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#easiestthingyoudoinMay AP Chemistry Exam Slide 2 Ultimately If we considered real estate, the mantra wed consider is location, location, location. Success in on the AP Chemistry exam has its own mantra: preparation, preparation, preparation. If you are like the turtle, youll be consistently slow but steady. This breeds success. Its rare that the procrastinating, cramming rabbit wins the race Slide 3 Whats On This Piece? The AP Chemistry exam is very similar to every other AP exam. Two Sections Section I 90 minutes 60 Multiple Guess questions oNo Calculators Allowed! oEquation Tables/Periodic Table Given Section II 90 minutes 3 Long Free Response 4 Short Free Response oCalculators (any programmable) allowed oEquation Tables/Periodic Table Given Slide 4 Section I Multiple Guess (1999) Topic# of Questions% Exam Stoichiometry56.7 Atomic Theory45.3 Bonding/IMF912.0 Periodic Properties56.7 Phases912.0 Solutions/Solubility1013.3 Kinetics/Equilibtrium79.3 Acid/Base810.7 Thermodynamics45.3 Redox/Electrochemistry56.7 Organic11.3 Nuclear11.3 Laboratory79.3 Slide 5 Section II Part A YearQuestion 1Questions 2 and 3 2003Acids/Bases2) Gas Laws 3) Kinetics; electrochemistry 2002Acid-base Equilibria; Titration2) Electrochemistry buffers; Structure and acid strength 3) Stoichiometry; Thermochemistry; Organic isomers 2001Solution Equilibrium, K sp 2) Thermodynamics; Bond energies 3) Stoichiometry; Acid-base titrations, pH 1997Acid/Base2) Electrochemistry 3) Kinetics 1996Acid/Base2) Thermodynamics; Bond energies 3) Solution concentrations 1995Gas equilibrium2) Gas stoichiometry; Heat of reaction 3) Decomposition of solid carbonates (stoichiometry essentially) Slide 6 Section II Part B YearQuestions 5-8 20035) Lab Spectrophotometry 6) General Chemical Principles 7) Thermodynamics 8) Organic Chemistry 20025) Heat of neutralization 6) Atomic Structure Periodic Properties 7) Kinetics and Reaction Mechanisms 8) Thermodynamics and equilibrium 20015) Lab Solution Properties 6) Reaction types; Kinetics Reaction Rates and Rate Order 7) Electrochemical Cells 8) Intermolecular Forces 20005) Lab Molar mass by freezing point depression 6) Kinetics Reaction Rates and Rate Orders 7) Isotopes; Electron Configuration; Ionization Energy; Molecular Structure 8) Acid-base Titration, indicators Slide 7 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Here is an example score distribution for an AP Chemistry exam * 160 Possible Points between both sections. So while it may seem trite, getting a 50% on the exam gets you a 3which is a pretty good score * May 2002before the changes we see for today GradeRange of Points% Ranges 5107-16067-100 485-10653-66 361-8438-52 242-6026-38 10-410-26 Slide 8 Before The Exam Review = Smart and Successful Cram = Draw Shapes on the Bubble Sheets There is a time and place to try to cram in things. This isnt one of those places! Just practice AP-level questions Get a good nights sleep PRACTICE A ROUTINE Be early and take time to breath before you do anything Bring all the necessary tools pencils, erasers, watch, calculator (with extra new batteries), snacks/water Slide 9 Strategies for Section I Slide 10 Based on the old system You could in theory skip every third question and still get a 5 You could in theory skip half the questions and still get a 4 You could in theory skip two out of every 3 and still get a 3 The new system will likely not be quite this generous with the scoring curve but it will still give you plenty of slack to answer incorrectly/skip and still do very well. So the question becomes.when do you skip? Slide 11 Strategies for Section I I would recommend that you do a two-pass system for questions Read through the exam and if you know how to do it, then do it. As you come to ones you dont know, put a big circle on the booklet number to indicate you need to come back to it On the second pass (which at this point is only looking at numbers which youve circled), if you realize how to do it, then do it. If not Try to POE. Statistically speaking, if you can eliminate at least one of the five possible answers, it stands to benefit you to guess. Just rememberif you get to this point and you do guessits just that. A GUESS. Dont put much thought into it. Pick your favorite letter and just move on. Slide 12 Strategies for Section I Dont turn any question into a crusade to find the truth! If you can figure it out, great but most people run out of time on standardized exams because they sit and pull their hair out over 2-4 problems. Skipping a question doesnt mean youre a failure Just consider that if you cant/wont skip one and need to guess, guessing randomly on every question wont exactly hurt you (15 right x 1 point)-(60 wrong x point) = 15-15 = 0 Slide 13 Strategies for Section II Time isnt quite the issue here as in Section I This isnt the time to fluff your way to a 5 Remember that the AP readers see thousands of these exams If you fluff, they start to glaze over If they have to hunt for your answers, they are angered If you have an impossibly laid out logic, odds are they arent going to take the time to sit for an hour and figure out what the heck you did Be succinct and direct while still showing each step Most times you dont get full credit for something simply by putting an answer together. Most of your credit is awarded from the work Slide 14 Strategies for Section II Familiarize yourself with the types of questions which arise each year (see the sample chart I showed you earlier) Make certain to box your answers and include appropriate units/labels with your answers Theres a reason why I keep pushing that all year. Significant Figures They count.get over it Your answer can be 1 sig fig off after which you lose one point of credit Generally youll see that answers contain 2 or 3 sig figs Thus, if you express all answers to 3 sig figs, you should be Au-en Slide 15 Stress Management Some stress is good. Stress triggers your brain to focus, your breathing to deepen, your body to keep your blood sugar levels up, etc Freaking out is bad. Sweating and crying that youre going to fail a test which cannot be failed wont really help you. Many times the thing that stresses people out is the feeling out of control. Take control of the situation by setting, and sticking to, an appropriate study/review period now rather than a fortnight before the exam Slide 16 Stress Management Focus on your strengths Make a list of things you know how to do and a list of things you typically struggle doing Set a realistic goal of getting help with one new/old thing per week Getting help with 15 topics at a time can feel overwhelming Exercise is very good for you anyhow Dont do drugsnonot what I mean Once again, routine helps reduce stress Slide 17 Stress Management As hard as it may be for you to believe (and consequently as easy as it is for me to say) This one test will not define you as a person or a future scientist This exam is an opportunity to show how much youve learned in a short time rather than an example of how dum you are I promise to still think youre incredibly bright regardless Ive made attempts to make the class hard. This should mean that youre already functioning at a high level and wont be blindsided by anything on the exam. Youll be ready!