AP Music Theory Grading

Hello! I'm new to AP Music Theory and was wondering how they calculate the grades? Also, is the cutoff for a 5 usually high?

AP Music Theory, similar to other AP exams, is scored on a scale of 1-5. However, the process of calculating this score includes two steps.

First, the Exam is divided into two sections: Multiple Choice and Free Response. The Multiple Choice section is worth 45% of the final score and the Free Response section contributes 55%.

As for how they are scored, the Multiple Choice section is straightforward – one point per question answered correctly. For the Free Response section, which includes both written and aural exercises, things get a bit more subjective. AP graders use a standardized rubric to assign points for different aspects of each response.

Once all the points have been tallied, the CollegeBoard converts this raw score into the scaled 1-5 score that is reported. This conversion process is what's known as "equating" and it slightly adjusts the thresholds each year to account for variations in exam difficulty and so that a '5' represents roughly the same level of achievement from year to year.

As for the cut-off for a 5, it can vary slightly each year. In general, you typically need to score above 70-75% of the total possible points to achieve a score of 5. But please take it with a grain of salt, as the exact cut-off can fluctuate.

I hope that helps clarify things! Practice and preparation, especially paying attention to the written and aural components of the Free Response section, will put you in the best position to do well.