AP Psych Test

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AP Psych Test

• May 2 at 12 PM

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Basics for the AP Test

• Format
• Objective section - 100 multiple choice questions
• (70 minutes) point value
  2/3
• Free-response section - Two essays graded on a
  1-5 scale
• (50 minutes) point value 1/3

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Basics for the AP Test

• Content 13 major content areas
• a. History and Approaches 2-4
• b. Research Methods 8-10
• c. Biological Bases of Behavior 8-10
• d. Sensation and Perception 6-8
• e. States of Consciousness 2-4
• f. Learning 7-9
• g. Cognition 8-10
• h. Motivation and Emotion 6-8
• i. Developmental Psychology 7-9
• j. Personality 5-7
• k. Testing and Individual Differences 5-7
• l. Abnormal Psychology 7-9
• m. Treatment of Psychological Disorders 5-7
• n. Social Psychology 8-10

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Details on the Objective Section

• Overall the multiple choice questions
  approximately fit the categories as given
• 40 factual
• 40 interpretive
• 10 application
• 10 other
• The questions get progressively more difficult
  and are NOT grouped by category.
• Each question is worth 1 point. If a question is
  incorrectly answered, no points are deducted. If
  the question is not answered, no points are
  deducted. Any statistic questions only require
  simple calculations.

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AP Psychology Test Tips

• 1. The multiple-choice focuses mostly on
  vocabulary
• Make a list of the people and terms you need to
  review the most
• 2. The first few multiple-choice questions are
  easy
• Beware of becoming overconfident
• 3. Take approximately 42 seconds per
  multiple-choice question
• Be conscious of your time
• 4. Go through all the questions you know, then go
  back to the ones you do not know
• If you can eliminate 1/2 of the answers, it is
  okay to guess

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AP Psychology Test Tips

• 5. There are 100 points possible for the
  multiple-choice portion
• Total scores on the multiple-choice section will
  be based on the number of questions answered
  correctly. Wrong answers get no points,
  unanswered get no points.
• 6. There are 50 points possible for the Free
  Response portion
• Never leave an FRQ blank there is no penalty for
  incorrect answers
• 7. Approximate score breakdown out of the 150
  total is as follows
• A 5 equals approximately 70 correct or 105
  points
• A 4 equals approximately 60 correct or 90 points

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AP Psychology Free Response Questions

• Directions
• Read each question
• Outline the answer/brainstorm
• Identify names, concepts, and studies that
  could be used to support the answer (Academically
  write everything you know about it).
• Remember READ-DO-DEFINE-APPLY
• Divide answers and remember context
• DO NOT contradict DO demonstrate knowledge of
  concepts

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AP Psychology Free Response Questions

• The free response sections are worth 33 1/3
  percent of the total grade. You have 50 minutes
  to read, plan, and answer two questions.
• The key to successfully answering these questions
  is to completely define the terms using
  appropriate psychological terminology and then
  critically apply each term.
• DO NOT write in lists and DO NOT define in the
  word-dash-definition format. Write in sentences!
• While grammar and spelling do not count, students
  should make a serious effort at producing a
  quality piece of writing to ensure their points
  are completely understood by the reader.
  However, an opening paragraph with a thesis
  statement is not necessary.
• Make connections, give examples, and APPLY the
  information, much like the multiple choice
  application questions do.
• Students are strongly encouraged to visit the
  www.collegeboard.org/ap for more information on
  exam content, multiple-choice questions,
  free-response questions, scoring guidelines, and
  grade distributions from previous years.

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Details on the Free-Response Questions

• The questions will always be mainstream or
  integrative type questions. In other words, the
  essay questions will be concerned with very
  important central topics or they will involve
  integrating information from several chapters.
  They may involve looking at behavior from more
  than one perspective or involve some critique or
  analysis.

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FRQ

• You must answer the question in essay form
  sentences should be complete and tables or graphs
  should NOT be used.
• The question should NOT be restated since this
  only wastes time.
•  Ask yourself What does this question ask?,
  what am I supposed to include in an answer to
  this question? TRY TO GUESS THE RUBRIC BEFORE
  YOU EVEN START WRITING!!
•  Prepare an outlineyou can do this in the
  instruction book.
• -this will help you settle down emotionally,
  organize your answer and make it
  reader-friendly. It will also generate
  RETRIEVAL CUES so you might remember something
  new and it allows you time to think through your
  answer (after this its easy, you just have to
  fill in your outline.)
• Do NOT write an introduction or conclusion. This
  is a waste of time, as it adds nothing to your
  response and does not earn points.
• Be as precise as possible. The first sentence
  should begin to answer the question.
•  Write in simple sentences. Style doesnt get
  you points, clarity does.

