![\"AP](\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-02-at-12.06.11-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIn this question, you get some information and then you\u2019re expected to answer the question. Where this question occurs in the test makes no difference, because there\u2019s no patterned order of difficulty in which questions are presented on the AP Calculus exam. Tough questions are scattered between easy and moderately difficult questions.<\/p>\n
The stand-alone questions look like a bunch of disconnected calculus questions one after the other and that\u2019s just what they are. Because they aren\u2019t connected to each other, there\u2019s no reason you have to answer these questions in sequential order. The two-pass system, discussed next, should be used here. You can tweak the general idea of the two-pass system and apply it specifically to the AP Calculus exam.<\/p>\n
\n
The Two-Pass System on the AP Calculus Exam<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nIf you wanted to, you could take all the AP Calculus questions and arrange them in a spectrum ranging from \u201cfastest to answer\u201d to \u201cslowest to answer.\u201d For example, questions involving a graph are often much faster to answer, as long as you can interpret the visual data correctly.<\/p>\nPicking out questions with graphs is not an especially critical way to analyze the exam questions, but some students do no more than that. You should realize that the more advanced your pacing system is, the more time you might have at the end of Section I to answer the questions that you find difficult. To further refine your two-pass approach before Test Day, draw up two lists of exam topics. Label one list \u201cCalculus Concepts I Enjoy and Know About\u201d and label the other list \u201cCalculus Concepts That Are Not My Strong Points.\u201d<\/p>\n
When you get ready to begin the multiple-choice section, keep these two lists in mind. On your first pass through the section, answer all the questions that deal with concepts you like and know a lot about. If a question covers a subject that\u2019s not one of your strong points, skip it and come back on your second pass. The overarching goal is to use the time available to answer the maximum number of questions correctly.<\/p>\n
This refinement of the basic two-pass system should give you a clear idea about how to approach the multiple-choice section of the AP Calculus exam. Now that you\u2019ve got an idea of the correct approach, let\u2019s talk a bit about the correct mindset for test-taking.<\/p>\n
Comprehensive, Not Sneaky<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nSome tests are sneakier than others. A sneaky test has questions that are written in convoluted ways; they\u2019re designed to trip you up mentally and manipulate your score by using a host of other little tricks. Students taking a sneaky test often have the proper facts, but get many questions wrong because of traps in the questions themselves.<\/p>\nThe AP Calculus exam is not a sneaky test. It aims to see how much calculus knowledge you have. To do this, it asks a wide range of questions from an even wider range of calculus topics. The exam tries to cover as many different calculus facts as it can, which is why the questions jump from topic to topic. The test makers work hard to design the test so that it is comprehensive, which means that students who only know one or two calculus topics will soon find themselves struggling.<\/p>\n
Understanding these facts about how the test is designed can help you to answer its questions. The AP Calculus exam is comprehensive, not sneaky; it makes questions hard by asking about hard subjects, not by using rhetorical tricks to create hard questions.
\n\t
\t\t\nKaplan Expert Tip<\/strong>
\nTrust your instincts when guessing. If you think you know the right answer, chances are that you dimly remember the topic being discussed in your AP course. The test is about knowledge, not traps, so trusting your instincts will help more often than not.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nYou don\u2019t have enough time to think deeply about every tough question, so trusting your instincts can keep you from getting bogged down and wasting precious time on a problem. Some of your educated guesses are likely to be incorrect, but again, the point is not to get a perfect score. A perfect score would certainly be nice, but most people are going to lose at least some points on the AP exam (and may still get a 5). Your basic goal should be to get as good a score as you can; surviving hard questions by going with your gut feelings can help you to achieve this aim.<\/p>\nOn other questions, though, you might have no inkling of what the correct answer should be. In that case, turn to the following key idea.
\n
Think “<\/span>Good Math!”<\/span><\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nThe AP Calculus exam rewards good mathematicians. It covers fundamental topics and expects you to use logical thinking and good mathematical techniques to answer questions. What the test doesn\u2019t want is sloppy math or sloppy thinking. It doesn\u2019t want answers that are factually incorrect, too extreme to be true, or irrelevant to the topic.<\/p>\nStill, bad math answers invariably appear, because it\u2019s a multiple-choice test that includes three incorrect answer choices along with the one correct answer. So if you don\u2019t know how to answer a question, look at the answer choices and think \u201cGood Math.\u201d This may lead you to find some poor answer choices that can be eliminated. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
\nIf you wanted to, you could take all the AP Calculus questions and arrange them in a spectrum ranging from \u201cfastest to answer\u201d to \u201cslowest to answer.\u201d For example, questions involving a graph are often much faster to answer, as long as you can interpret the visual data correctly.<\/p>\n
Picking out questions with graphs is not an especially critical way to analyze the exam questions, but some students do no more than that. You should realize that the more advanced your pacing system is, the more time you might have at the end of Section I to answer the questions that you find difficult. To further refine your two-pass approach before Test Day, draw up two lists of exam topics. Label one list \u201cCalculus Concepts I Enjoy and Know About\u201d and label the other list \u201cCalculus Concepts That Are Not My Strong Points.\u201d<\/p>\n
When you get ready to begin the multiple-choice section, keep these two lists in mind. On your first pass through the section, answer all the questions that deal with concepts you like and know a lot about. If a question covers a subject that\u2019s not one of your strong points, skip it and come back on your second pass. The overarching goal is to use the time available to answer the maximum number of questions correctly.<\/p>\n
This refinement of the basic two-pass system should give you a clear idea about how to approach the multiple-choice section of the AP Calculus exam. Now that you\u2019ve got an idea of the correct approach, let\u2019s talk a bit about the correct mindset for test-taking.<\/p>\n
Comprehensive, Not Sneaky<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nSome tests are sneakier than others. A sneaky test has questions that are written in convoluted ways; they\u2019re designed to trip you up mentally and manipulate your score by using a host of other little tricks. Students taking a sneaky test often have the proper facts, but get many questions wrong because of traps in the questions themselves.<\/p>\nThe AP Calculus exam is not a sneaky test. It aims to see how much calculus knowledge you have. To do this, it asks a wide range of questions from an even wider range of calculus topics. The exam tries to cover as many different calculus facts as it can, which is why the questions jump from topic to topic. The test makers work hard to design the test so that it is comprehensive, which means that students who only know one or two calculus topics will soon find themselves struggling.<\/p>\n
Understanding these facts about how the test is designed can help you to answer its questions. The AP Calculus exam is comprehensive, not sneaky; it makes questions hard by asking about hard subjects, not by using rhetorical tricks to create hard questions.
