AP English Language and Composition

Have questions about the AP English Language and Composition exam? Click below to find the answers you need.

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++questionWhat is the AP English Language and Composition Exam?question++

++questionWhat is covered on the AP English Language and Composition Exam?question++

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++questionHow long is the AP English Language and Composition Exam?question++

++questionCreating a Study Plan and Test Strategy for the AP English Language and Composition Examquestion++

++questionStaying Calm, Cool and Collectedquestion++

++questionWhat to Take the AP English Language and Composition Examquestion++

++questionTackling the Test AP English Language and Composition Examquestion++

++questionUsing the Sample Tests for the AP English Language and Composition Examquestion++

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++questionHow is the AP English Language and Composition Exam scored?question++ tableItem++ tableRow++

++answerWhat is the AP English Language and Composition Exam?

The Advanced Placement English Language and Composition class is designed to provide students with the skills necessary to read and write creative and thoughtful non-fiction, including essays of all sorts. During the course, you’ve had the opportunity to read and analyze older and modern creative non-fiction; many students, however, take the AP English Language and Composition Exam without having taken an AP English Language and Composition course. You can succeed on the test whether you’ve taken the class or not, particularly with some smart preparation in rhetoric and composition. Students who haven’t taken an AP English Language and Composition course may have taken standard English courses, the AP English Literature course or other helpful classes.

 The English Language and Composition Exam provides students with the opportunity to gain college credit, typically in place of an introductory composition course at a four-year college. Even colleges and universities that do not award credit for AP courses and tests may allow you to move on to a more advanced course, skipping the standard Introduction to Composition or English 101 course. It is important to realize that your score on the test determines whether or not you will receive college credit.

 Preparing for the English Language and Composition exam is a process, one involving more practice than study, particularly if you’re already a strong reader and writer. There are no facts or figures to memorize for this test, but you can review reading skills, grammar, and particularly rhetoric. You will be able to practice your composition skills and have the opportunity to look critically at your own work as you prepare for the test. Sample essays help you to understand AP English Language and Composition Exam grading and scoring to improve your own writing. Finally, practice tests including both multiple choice and free response questions allow you to spot your weak points, assess your skills and master the AP exam essay. answer++

++answerWhat is covered on the AP English Language and Composition Exam?

Total Testing Time: Three hours and 15 minutes

Multiple Choice Questions:

• 50 to 55 Questions

• 60 minutes

The multiple choice section of the test contains five to seven reading passages, with eight to ten questions. On the English Language and Composition Exam, these passages can be fiction, non-fiction, biographies, essays, letters or speeches. Reading passages will vary in subject and style. You should expect to see both relatively modern passages, dating from the 19th century onward, and older passages, from the 18th century or earlier. Passages do not include introductory material and often will not have a title. In many cases, the reading passages are associated with only a date, rather than a full credit and citation. While passages will be examples of good-quality writing, they are unlikely to be especially entertaining. The questions will refer to the associated reading passage. We’ll talk more about strategy later in this guide.

Free Response Questions

• 15 minutes reading time in total for the three essays. You may allot this time as you choose, dividing it evenly or focusing on the synthesis essay.

• 120 minutes writing time for all three essays. You may work on whichever essay you prefer first.

There are three essay questions included on the exam, each with a different focus. The test includes reading passages and free response prompts for each question. The first essay requires that you analyze a passage by providing a thorough exposition. The second essay is argumentative and should present a position in response to a statement or reading passage. Your response can be in agreement or may oppose the subject of the essay. Finally, the third essay requires that you synthesize or bring together information from different passages or sources provided. You’ll find more in-depth information about each of these later in this text. answer++

++answerHow long is the AP English Language and Composition Exam?

Understanding how to time your work on the AP English Language and Composition test will help you to reduce your stress level and get the best score possible. While timing strategies vary, having one will help you avoid a serious risk: running out of time on the test and leaving questions unanswered or essays unfinished. Remember to take a watch! Even if you usually don’t wear one, you’ll want one for test day, and you will not be allowed to look at your smartphone.

The multiple-choice section of the exam consists of 50 to 55 questions over a 60-minute test period. While this works out to a relatively easy rate of one minute per question, you also need time to read and analyze the passages. The simplest way to time this portion of the test is to allot your time in blocks. The test consists of five to seven passages, so you have between 8 ½ and 12 minutes per passage in which to read, take any notes you need, and answer all of the associated questions. You’ll need to do the mental math to track your own time when you open your examination book on the day of the test.

If, on test day, you discover your examination has six passages, with 8 to 9 questions each, you have ten minutes per passage. Plan to allow no more than four minutes to read the passage. Make notes as you read, making certain to catch the main idea of the passage, topic sentences for each paragraph, and any key details, as well as the author’s point of view. These minimal notes, even just a word or two or an underline, can help you to answer questions quickly and accurately.

