AP Spanish Language 2012 Post Discussion

PhantomVirgo
Tue, 08 May 2012 20:10:53 +0000

For me the writing was by far the easiest part, but that’s always been my strong area in both Spanish and English (non-native Spanish speaker). Plus the topics were things that I could easily go on about for a while if I had the time to, so that just made it easier.

The speaking was surprisingly easy. I was worried about the conversation part, but I managed to get the task done (albeit without all the fluff necessary to consistently use up the full 20 seconds). I think I at least did well enough to pass that section. The formal speaking portion was an odd topic, but it was easy to talk about for me so I only stumbled a couple of times. The only thing I’m concerned about is the fact that I stopped about five seconds before the final tone. Will that affect anything?

I think the listening is what got me. A couple of the recordings were talking faster than the practice exams I’ve done, and as a result I missed some of what they said. The addition of background noise didn’t help at all.

I think the reading went better than the listening for me, but the fact that we had no access to a clock in the room to pace ourselves led to me (and everyone else when I talked to them afterward) rushing to make sure I’d finished. Hopefully I didn’t rush too much.

Overall, I think I at least did well enough for a 3. Maybe a 4 if the curve’s generous. I’m just glad it’s done at this point, since this was the exam I was most worried about.