\n\t
\t\t\nKaplan Expert Tip<\/strong>
\nTrust your instincts when guessing. If you think you know the right answer, chances are that you dimly remember the topic being discussed in your AP course. The test is about knowledge, not traps, so trusting your instincts will help more often than not.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nYou don\u2019t have enough time to think deeply about every tough question, so trusting your instincts can keep you from getting bogged down and wasting precious time on a problem. Some of your educated guesses are likely to be incorrect, but again, the point is not to get a perfect score. A perfect score would certainly be nice, but most people are going to lose at least some points on the AP exam (and may still get a 5). Your basic goal should be to get as good a score as you can; surviving hard questions by going with your gut feelings can help you to achieve this aim.<\/p>\nOn other questions, though, you might have no inkling of what the correct answer should be. In that case, turn to the following key idea.
\n
Think “<\/span>Good Math!”<\/span><\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nThe AP Calculus exam rewards good mathematicians. It covers fundamental topics and expects you to use logical thinking and good mathematical techniques to answer questions. What the test doesn\u2019t want is sloppy math or sloppy thinking. It doesn\u2019t want answers that are factually incorrect, too extreme to be true, or irrelevant to the topic.<\/p>\nStill, bad math answers invariably appear, because it\u2019s a multiple-choice test that includes three incorrect answer choices along with the one correct answer. So if you don\u2019t know how to answer a question, look at the answer choices and think \u201cGood Math.\u201d This may lead you to find some poor answer choices that can be eliminated. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
\nSome tests are sneakier than others. A sneaky test has questions that are written in convoluted ways; they\u2019re designed to trip you up mentally and manipulate your score by using a host of other little tricks. Students taking a sneaky test often have the proper facts, but get many questions wrong because of traps in the questions themselves.<\/p>\n
The AP Calculus exam is not a sneaky test. It aims to see how much calculus knowledge you have. To do this, it asks a wide range of questions from an even wider range of calculus topics. The exam tries to cover as many different calculus facts as it can, which is why the questions jump from topic to topic. The test makers work hard to design the test so that it is comprehensive, which means that students who only know one or two calculus topics will soon find themselves struggling.<\/p>\n
Understanding these facts about how the test is designed can help you to answer its questions. The AP Calculus exam is comprehensive, not sneaky; it makes questions hard by asking about hard subjects, not by using rhetorical tricks to create hard questions.
\n\t
\nKaplan Expert Tip<\/strong> On other questions, though, you might have no inkling of what the correct answer should be. In that case, turn to the following key idea. Still, bad math answers invariably appear, because it\u2019s a multiple-choice test that includes three incorrect answer choices along with the one correct answer. So if you don\u2019t know how to answer a question, look at the answer choices and think \u201cGood Math.\u201d This may lead you to find some poor answer choices that can be eliminated. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
\nTrust your instincts when guessing. If you think you know the right answer, chances are that you dimly remember the topic being discussed in your AP course. The test is about knowledge, not traps, so trusting your instincts will help more often than not.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nYou don\u2019t have enough time to think deeply about every tough question, so trusting your instincts can keep you from getting bogged down and wasting precious time on a problem. Some of your educated guesses are likely to be incorrect, but again, the point is not to get a perfect score. A perfect score would certainly be nice, but most people are going to lose at least some points on the AP exam (and may still get a 5). Your basic goal should be to get as good a score as you can; surviving hard questions by going with your gut feelings can help you to achieve this aim.<\/p>\n
\nThink “<\/span>Good Math!”<\/span><\/h3>
\nThe AP Calculus exam rewards good mathematicians. It covers fundamental topics and expects you to use logical thinking and good mathematical techniques to answer questions. What the test doesn\u2019t want is sloppy math or sloppy thinking. It doesn\u2019t want answers that are factually incorrect, too extreme to be true, or irrelevant to the topic.<\/p>\n