5 Steps to a 5 AP Chemistry

While there may be some altruistic motivators, let’s face it: most students take the exam

because they are seeking college credit. This means you are closer to graduation before you

even start attending classes. Even if you do not score high enough to earn college credit, the

fact that you elected to enroll in AP courses tells admission committees that you are a high

achiever and serious about your education.

Questions Frequently Asked About the AP Chemistry Exam

What Is Going to Appear on the Exam?

This is an excellent question. The College Board, having consulted with those who teach

chemistry, develops a curriculum that covers material that college professors expect to cover

in their first-year classes. Based upon this outline of topics, the multiple-choice exams are

written such that those topics are covered in proportion to their importance to the expected

chemistry understanding of the student. Confused? Suppose that faculty consultants agree

that environmental issues are important to the chemistry curriculum, maybe to the tune of

10 percent. If 10 percent of the curriculum in an AP Chemistry course is devoted to envi-

ronmental issues, you can expect roughly 10 percent of the multiple-choice exam to address

environmental issues. Remember this is just a guide and each year the exam differs slightly

in the percentages.

How is the Advanced Placement Chemistry Exam Organized?

Table 1.1 summarizes the format of the AP Chemistry Exam.

What You Need to Know About the AP Chemistry Exam  5

Table 1.1

SECTION NUMBER OF QUESTIONS TIME LIMIT

I. Multiple-Choice Questions 75 90 minutes

II. Free-Response Questions

Part A 3 55 Minutes

Part B 3 40 Minutes

The exam is a two-part exam designed to take about three hours. The first section has

75 multiple-choice questions. You will have 90 minutes to complete this section.

The second part of the exam is the free-response section. You will begin this section

after you have completed and turned in your multiple-choice scan sheet. There will be a

break before you begin the second section. The length of this break will vary from school

to school. You will not be able to go back to the multiple-choice questions later.

You will receive a test booklet for the free-response section of the test. You will have

95 minutes to answer six questions. These questions may cover any of the material in the

AP Chemistry course. Section II consists of two parts. In the first part, you may use a

calculator. You will have 55 minutes to answer three questions, the first of which will deal

with equilibrium. In the second part, you may not use a calculator. You will have 40 minutes

to answer three questions, the first of which will be a reaction question. One of the free-

response questions will address laboratory work. The first part will account for 60% of your