What is an AP Class? What’s the AP exam?
If you didn’t know, the organization College board handles not only AP exams but also the SAT/PSAT. College board describes AP classes as “college-level courses in high school.” This means that they are accelerated, you’ll learn harder material at a faster pace compared to a normal high school class. At the end of the year in May you’ll go to a testing site to take the AP exam. If you do good on the exam and get a high score it’ll count as college credit. On the exam, there can be questions on anything you’ve learned throughout the entire year. It’s like a bigger midterm/final. Each year they test on different topics which means there is no way to predict what they’ll test you on (basically you have to understand nearly everything taught in class). Some exams within the same testing site vary between different test takers but almost all will follow the same formula. A question section and an FRQ section. The FRQ’s vary in each subject, in lang/lit there are three FRQ’s which all ask a question that you’ll answer as an essay. First is about comparing multiple pieces of short texts, second is a piece of text (like a speech or section of a story), and lastly they’ll just give you a question and you’ll answer it using your own examples (examples can be other stories, your life experience, or from history).
AP Test examples and what to expect
Last year in AP Lang there were three different tests. One had an easy question section but a difficult FRQ section, another had their questions and FRQ’s about the same difficulty which wasn’t bad, and the last had a difficult question section but an easy FRQ section. For each section they’ll give you an hour for questions then lock you out after an hour passes which you’ll then have 2 hours and 15 minutes to do all three FRQ’s. The hardest part of the test is in the FRQ sections with managing your time with all three. Personally, time wasn’t that big of a problem because I finished before time was up, Mrs. Martinez prepped us really well for the FRQ’s so it shouldn’t be a big problem.
In AP Government there was only one test for everyone and it was the easiest test I think they ever gave out. Mr. Novak was my teacher and he was in shock at how simple the test was that year. They barely asked about different amendments, or different constitutional cases. This might just be a school thing with how well Mr. Novak prepped us. There are questions sections then 4 FRQ’s. Unlike the Lang test with having to write an essay, these 4 FRQ’s contain 3-5 questions that you’ll have to answer completely. The hardest part about these FRQ’s is just making sure you are answering the questions correctly and completely. You’ll get an hour 15 for the questions and an hour 40 for the FRQ.
With all tests you’ll be scored 1-5 based on how well you did. 5 is the highest which means you understood everything, and 1 means you didn’t understand anything on the exam. No colleges give credit for scores of 1-2, some colleges accept scores of 3, and all colleges accept scores 4-5. Just check with the college you plan to go to if they accept scores of 3. Also if you do get a higher score (4-5), some colleges count it as two semesters of credit because you did so well.
I’m not good at this subject, should I still take it?
Honestly (for AP english classes), if you can read and write and go to class wanting to learn, you should take the class. I’ve struggled with writing essays but I still took the class and did decent on the test. You don’t even have to be in a specific class to take AP’s at Lamphere unless you want to do AP Calc AB, then you’ll need to take at least pre-calc but I suggest honors pre-calc. If you’re worried about taking an AP class for a subject you know nothing about, don’t worry. The teachers will always start from the beginning so you won’t be lost. Unless you take AP Calc without taking pre-calc, there is too much to learn in that class and you can’t understand anything unless you took pre-calc. As an example, I knew nothing about AP Gov but I still decided to take the class. Mr. Novak is an amazing teacher who is very knowledgeable and lenient when it comes to AP Gov. His only real expectation from the start of the year is to do the reading/homework when you are told, and to pay attention in class. The teachers will also make time for you if you need the extra help as long as you follow through with it.
Should I take AP classes if I think I’ll fail the exam?
Even if you’re on the fence about passing the exam, being in the class will make you more knowledgeable. I am very confident in understanding what is happening in government, or when analysing books because of the AP classes. Taking an AP class will be an important experience which you won’t regret. As I said before, I wasn’t good at English but I still took the test and passed it. All you need to do is want to learn.
Does it cost money for the exam?
It does cost money. It costs $110 this year per AP class. If you qualify for financial aid it does make it cheaper. If you don’t want to spend $110 for a class you might fail then think about it like this, when you take the test and get a good score you will have saved money. The saved money comes from not needing to take the class in college. It’s like an investment into your future. Even if you do fail, taking the class can give you an idea on the difficulty of college. It’ll give you experience.
Q and A from Student in AP
Michael:
Q1: “What AP classes have you taken or are taking?”