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• If you have a difficult time explaining a
  concept, follow up with an example.
• Use names or studies to clarify when possible.
  It will demonstrate an understanding that you
  might not have communicated otherwise.
•  Dont worry if you dont remember an answer to a
  portion of the question. Remember, the object is
  to accumulate as many points as possible.
• Dont worry about something you dont know. Do
  your best on what you do know so that you can
  earn all of the points that you deserve.
• The questions do not call for personal opinions
  to be stated however, please refer to prior
  knowledge or analogies, provided they do not
  detract from the prompt.
•  Underline vocabulary you use.
•  Do not bullet or letter your sections, just use
  new paragraphs with each new concept.

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AP Psychology Free Response Questions

• Readers who grade the AP free response sections
  are working from a rubric. They are looking for
  key terms and the correct application of those
  terms
• Some students find it helpful to take two minutes
  and make a small chart or brief outline to ensure
  all the terms are defined and applied and the
  question is answered completely.
• Should a student forget the meaning of a term, it
  is OK to make an educated guess. However, the
  key is to make an educated guess.

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Previous Topics

• 1992 (3 content areas)
• Question 1 Learning
• Question 2 Psychohterapy and Perspectives
  (explanations)

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Previous Topics

• 1993 (4 content areas)
• Question 1 Research Design and Memory (9pts)
• Design and describe an experiment to measure the
  relationship between rehearsal/ repetition of a
  list of words and later recall of that same list
• of words. In your answer you should formulate a
  hypothesis and include a description of each of
  the following.
• A. Population
• B. Subject selection
• C. Independent variable
• D. Dependent variable
• E. Experimental group
• F. Control group
• G. Potential confounding variable
• H. A method of reducing experimental bias

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Previous Topics

• Question 2 Psychotherapy and Learning (10pts)
• Describe the therapeutic procedure called
  systematic desensitization. Select a specific
  disorder for which this therapy is effective and
  explain
• how the basic phenomena listed below play a part
  in successful treatment
• A. Anxiety hierarchy
• B. Relaxation
• C. Generalization
• D. Extinction

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Previous Topics

• 1994 (4 content areas)
• Question 1 Scientific Research Design (12pts)
• Design an experiment to determine weather a new
  drug that is supposed to reduce hyperactivity in
  children actually does. Your essay should
• include and identification and description of all
  the components of your experimental design,
  including sampling, independent and dependent
• variables, controls, and the method that you
  would employ to evaluate the outcome.
• Question 2 Learning, Memory, and Social
  Psychology (11pts)
• One of the most useful generalizations in
  psychology is that behavior is adaptive.
  Explain this generalization and then identify
  each of the
• following and describe how each could be
  adaptive.
• A. Repression
• B. Conformity
• C. Imprinting
• D. Displaced Aggression
• E. Loss of information form short term memory

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Previous Topics

• 2005
• Question 1 Perception, Cognition, Social
  Psychology, Development, Scientific Data
  Collection, and Memory (8pts)
• Describe a specific example that clearly
  demonstrates an understanding of how each of the
  following concepts can lead to an inaccurate
• perception, cognition, or conclusion. Each
  example must include an explanation of the
  relationship between the concept and the
  inaccuracy.
• Afterimage effect
• Available heuristics
• Ethnocentrism
• Groupthink
• Lack of object permanence
• Nonrandom assignment of research participants
• Optimistic explanatory style
• Proactive interference
• Question 2 States of Consciousness,
  Development, Mental Disorders (9pts)
• Psychologists conduct research to investigate
  controversial issues. Consider the following
• The value of diagnostic labeling
• Childrens acquisition of language
• Explanation of hypnosis
• A. Describe the opposing points of view on each
  psychological issue listed above.
• Your description must provide one argument on
  each side of the controversy.

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Previous Topics
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Previous Topics
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Questions and FRQs at CollegeBoard

• http//apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam
  /exam_questions/2088.html
• TAKE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR FREE!!!! JUST CREATE
  AN ACCOUNT
• http//testprep.sparknotes.com/testcenter/ap/psych
  ology/
• PEACE AND LOBE!