Hey y'all, I just took the APUSH exam and I'm wondering how the scoring works. Can someone explain the process and what score range is considered passing or good? Thanks!
Hello! The APUSH (AP US History) exam consists of multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, a document-based question (DBQ), and a long essay question (LEQ). The scoring for the APUSH exam is divided into two main sections:
1. Section 1:
- 55 Multiple-choice questions (40% of your final score)
- 3 Short-answer questions (20% of your final score)
2. Section 2:
- 1 Document-Based Question (DBQ, 25% of your final score)
- 1 Long Essay Question (LEQ, 15% of your final score)
Your responses to these sections are scored by AP readers who are experts in the subject. Your raw score from each section will be combined into a composite score, which is then converted into a scaled score ranging from 1 to 5.
Here's a general breakdown of the AP score scale:
- 5: Extremely well qualified
- 4: Well qualified
- 3: Qualified
- 2: Possibly qualified
- 1: No recommendation
For more information about how your raw score is converted to the five-point scale, check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-are-ap-exams-scored-heres-the-breakdown/
In terms of which scores are considered good, a score of 3 or higher is generally considered passing and demonstrates to colleges that you are proficient in the subject. A score of 4 or 5 indicates a high level of understanding and mastery of the material, which may allow you to earn college credit depending on the specific college's AP credit policy.
Fingers crossed you have an excellent score coming your way soon!
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