AP Tutoring – Courses & Exams
What are the AP Courses and exams?
Advanced Placement (AP) courses were created by the College Board (the same company that created the SAT), to offer college-level content and assignments to juniors and seniors in high school. AP courses cover the arts, languages, social and natural sciences such as US History, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Physics and Art History. Students commonly meet four to six hours a week (depending on the need for additional lab time) in preparation for exams that are administered in the beginning of May each year.
*Please note that as of 2021 the College Board has permanently discontinued SAT Subject Exams, formerly known at SAT IIs.
Students typically take AP courses in their upper class years as they are ideally positioned to build upon foundational knowledge from previous grades. Students may take AP courses without first taking an intro level high school course, however, depending upon the school, these courses may have fewer seats.
AP exam formats vary depending upon the course; however, exams commonly consist of two sections: Multiple Choice and Short and/or Long Essays.
For more detailed information please see here (off-site link).
How are the AP exams scored?
AP exams are scored on a 1 – 5 scale. A 5 indicates that a student is extremely well qualified, a 4 is well qualified, a 3 is qualified, a 2 is possibly qualified, and a 1 is no recommendation.. Some AP exams, such as Calculus AB or BC, Music Theory, and Capstones will add sub-scores designed to give more information about a student’s abilities based on specific multiple choice sections (calculus), recorded musical examples (music theory) or work completed throughout the school year (capstone). The multiple-choice sections are graded for correct answers, and the free response sections are graded by specially selected college professors and AP teachers in the first two weeks of June. The total scores from the multiple choice and free response sections are combined to create a composite score and converted into the 5-point scale.
Students receive a class grade for each semester, a cumulative grade for the year, and an AP exam score on a 1 – 5 scale which they can submit to colleges for credit. Many highly competitive colleges favor scores in the 4 – 5 range; however, some schools will accept 3s for credit.
Are accommodations offered?
Typical AP accommodations include: extended time, computer use for essays, extra or extended breaks, reading and seeing accommodations, and the ability to use a four-function calculator. The approval process for AP accommodations can take up to seven weeks, and requests can be processed online through the College Board website (off-site link).
Most schools have a Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) coordinator who can assist with the request process. Parents must complete the Parent Consent Form and submit it to their SSD Coordinator who will set up an account and gather the necessary documents. Required forms usually include documentation showing evidence of the disability, the degree to which the student’s activities are affected (functional limitation), and the need for the specific accommodations requested. Note that if a student has previously been granted accommodations by the College Board (such as for a previous PSAT or SAT exam), it isn’t necessary to submit a new request.
How can Next Level Learning help?
Through one-on-one tutoring, Next Level Learning’s professional AP instructors can help students develop time management skills, efficient test-taking strategies, and a stronger grasp of challenging topics. Next Level instructors are experts in AP subjects and can help students review course material and master advanced concepts in preparation for the final exam. Please contact Next Level Learning to obtain the best AP tutoring in New York.