondering how the scores translate into the 1-5 final grade.
The AP Physics 1 exam scoring works on a specific curve that's established by the College Board, the body that organizes the test. However, the exact curve changes each year depending on the exam difficulty and students' overall performance.
The scoring process involves two steps. First, the raw scores from the multiple-choice and free-response sections are calculated. For the multiple-choice section, you receive one point for each correct answer and no points are deducted for incorrect answers. For the free-response section, each question's points are added up to give you a raw score out of 45.
Next, these raw scores are converted into composite scores on a scale from 1 to 5. The College Board develops this scale to ensure consistency in AP scores across different years.
While the College Board does not publish the specific conversion charts from raw to composite score, healthily scoring more than half of the total points available usually gives you a passing grade of 3 or higher. This is a rough estimate and can vary year-to-year.
The College Board releases the score distributions after the exams, which can give you a rough idea of how many students received each AP score and can help you estimate the requirements for each grade.
Just remember, maximizing your understanding of the content and having a diligent study plan is paramount to performing well on the exam. It can be helpful to use the scores only as an end goal and not to guide your learning process.
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