OLG Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 http://tinyurl.com/2eklxhg Inside Higher Ed article on the decision to eliminate the deduction for wrong answers on AP exams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 I had no idea that AP exams included multiple choice questions. That seems like elementary-style learning, rather than high school. Do they have compulsory essays too? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 I had no idea that AP exams included multiple choice questions. That seems like elementary-style learning, rather than high school. Do they have compulsory essays too? Laura Yes, there are both. ETA: Most of my college courses had multiple choice exams, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 ETA: Most of my college courses had multiple choice exams, too. I had no idea. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bostonian Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 I had no idea that AP exams included multiple choice questions. That seems like elementary-style learning, rather than high school. Do they have compulsory essays too? Laura I disagree that MCQ's are inherently more "elementary". FYI, medical licensing exams have lots of multiple choice questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 I had no idea that AP exams included multiple choice questions. That seems like elementary-style learning, rather than high school. Do they have compulsory essays too? Laura Believe me, they are not elementary. I remember all of us comparing notes after the literature AP exam. Multiple choice questions over poetry... We could all justify our answers. It was awful. I made a 4, but it was a tough exam. The essay was much easier than the multiple choice section!!! Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Believe me, they are not elementary. I remember all of us comparing notes after the literature AP exam. Multiple choice questions over poetry... We could all justify our answers. It was awful. I made a 4, but it was a tough exam. The essay was much easier than the multiple choice section!!! Christine In the UK system, you don't get multiple choice past about age 16 - after that it's all written answers. I haven't ever come across hard multiple choice. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 In the UK system, you don't get multiple choice past about age 16 - after that it's all written answers. I haven't ever come across hard multiple choice. Laura Yes, you see you can explain your answers that are written. That is what I mean!!! But when asked what something means in poetry.... gulp. If you gave me an essay, I could defend my answer and explain why the symbol means such and such but having to just choose a, b or c!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Yes, you see you can explain your answers that are written. That is what I mean!!! But when asked what something means in poetry.... gulp. If you gave me an essay, I could defend my answer and explain why the symbol means such and such but having to just choose a, b or c!!!! It just seems strange at that level. With poetry, should there be one correct answer? If I think that the image refers to an obscure species of porcupine, and I can back it up, then that's the right answer, isn't it? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted August 10, 2010 Share Posted August 10, 2010 Go on over to the College Board. pick a subject and see some of the sample multiple choice questions. They are not simply fill in the blank kinds of questions. They require knowledge, application of that knowledge and analysis. I am currently working on a plan for my son to be prepared for the AP US History exam and I am stumped by quite a few of the questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 Good news that the penalty is gone! Now if they could just do that for the SAT ... :D I think hard multiple choice tests are the hardest of any kind. Only one answer is right, but there will definitely be another answer that looks right too. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 If I think that the image refers to an obscure species of porcupine, and I can back it up, then that's the right answer, isn't it? If only it were that simple! The SAT doesn't test much beyond 10th grade (geometry, so I assume English is similar) and the SAT Questions of the Day are generally easier than the actual test. If you want to try some hard multiple choice questions, go to an AP subject and try some of their sample questions. BTW, they are often "trick" questions. And occasionally, they were wrong, which they justified by saying you were supposed to pick the "best" answer, not necessarily the correct answer!!! This is why lots of people avoid standardized tests - they test your test-taking skills as much as or more than the actual subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Neither can you get partial credit for an answer. Isn't the GRE (to enter graduate school) multiple choice too? It is true that people's writing skills are not as developed for MCQs. Over here my son got lots of practice defending a position with the written exams...besides getting handwriting practice... Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 My kids' take on eliminating the guessing penalty -- It will benefit the less-strong students. With every Tom, Dick, and Harry now taking AP classes (as opposed to only the strong honors students as it was in my high school days), average AP scores have gone down over the years. Eliminating the guessing penalty may help to raise the average AP score. However, if eliminating the guessing penalty merely raises the average score, colleges may feel less secure about actually giving credit for AP scores. Colleges that now require a 4 for credit may require a 5, and colleges that do give credit for a 5 may decide not to give any credit. In the long run, "dumbing down" the test and making it easier to score higher will hurt the College Board by making the AP exams irrelevant to increasing numbers of colleges. JMHO! (And I love AP courses and exams -- I am very sorry to hear of this change!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 It may raise the raw score. However, College Board may just raise the cut scores, too. My kids' take on eliminating the guessing penalty -- It will benefit the less-strong students. With every Tom, Dick, and Harry now taking AP classes (as opposed to only the strong honors students as it was in my high school days), average AP scores have gone down over the years. Eliminating the guessing penalty may help to raise the average AP score. However, if eliminating the guessing penalty merely raises the average score, colleges may feel less secure about actually giving credit for AP scores. Colleges that now require a 4 for credit may require a 5, and colleges that do give credit for a 5 may decide not to give any credit. In the long run, "dumbing down" the test and making it easier to score higher will hurt the College Board by making the AP exams irrelevant to increasing numbers of colleges. JMHO! (And I love AP courses and exams -- I am very sorry to hear of this change!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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