<p>^ Exactly. Especially for an exam like Calc. BC or Physics C. I don’t see how people could fail those. I mean, I know they are very hard exams, but most of the people that take them are very smart that want to succeed in their academics…</p>
<p>jerrry4445, I know of one kid at my school who failed 4 out of the 5 AP exams that he took throughout his HS life.</p>
<p>Although, due to the fact he was on a free/reduced lunch program, he only had to pay $25 for all his tests. Nonetheless, it’s a bad idea to fail these tests if one is given the opportunity to pay for it with a $400 discount!</p>
<p>I know several very intelligent kids who are more math and science oriented than english and history, so they got 2s on history and english APs that require writing. Sometimes students are strong in one area and weak in another and just don’t score high enough.</p>
<p>Because they are NAMs.</p>
<p>^Who are NAMs?</p>
<p>Most people don’t actually get 1’s. However, 52 percent of the students taking the APUSH exam got a 1 or a 2. Why? Because they had bad teachers who didn’t teach the topics in the Course Description guide and because they didn’t study. Bad teacher + lack of study = 1 or 2. Case closed.</p>
<p>Since most people here go to good public schools or private schools with decent AP programs, you probably are not aware that many not-so-good schools participate in shady practices concerning their AP classes. They will designate classes as AP and will teach sub-standard material to sub-standard students which inevitably leads to low test scores. Additionally, some schools will pay their students to take exams, which leads to incentive overload, and a glut of unready students attempting the AP. If you don’t have to pay the full cost for it, or are getting <em>PAID</em> for it, then incentive theory backfires. Of course very few people would pay for the full cost of the test if they didn’t feel they would do well. </p>
<p>NAMs=Non Asian Minority. I’m willing to bet, given a racial breakdown of AP test scores, a large percentage of people who make 1’s and 2’s are NAMs.</p>
<p>They don’t know the case study (for CS).</p>
<p>Whatever the cases is, the stinking collegeboard is still making money. I hate them… grr</p>
<p>Err… The exams, according to my AP US History teacher; Probability and Statistics teacher; and other College Board exams like the SAT, are standardized on a bell curve/normal distribution. (Check the bottom image of this page: [Gaussian</a> Distribution](<a href=“http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/math/gaufcn.html]Gaussian”>Gaussian Distribution))</p>
<p>Half of the people WILL get 3s and lower and half WILL get 3s and higher. I am not 100% sure about the AP Exam’s standard deviation policy since they differ, but the predefined pass/fail is true.</p>
<p>Read up more information in your AP Statistics book/your wikipedia! :)</p>
<p>Navyarf your an arse. I know a lot of Asians in my school who have gotten 1’s and maybe it was because our teachers suck or they didn’t study but don’t blame it on a persons race.</p>
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<p>This is wrong. Calculus BC has 80% of its test takers getting a 3 or higher.</p>
<p>Source: <a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;
<p>Two of the most popular exams, US History and English Language, have 52.5% and 59.7% passing the exam.</p>
<p>Source: <a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;
<p><a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;
<p>I’m willing to bet that nearly every AP exam will have more than 50% passing the exam.</p>
<p>It can also be explained by many of those people resorting to 1 Step to a 1: not studying.</p>
<p>The real reason why msot people get 1s is because it’s their first exam and they don’t even know that they have to study for it. </p>
<p>I have like 60 kids taking the Euro exam, and I bet that 70% aren’t going to study for it - it’s just naivety. It’s their first AP exam and they don’t know what to expect, and as highschoolers, are too lazy to find out. </p>
<p>I guess if I didn’t find CC, I wouldn’t study much either for AP exams.</p>
<p>@RAlec114: Yeah, I think that’s the mentality a lot of kids have. Euro was the first AP for our sophomores last year, and almost all of them got 1s. Some 3s, very few 4s, and one 5.</p>
<p>Agree. For last year sophomores (my class of 2011),</p>
<p>APWH: over 40 people took the AP exam as their first. One person received a 5. 2-3 people received 4’s. Few received 3’s. Many received 1’s and 2’s.</p>
<p>AP Chem: 5 people took the AP exam. Again, only one received a 5. The rest received 1’s and 2’s.</p>
<p>It was the same with my class. It was sophomore year, and for people at my school AP Euro is the first AP offered and usually the only one taken that year. I had a really easy teacher too, so most people earned 1s and 2s on the exam. It kind of explains why I got a 3. PR is what saved my life. I only heard of a few others scoring 3s, and maybe like one 4. I did not hear about any 5s. People definitely don’t take it seriously though, and that is what is happening this year in my AP Stat class. I am sorry to report that I look out amongst the crowd in my classroom and I see a bunch of 1s, blissfully unaware.</p>
<p>My PR WHAP book says 75% get 3 or lower :x</p>
<p>Not really. Last year’s score: <a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;
<p>This thread is depressing.</p>