Times are given for the various tests in this book; if you try to adhere strictly to these
times, you will learn how to pace yourself automatically.8.Timing is everything, kid. You have about 72 seconds for each of the 75 questions. Keep
an eye on your watch as you pass the halfway point. If you are running out of time and
you have a few questions left, skim them for the easy (and quick) ones so that the rest
of your scarce time can be devoted to those that need a little extra reading or thought.9.Think!But do not try to outthink the test. The multiple-choice questions are straight-
forward—do not over-analyze them. If you find yourself doing this, pick the simplest
answer. If you know the answer to a “difficult” question—give yourself credit for
preparing well; do not think that it is too easy, and that you missed something. There
are easy questions and difficult questions on the exam.10.Change is good?You should change answers only as a last resort. You can mark your test
so you can come back to a questionable problem later. When you come back to a prob-
lem make sure you have a definite reason for changing the answer.Other things to keep in mind:
Take the extra half of a second required to fill in the bubbles clearly.
Don’t smudge anything with sloppy erasures. If your eraser is smudgy, ask the proc-
tor for another.
Absolutely, positively, check that you are bubbling the same line on the answer sheet
as the question you are answering. I suggest that every time you turn the page you
double check that you are still lined up correctly.Free-Response Questions
Your score on the free-response questions (FRQs) amounts to one-half of your grade and,
as long-time readers of essays, we assure you that there is no other way to score highly than
to know your stuff. While you can guess on a multiple-choice question and have a 1/5
chance of getting the correct answer, there is no room for guessing in this section. There
are, however, some tips that you can use to enhance your FRQ scores.- Easy to read—easy to grade. Organize your responses around the separate parts of the
question and clearly label each part of your response. In other words, do not hide your
answer; make it easy to find and easy to read. It helps you and it helps the reader to see
where you are going. Trust me: helping the reader can never hurt. Which leads me to a
related tip... Write in English, not Sanskrit! Even the most levelheaded and unbiased
reader has trouble keeping his or her patience while struggling with bad handwriting.
(We have actually seen readers waste almost 10 minutes using the Rosetta stone to deci-
pher a paragraph of text that was obviously written by a time-traveling student from
the Egyptian Empire.) - Consistently wrong can be good. The free-response questions are written in several parts,
each building upon the first. If you are looking at an 8-part question, it can be scary.
However, these questions are graded so that you can salvage several points even if you
do not correctly answer the first part. The key thing for you to know is that you must
be consistent, even if it is consistently wrong. For example, you may be asked to draw
a graph showing a phase diagram. Following sections may ask you to label the triple
point, critical point, normal boiling point, and vapor pressure—each determined by the
appearance of your graph. So let’s say you draw your graph, but you label it incorrectly.
36 STEP 3. Develop Strategies for Success
STRATEGY