Hey all, I just finished my AP Language course and we're going through some practice exams as exam day gets closer. I've been hearing a lot about the 'AP Lang curve'. Does anyone here understand how it works or has any resources that could help me understand it better?
The AP Language and Composition exam, like other AP exams, uses a curve each year to convert students' raw scores into a scaled score, from 1 to 5. However, it's important to note that the term "curve" might be a little misleading. Each AP test's scale is not a curve in the traditional sense (where a set percentage of students must receive each score), but is instead determined based on the difficulty of that year's test.
In other words, the scale each year is meant to ensure that a 3 on this year's exam matches a 3 on last year's exam in terms of proficiency, not that a certain percentage of students get a 3. To illustrate this, let's say this year's AP Lang exam was particularly difficult. The scale for that year would likely be adjusted so that a student could miss more questions but still receive the same score compared to previous years.
For AP Lang, multiple-choice and FRQ sections are both included in your raw score. Each correct answer in the multiple-choice section earns you a point, and each of the three FRQs is scored 0-9. These scores are then combined and converted into the scaled 1-5 score.
Unfortunately, CollegeBoard does not release the scaled conversion table ahead of time, so it's impossible to know exactly how your raw score will translate into your final 1-5 score for a particular year's exam. The most efficient way to prep for the test is to aim for as high a raw score as possible, rather than trying to predict an elusive curve. Good luck on your upcoming AP exam!
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