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AP® Science Exams - Calculator and Test Prep Tips

The AP® Exams for multiple subjects are coming up in May (there are 2 different testing windows). In this post, I want to focus on some tips for preparing for the AP® exams in general, and then a little more specific on technology tips (handheld calculators) for some of the science exams. The first administration of the AP® exams is May 5, so now would be a good time to help students who are preparing to take any of the science exams. The number one piece of advice I can give anyone trying to prepare for any AP ® exam is to visit the College Board AP ® site directly. The resources, links, support videos, and more that are available there are incredible and will really help answer any questions you have regarding these exams.


Science Exams

There are 7 science exams, with Physics having 4 possible exams, based on different parts of Physics. Each exam listed below is linked to the AP® course-specific site so you can find out exactly what topics are covered within each exam. A great way to prepare and study for these is to go to the links and look through the course concepts & skills to ensure you have the needed background, and especially look at the exam link to find out more details about the exam and layout and types of questions in each section, and where you will find links to released test items for review/practice.


General AP® Science Exam Information and Preparation Tips

The science exams all have two sections - Section 1, which is multiple choice, and Section 2 which is free-response and/or multiple choice, depending on whether you are taking the paper pencil exam or the digital exam. The digital form of the exams is different from the paper and pencil form: it is either all and/or mostly multiple choice and then (depending on the specific science exam), if there are free response questions (as on the Physics 1 & 2), there are fewer of them then on the paper and pencil version, and students will not be asked to draw or graph anything, but answer the questions using the keyboard (with provided scientific symbols as needed). Here is a PDF that compares the paper and pencil vs. digital for all AP® exams. It is also a good idea to go into each AP ® Course and The Exam link, where you will actually see a side-by-side comparison of the paper and pencil versus the digital exam question types and timing. (As an example, here is the link to the AP ® Chemistry)



General Preparation Tips:

  • Practice, Practice, Practice

    • Explore the resources on the AP® site for the specific courses you are studying for

    • Use previously released test items/practice tests (all available on the site)(you do have to sign up for an account to access the test banks)

    • Practice under the same conditions the real exam will take place - i.e. 45 minutes for each section, calculator, etc. Time yourself and practice pacing

  • Watch your time - Each section of the exams has a specific time limit (anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours)

    • Answer easier questions first and come back to those that are more time consuming

    • If you are stuck on a problem, particularly multiple choice, come back to it - don't waste time.

    • Answer EVERY question if possible, even if you are not sure - there is no penalty for wrong answers. AP exams are graded only on the number of questions answered correctly, so even if you have to guess, try to answer every question

    • If you guess, be smart about it - try to eliminate as many answers as possible before making your guess

  • Free response/short answer questions

    • Read through all of them first and plan out which one (s) you feel most confident about and do those first.

    • Don't skip any (you will get zero). Even if you are unsure, write down something relevant or related and make an attempt to try to get at least some partial points.

    • Show all your work when doing calculations - again, part credit is always possible

    • In the multi-part questions, attempt to answer each part. They are graded separately so you can get partial credit even if you don't have all the parts correct.

    • Be sure to label your answers and work in an organized way so the readers can find your work/solutions

    • LABEL all your solutions with the appropriate units!!

    • LABEL any graphs or diagrams, which includes titles, axes, etc.

    • Pay attention to directions - look for key words that indicate what the expected outcome is

      • Calculate - this means they are looking for mathematical steps to get to the solutions. Show work!!

      • Construct/Draw - they are expecting an image, be that a graph, table, diagram, etc.

      • There is a great list of verbs in each course's Exam Tips on the AP College Board site.

  • Be sure to know the AP policies for testing day


Calculator Tips for the Science Exams

Handheld calculators are allowed on all 7 of the science exams, but it's important to know the AP® calculator policy and which calculators are allowed for each test. I have included a table below (also in the calculator policy) for quick reference.

Exam

Type of Calculator (s) Allowed

P/P Section 1 (MC)

P/P Section 2 (FR)

Digital

Biology

4-function; Scientific (cannot have unapproved features); Graphing

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Chemistry

Scientific or graphing recommended (cannot have unapproved capabilities)

Not Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Environmental Science

4-Function; Scientific; Graphing

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Physics 1

4-Function; Scientific; Graphing

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Physics 2

4-Function; Scientific; Graphing

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Physics C: Mechanics

4-Function; Scientific; Graphing

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism

4-Function; Scientific; Graphing

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

With the exception of the Chemistry Section 1 Multiple Choice paper and pencil exam, calculators are allowed on all science exams. The unapproved features are good to know, as are the special instructions, so be sure to review those sections of the calculator policy. For example, no QWERTY keyboards, no stylus/pens allowed, but you can use a touch-screen calculator, like the fx-CG500 graphing calculator as long as you use your fingers.

Additionally, all the science exams include an Equations and Formulas Sheet. It's good to be familiar with these, as they give you a clue as to what might be.




General Calculator Tips

  • Be able to convert into/from the following

    • Natural logs

    • Fractions/rational numbers

    • Decimals

    • Percents

    • Exponential Notation

    • Scientific Notation

  • ALWAYS show any work you do in free-response for your calculations!

  • Don't round before you get to your final solution - just round (if called for) the final solution

  • Understand the difference between and how to calculate for

    • Percent error

    • Percent yield

    • Percent of component

  • Know your calculator

    • Where specific buttons are (i.e. fractions, logs, variables, etc.)

    • Specific functionality and menus (look at equation/formula sheets and make sure you know the steps)

  • Understand when to calculate, round, estimate and/or approximate - this saves time!!

  • Practice, practice, practice - using the calculator you plan to use on the exam (s), and using the same time frame.


Casio Calculator Options

  • 4-Function Calculators - while these are allowed on all the science exams, I personally wouldn't recommend them. I would go with at least a scientific calculator. Here is a link to Casio's 4-Function Basic calculators. If you do go with this choice, make sure you choose a model that at least has the square-root button.

  • Scientific Calculators

    • There is no list of approved scientific calculators. For the science exams, a scientific calculator is probably sufficient for all the exams, but if you are taking any of the paper and pencil versions, a graphing calculator might be a slightly better choice since you might have to construct a graph/diagram.

    • Here is a link to Casio's Scientific Calculators. If I had to choose, I would select either the fx-300ESPlus2, the fx-991CW or the fx-115ESPlus2, in that order.


  • Graphing Calculators

    • There is a list of approved graphing calculators in the AP Calculator Policy, sorted by name-brand. There are also specific restrictions listed on technology (no QWERTY keyboards, no stylus allowed, etc.). There are many listed under the Casio brand name, many of which are older models. See the link below for the latest models from Casio.

    • The Casio fx-CG500 Prizm graphing calculator is approved on the AP exams, as long as you use your fingers on the touch screen.

    • Here is the link to the Casio Graphing Calculators, all of which are approved for use.

    • All the Casio graphing calculators are great, but if I had to choose, I would go with the fx-9750GIII or the fx-CG50 Prizm (the color graphing calculator), in that order. The fx-9750GIII has everything you need and more for both science and mathematics assessments and the price-point is awesome.


My last words of advice - PRACTICE!! And be sure to log in to the AP Student Portal (if you are in an AP course, you should have a College Board ID) and go to the specific courses for the exams you plan to take. There is a plethora of resources available there, from video tutorials, daily AP hints/tips, released tests and practice items, and more. It's an amazing place to help get you ready. Good luck!

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