Begin answering the questions. Answer those you know with certainty or relative certainty at once on the first pass. Quickly review the lines noted in the question for detail questions. Make a second pass, using the process of elimination to reduce the possible answers, ideally, from five to two. Of those two or three answers, make your best guess and move on to the next question. You may want to mark these answers in your test book with a check or another mark. If you have extra time after completing all of the questions, don’t hesitate to return to these questions, review your answers and take additional time to reread portions of the passage and correct these questions, if needed.

You have 120 minutes of time for the three free response questions, plus an additional 15-minute reading period. This is not included in the 40 minutes of writing time allowed for each essay. Plan to allot your 40 minutes of time carefully. Take the first three to five minutes to create an outline for your essay. Plan to use the final three to five minutes to review your work. This leaves you with 30 to 34 minutes of total writing time, assuming you’ve already completed the reading. Some students find it helpful to use the majority of their reading time for the hardest of the three essays, the synthesis essay. While the preparation and review time results in less time to write, your outline will keep you on-track and the review time will allow you time for corrections or to improve your essay’s conclusion.answer++

++answerCreating a Study Plan and Test Strategy for the AP English Language and Composition Exam

This guide is designed to provide you with the opportunity to improve your reading and writing skills, practice for the AP English Language and Composition Exam and develop a thorough understanding of what is expected for a high-scoring free response essay. With good preparation, you improve your chances of receiving a 4 or 5 and thus, have a better chance of entering college with credits under your belt.

You may use this guide in one of two ways. First, you can simply work through it in order, from chapter one through the practice tests at the end of the book. This will provide you with ample preparation for the examination, ideally over a period of several weeks or even longer. You should take this approach if you have time to prepare for the exam or will be taking the exam without taking an AP English Language and Composition class.

Students working through the entire guide should allow time each day for study and preparation. Some of that study time should be spent directly working through this guide; however, time spent critically reading material similar to that used on the examination is also helpful. Expect to allow approximately three hours per chapter for this guide, not including the introduction and study strategies chapter, for a total of around 33 hours of study time. If you’ve got six weeks to prepare for the test, you should schedule around five to six hours per week. You may need more or less time, depending upon your familiarity with the material.

 If you have less time to prepare or have taken an AP Language and Composition course, you may wish to take one of the practice tests first. Score your test using the included answer sheet, sample essays and sample scored essays. Critically review your own work or ask a friend or teacher to help review your work and determine your weaknesses. Review those sections of this guide with special care to help improve your score on the AP Language and Composition Examination. Skip chapters that you feel confident about to reduce your prep time.

This study guide prepares you to read critically, providing you with the tools for success on the multiple choice portion of the examination. Critical reading includes reading comprehension, an understanding of rhetoric and composition, and the ability to identify both details and larger themes. It also helps you to write critically, or succeed on the free response questions. You’ll work on different types of essays and writing, using rhetorical tools in your own writing, review key points of English grammar and have the opportunity to look at how the AP free response questions are scored, with examples of both high-and low-scoring essays. Finally, three full-length sample tests allow you to practice for the examination. answer++

++answerStaying Calm, Cool and Collected

Conquering test anxiety can help you to succeed on AP exams. Test anxiety is common and, if it’s mild, can help keep you alert and on-task. Unfortunately, if you suffer from serious shakes, it may leave you struggling to focus, cause you to make careless errors, and create potential panic.

• Allow plenty of time for test preparation. Work slowly and methodically. Cramming doesn’t help and will leave you depleted and exhausted.

• Remember to stay healthy. Sleep enough, eat right, and get regular exercise.

• Practice breathing exercises to use on test day to help with anxiety. Deep breathing is one of the easiest, fastest and most effective ways to reduce physical symptoms of anxiety.

While these strategies won’t eliminate test anxiety, they can help you to reach exam day at your mental best, prepared to succeed.

The night before the test, just put away the books. More preparation isn’t going to make a difference. Read something light, watch a favorite show, go for a relaxing walk and go to bed. Get up early enough in the morning to have a healthy breakfast. If you normally drink coffee, don’t skip it, but if you don’t regularly consume caffeine, avoid it. It’ll just make you jittery. Allow time to reach the testing location and get your desk set up and ready before the examination starts. answer++

++answerWhat to Take the AP English Language and Composition Exam

• A sweatshirt or sweater, in case the testing room is cold.

• A bottle of water.

• At least two No. 2 pencils, sharpened.

• At least two black or blue ink pens.

