AP Chemistry is an ideal class for high school students interested in the physical sciences who wish to satisfy a general education requirement for college. To prove that they have mastered content in this Advanced Placement course, students must sit for an end-of-year exam with two distinct sections: multiple choice and free response.
The free-response questions are intrinsically more complex, as they require students to arrive at answers independently. Before sitting for the test in May, students should familiarize themselves with several key facts about AP Chemistry free-response items.
[Learn five steps to mastering AP free-response questions.]
— Number and type of free-response items: The AP Chemistry free-response section must be completed in one hour and 45 minutes, and it accounts for 50 percent of a student’s grade on the test. There are a total of seven questions — three long-answer items, each worth 10 points, and four short-answer items, each worth four points.
Long-answer questions are multipart, while short-answer questions may be multipart or single items. In 2017, the College Board, which runs the AP program, recommended that students allot roughly 23 minutes per long-answer question and about nine minutes per short-answer question.
[Read how to plan ahead to self-study for AP exams.]
— Required skill set and knowledge base: AP Chemistry is intended to emulate a college-level introductory chemistry class in both content and rigor. The College Board describes the exam as an assessment of a student’s ability to comprehend “the core scientific principles, theories, and processes governing chemical systems.”
Specifically, the free-response section evaluates the following skills: analysis as it pertains to laboratory data and observations, in order to explain phenomena or identify patterns; the creation or analysis of atomic and molecular views, in order to explain observations; experimental design; problem-solving that is analytical or logical in nature; and qualitative/quantitative translation.
To be successful on the AP Chemistry free-response section, students must draw upon skills related to language, mathematics and science. Consider, for example, part B of question No. 3 from the 2017 test, which combines chemical terms like “equilibrium” with a word problem. Several of the skills described above are necessary to solve it.
[Learn how to juggle multiple AP exams.]
— Test-day resources: Familiarity with the content and format of the AP Chemistry free-response section is essential. Once students know more about the questions themselves, they can reflect on how they will tackle them, given the tools available.
First, students should recognize that they are permitted to use a graphing or scientific calculator for the free-response section. However, they should show all work, even for simple problems. This can help to ensure that students earn the maximum number of points. They can also use their calculator to back-check any math. Students should rely on their instinct when an answer seems unreasonably small or large.
Test-takers are also provided with a periodic table and an equations and constants chart containing formulas, constants and symbols related to the following topics: atomic structure; equilibrium; kinetics; gases, liquids and solutions; and thermodynamics/electrochemistry. Students should use the proper notation and symbols, when appropriate, and always write answers in the correct units.
AP Chemistry free-response questions can cause anxiety for some students. Their multifaceted nature can be intimidating, but a fuller understanding of the section can help lead to success.
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Get Familiar With the AP Chemistry Free-Response Section originally appeared on usnews.com
