<p>for the people who have already taken it: would you say it’s more like a “factbook” test, or one that requires lots of logic too?</p>
<p>^ both. about half of the questions can be answered simply by knowing the facts. however, many of the questions (especially those in part B) require a lot of synthesis and connecting between concepts.</p>
<p>Were there a lot or some repeat questions like there were on the open exam?</p>
<p>^ ehhh i don’t think we’re allowed to ask that are we?</p>
<p>LOL I think we can ask anything we want… it just doesn’t mean we’ll get any answers :-).</p>
<p>Hey guys, I have a semifinal exam but I don’t know which year its for.
The first question is 1. The function of an electron in the electron transport chain is to: A.transfer energy from complex II to complex I
B. Pump Hydrogen ions using complex II.
etc…
Does anyone know which year this is for ( I have a hunch its either 2009 or 2010)? </p>
<p>Also does anyone want to trade previous tests. Thank you.</p>
<p>So it turns out I have the 2010 Semifinal exam. Anyone want to trade? I also have the 2010, 2004, 2006 Open exams and 160 USABO practice questions.</p>
<p>If anyone has the 2009 semi (full version), pm me, im willing to offer some of the following:
2010 (full), 2008, 2004 semis (parts A + B) and 2009,2010,2011 open.</p>
<p>I offer up my love, 9 or so AP calc tests, and a few other AP tests for a semifinal exam. Anyone have an offer?</p>
<p><em>Facepalm</em></p>
<p>I have the past 5 years, excluding 2007’s AP Euro FRQs, #30 - 45 from the 1993 AP U.S. History Exam Form B, every experimental section from the past 5 SATs and the second paragraph of a CommonApp essay written by a Harvard admit. Offerz anybody?</p>
<p>Took the semi today…by far the hardest test I’ve ever taken.
Next year I’m reading Lodish’s molecular bio book, Campbell’s a few more times, and an animal anatomy book…and Raven’s a hundred thousand times over.
I think I got 90+, but I doubt I’m a finalist.
But the test was pretty fun.</p>
<p>Whatever the cutoff score is will represent only the top 20 scores, right? If there is a tie, will there be more than 20 finalists?</p>
<p>^^ garden, by raven you mean raven’s plants?</p>
<p>Yes. I won’t reveal any specifics till Friday night, but this test was sooo hard. I should have discarded campbell and just read Higher level textbooks on specific topics. I think that strategy is a lot more interesting. I gained more reading Raven’s bio of plants once than reading Campbell over again. The downside is those kinds of books (Raven’s bio of plants, Lodish…) are more dense and hard to retain. My strategy next year will be just reading every bio book I can find, without focusing on campbell. I’ve got a billion med school books at my house, Raven’s bio of plants, molecular bio (Lodish), and an immunology, so I’m pretty well set. What
's usually the cutoff?</p>
<p>^^ I agree. I have nearly all of the semifinal tests from previous years but this year’s exam was incredibly hard. A lot of the material was higher level as gardenofpotter stated. The cutoff varies of course but last year’s cutoff was 108.75.</p>
<p>Indeed… this test was not easy! Apoc was right though, it’s a matter of time management. I got in a little trouble trusting what others said was not necessary to study and so didn’t spend so much time on those things, when indeed… I needed to spend more time on them. Oh well. I suppose we’ll find out “soon enough”.</p>
<p>So people have been ■■■■■■■■ and saying that it was easy when in reality it was way more difficult…***.</p>
<p>And don’t discuss any questions until Saturday night…I know people who are taking the test on Saturday.</p>
<p>Wow so it actually was hard… but then again maybe the last couple of people are also ■■■■■■ trying to get you to read Raven and molecular biology which are very specific and unncessary where as you should be studying Campbell</p>
<p>why do people keep taking the test beyond the testing dates???</p>