parallel-plate capacitor,
or you don’t. For help, turn to Chapter 6 , Memorizing Equations in the Shower.
You are given a sheet that contains a bunch of physical constants (like the mass of a proton), SI units,
and trigonometric values (like “tan 45° = 1”). All in all, this sheet is pretty useless—you’ll probably only
refer to it during the course of the test if you need to look up an obscure constant. That doesn’t happen as
often as you might think.
The free-response questions take 15 minutes apiece to answer, and they test both your understanding
of concepts and your mastery of equations. Some of the free-response questions ask you to design or
interpret the results of an experimental setup; others are more theoretical. Luckily, in addition to the
constant sheet, you will also get a sheet that contains every equation you will ever need. You still need to
have your equations memorized! It is not useful to hunt through the equation sheet trying to find the one you
need, any more than it’s a useful writing strategy to hunt randomly through the dictionary trying to find an
appropriate word.
We talk in much more detail about both the multiple-choice and the free-response sections of the test
later, in Step 5 , so don’t worry if this is all a bit overwhelming now.
Who Grades My AP Physics Exam?
Every June, a group of physics teachers gathers for a week to assign grades to your hard work. Each of
these “readers” spends a day or so getting trained on one question—and one question only. Because each
reader becomes an expert on that question, and because each exam book is anonymous, this process
provides a consistent and unbiased scoring of that question.
During a typical day of grading, a random sample of each reader’s scores is selected and
crosschecked by other experienced “Table Leaders” to ensure that the consistency is maintained
throughout the day and the week. Each reader’s scores on a given question are also statistically analyzed,
to make sure they are not giving scores that are significantly higher or lower than the mean scores given
by other readers of that question. All measures are taken to maintain consistency and fairness for your
benefit.
Will My Exam Remain Anonymous?
Absolutely. Even if your high-school teacher happens to randomly read your booklet, there is virtually no
way he or she will know it is you. To the reader, each student is a number, and to the computer, each
student is a bar code.
What About That Permission Box on the Back?
The College Board uses some exams to help train high-school teachers so that they can help the next
generation of physics students to avoid common mistakes. If you check this box, you simply give
permission to use your exam in this way. Even if you give permission, your anonymity is still maintained.
How Is My Multiple-Choice Section Scored?
The multiple-choice section of each physics exam is worth half of your final score. Your answer sheet is
run through the computer, which adds up your correct responses. Effective with the May 2011 AP exam,
the guessing penalty (which involved subtracting a fraction of a point for incorrect responses) has been