A1: “I took AP Lang and AP Gov” “Right now I’m taking AP Calc AB and AP Lit”
Q2: “Did you take the test(s)?”
A2: “I took the AP Lang and Gov test”
Q3: “If you did, what was your score(s)?”
A3: “For Lang I got a 3 and Gov a 4”
Q4: “Was taking/paying an AP class worth it?”
A4: “I would say it was because became a better writer and learned a lot more compared to if I didn’t take those classes”
Q5: “Were/Are your teachers good?”
A5: “Mr. Novak was a really good teacher, Mrs. Martinez taught well but had her days”
Cole:
Q1: “What AP classes have you taken or are taking?”
A1: “Ap Gov, AP Calc AB”
Q2: “Did you take the test(s)?”
A2: AP Gov, I’ll take AP Calc
Q3: “If you did, what was your score(s)?”
A3: “4 for gov”
Q4: “Was taking/paying an AP class worth it?”
A4: “Yea, at occ one class without financial aid is 115 per-semester so if you take the class it would be 240 for the year so I saved money.”
Q5: “Were/Are your teachers good?”
A5: “Novak was probably an 8/10: He taught well and would give 1 on 1 help. He also taught in a way that fit my learning style. Mr.s Amo, Last year pre-calc was rough but it was mainly the people in the class. This year there is much less people who are also serious about the class so learning is much better.”
Charlie:
Q1: “What AP classes have you taken or are taking?”
A1: “AP Micro, AP Lang, AP Gov.”
Q2: “Did you take the test(s)?”
A2: “Took Gov, will take Micro”
Q3: “If you did, what was your score(s)?”
A3: “4”
Q4: “Was taking/paying an AP class worth it?”
A4: ”Yes, ap test are $110 and a college class comparatively is around $1000 so I’m save a lot of money. ”
Q5: “Were/Are your teachers good?”
A5: “The three teacher I had prepared me a lot for what I needed to know, I went into the test I took prepared.”
Ethan:
Q1: “What AP classes have you taken or are taking?”
A1: “Have taken AP Lang and AP Gov, currently taking AP Lit.”
Q2: “Did you take the test(s)?”
A2: “Have taken AP Gov and AP Lang, planning to take AP Lit”
Q3: “If you did, what was your score(s)?”
A3: “AP Lang I got a 4 and Gov I got 3”
Q4: “Was taking/paying an AP class worth it?”
A4: “Yea, I think they were both great, it also felt good to use past knowledge to pass the test”
Q5: “Were/Are your teachers good?”
A5: “I enjoyed all the teaching styles from my teachers. It was very unique to go class to class and I enjoyed all of them in unique ways.”
Landen:
Q1: “What AP classes have you taken or are taking?”
A1: “Over the past four years I’ve taken AP gov and AP Lang. This year I am Taking AP calc AB. Technically Spanish 6 is like an AP test which I’m also taking this year”
Q2: “Did you take the test(s)?”
A2: “I plan on taking the AP Calc test, in the past I took the seal of biliteracy test for Spanish.”
Q3: “If you did, what was your score(s)?”
A3: N/A
Q4: “Was taking/paying an AP class worth it?”
A4: “I believe without taking the AP test the AP classes are still very helpful because they prepare you for taking college level classes which prepares you for the workload of university”
Q5: “Were/Are your teachers good?”
A5: “I think they all did pretty well. I believe the teachers that taught AP were very well knowledgeable on their subjects.”
Q6: “Why didn’t you take the test? Do you wish you did?”
A6: “At the time I didn’t take the test because I just started working so I didn’t have the money to register. I wish I could’ve taken it because the I would’ve gotten College credit at college”
Troy:
Q1: “What AP classes have you taken or are taking?”
A1: “I’ve taken AP Lang, I’ve taken AP Gov, and I am taking AP Lit”
Q2: “Did you take the test(s)?”
A2: “I took AP Lang and AP Gov, will not be taking Lit”
Q3: “If you did, what was your score(s)?”
A3: “3’s on both”
Q4: “Was taking/paying an AP class worth it?”
A4: “I think it was worth it. Challenging yourself in the class and going through all the material in such a crunched time frame was a testament to the teachers teaching you and your own work effort”
Q5: “Were/Are your teachers good?”
A5: “Mrs. Martinez was a GOAT, especially in 1st and 2nd hour, idk about Fake AP though. Mr Vanbusker locked in 2nd semester and gave really good strategies for the test”