• A wristwatch

A quick note here: there’s no need to take paper along. You’ll receive not only the test booklet, but also additional scratch paper to take notes and make outlines for your free response questions. answer++

++answerTackling the Test AP English Language and Composition Exam

Some people don’t find testing terribly anxiety-inducing. If that’s you, feel free to skip this section. These tips and techniques are designed specifically for students who do struggle with serious test anxiety.

• Control your breathing. Taking short, fast breaths increases physical anxiety. Maintain a normal to slow breathing pattern.

• Remember your test timing strategies. Timing strategies can help provide you with confidence that you’re staying on track.

• Focus on one question at a time. While you may become overwhelmed thinking about the entire test, a single question or a single passage often seems more manageable.

Get up and take a break. While this should be avoided if at all possible, if you’re feeling so anxious that you’re concerned you will be sick, are dizzy or are feeling unwell, take a bathroom break or sharpen your pencil. Use this time to practice breathing exercises. Return to the test as soon as you’re able. answer++

++answerUsing the Sample Tests for the AP English Language and Composition Exam

This guide includes three full-length sample AP English Language and Composition tests. While these tests familiarize you with the format and type of passages and questions you will see on the test, they can also help you practice for test day, learn to employ your timing and test strategies and reduce your anxiety on test day.

 Take the practice tests in a quiet, comfortable environment. Mimic the test environment as much as possible. Time the sections of the test correctly and avoid getting up and down, fetching a drink, or having a snack. Plan to take the entire practice test in a single setting, just as you would on test day. Even if you can’t do this for each of the practice tests, make time to do it for at least one of them, so you’ve had the full test experience once before the big day.

If you find after taking one round of multiple-choice questions that you’re pleased with your score, you can focus your test practice on the free response questions. You’ll find a total of 12 free response questions included with these practice tests, but you’ll find many more on the AP web site if you’d like additional practice for the free response questions. If this is the case, be aware that the synthesis essay is a relatively new addition to the test. answer++

++answerHow is the AP English Language and Composition Exam scored?

The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 5 is extremely well qualified to receive college credit, while a score of one is not qualified to receive college credit. While colleges and universities use scores differently, a score of 4-5 is equivalent to an A or B. A score of 3 is approximately similar to a C, while a score of 1-2 is comparable to a D or F. The examination is scored on a curve, adjusted for difficulty each year. In this way, your test score is equivalent to the same score achieved on a different year. The curve is different each year, depending upon the test.

 Scores of 4 to 5 are widely accepted by colleges and universities; however, scores of 3 or lower may provide less credit or none at all. More elite schools may require a score of 5 for credit and some schools vary the required score depending upon the department. You will need to review the AP policies at your college or university to better understand scoring requirements and credit offered. While you’ll take the AP English Language and Composition Examination in May, your scores will arrive in July. You can have your scores sent to the college of your choosing, or, if you’re testing after your junior year, simply wait until you’re ready to apply to the colleges of your choice.

Scoring on the multiple choice section of the examination is straightforward. You receive one point for each correct answer. There are no penalties for an incorrect answer or a skipped question. If you are unsure, you should guess. Even a random guess provides you a one in four chance of a point. If you can narrow down the choices just a bit, your chances increase and, along with them, your possible test score.

Each of the three essays receives a score from 0 to 9. A high-scoring essay answers the question thoroughly and completely, shows composition skill, rhetoric, and correct grammar and language. A score of zero or a blank indicates remarkably poor writing or an essay that does not address the subject provided. These essays are typically graded by high school or college English teachers and professors. Each reader reads only one type of essay and will not see the other essays or your multiple test score. Most of the essays, around 65 percent, receive a score of between 4 and 6 for each essay. There is not an intentional curve; this is the typical scoring range.

Readers are trained using sample student essays. They are given examples of a perfect scoring essay, an average essay and a low scoring essay. You’ll find similar essay examples later in this guide for your own reference. The essay readers score the essay holistically. They assign a single number score, not broken down in any way. If your essay is grammatically perfect, but poorly organized, their overall impression is likely to be poor, resulting in a poor to average score. On the other hand, a remarkably insightful essay, even if there are some grammatical or syntax errors, may receive a very high score, as the scorer is likely to be impressed with the work. During reader training, test readers are taught to grade according to these sample guidelines.

In total, approximately 25 percent of students taking the examination will receive a score of 4 or 5. More than 40 percent of students will receive a score of a 1 or 2. About 33 percent of students receive a score of 3 on the test. With the curve creating these percentages, you can expect that almost 60 percent of students score a passing grade on the examination. Smart practice and preparation can help you score in that 60 percent, rather than in the 40 percent of students who will receive no credit for their work on the AP Language and Composition exam. answer++