AP Psychology Free-Response Question Strategies
The free-response section of the AP Psychology exam consists of two free-response questions: the Article Analysis Question (AAQ) and the Evidence-Based Question (EBQ). Both questions rely heavily on your knowledge of what you’ve learned in your AP class about psychology research methods. If you can apply the ideas related to research methods, experimental design, operational definitions of variables, and basic statistical analysis, you already know most of what you need to know for both the AAQ and the EBQ! Keep reading to learn more about the free-response questions on the AP Psychology exam and review our best strategies for answering AP Psychology free-response questions on test day.
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What are the free-response questions on the AP Psychology exam?
There are two types of free-response questions on the AP Psychology exam. Below, we break down each type of question.
| Free-Response Question | Time Limit | Task | Points |
| Article Analysis Question (AAQ) | 25 minutes to write (including 10 minutes to read the research summary) | You will read a summary of a research study and identify several elements related to the research methods, variables, data analysis, and ethical considerations of that research study. You will also write about how this research relates to specific psychological theories or terms. | Up to 7 points |
| Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) | 45 minutes (including 15 minutes to read through the three sources). | You will read a summary of a research study and identify several elements related to the research methods, variables, data analysis, and ethical considerations of that research study. You will also write about how this research relates to specific psychological theories or terms. You will read three summaries of research studies (or articles about a research topic). You will choose two of these studies to focus on for the rest of the question. Then, you will write a claim based on the research presented in these two summaries. After writing the claim, you will identify one piece of evidence from one of the sources you chose. Then you will explain how that evidence supports your claim using a term, theory, and/or concept from psychology. You will then repeat this process with the second source you chose. | Up to 7 points |
AP Psychology Free-Response Question Strategies
Review our best strategies for tackling free-response questions on the AP Psychology exam.
Free-Response Strategy #1: Don’t write an essay.
In the AAQ and EBQ, the people scoring your answer are judging your response based on how well you explain the psychological research in the sources and how well you use your knowledge of psychology to answer the questions. They are NOT judging your writing skills or ability to organize a long essay. You will be writing short, clear explanations in response to specific questions, not composing a long essay. However, ensure you still answer in complete sentences and paragraphs. Reviewers do not award points for a response written as an outline.
Free-Response Strategy #2: Identify six key elements.
When you answer an AAQ, your first task is obviously to use your 10-minute reading period to read through the summary. As you read, remember that you are looking for six specific things that you will write about later. Make sure you can identify these six elements:
- Identify the research method.
- Explain how the dependent variable is operationally defined.
- Interpret basic statistics from a study.
- Identify an ethical issue related to the study.
- Discuss whether the findings of a study might be generalizable.
- Explain how the findings of a study support or do not support the hypothesis.
Free-Response Strategy #3: Write legibly.
It doesn’t matter how eloquent or effective your essay is if the grader can’t read it. If you have a tendency to produce indecipherable handwriting, slow down a bit and try to write more neatly. Your score might depend on it! If you need to add to your response after you’ve written it, clearly indicate where the additional text should go. We recommend leaving a little space between paragraphs to make edits if needed.
Free-Response Strategy #4: Define terms.
Defining a term in your answer showcases your understanding of the material. While most questions will ask for applications of examples, if you find an opportunity to use a term and define it properly – go for it! Just make sure you do not use the word itself in the definition. For example, the sentence “Modeling is when someone models another person’s behavior,” is unlikely to score you any extra points because it does not adequately demonstrate your understanding of the term, “modeling.”
To get all the points possible for a free-response question on the AP Psychology exam, you must complete all the specified tasks and subtasks. While this may seem like common sense, you do not want to forget to complete part of the question, especially for the EBQ which has many different parts. Structure your response so that it clearly shows the reviewer that you answered all parts of the question. You can do this by beginning each paragraph with a topic sentence which indicates what part of the question you are answering.
