The Octagon will be running Q&A’s with students taking AP exams over the course of the next two weeks, May 4-15. AP exams, which are more than three hours long, are graded on a scale of 1-5 (5 is the highest.) Exams include a multiple-choice section and a free-response section. Sophomore Shriya Nadgauda took the AP Calculus AB exam on Tuesday, May 5.
Q: How did the AP exam go?
A: It went very well. It was easier than the practice test that we did in class.
Q: How did you feel before it?
A: I was really nervous and scared. It was the first AP exam I was taking, and I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go.
Q: What about after?
A: I was really relieved that it was over.
Q: What do you wish you had done differently in preparation?
A: I wish I’d gone over more free-response questions. The ones on the test were harder than the practice ones I did.
Q: How do you think you did?
A: I think I did pretty well – a 4 or a 5.
Q: What snacks were offered to you? (Traditionally, teachers bring snacks for test takers to eat during the break between parts of the test.)
A: We had bagels, doughnut holes and juice.
Q: How were the breaks?
A: They were nice. We got fresh air before we had to go back in.
Q: Which part of the exam do you think went the best and worst?
A: I think the calculator multiple choice went the best; the non-calculator answers were the hardest part.
Q: Any advice for people taking the test next year?
A: Make sure you go over all your derivative and integral rules.
