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I dropped my dd off for her Government exam this morning. It's a holiday here in the Netherlands (Ascension Day) so the school isn't in session. I am so thankful that they are still holding exams and the roads were completely empty. My other dd arrives tonight. Her exams are next week. I had a lot of stress getting this all arranged, packing, getting here, etc., but now that it is all working out it's turning into a nice little break and adventure for me. Every cloud has a silver lining is true in this case. 

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Anyone else with Seniors who are struggling to CARE about their AP's?  DS can't use the scores for anything (he already has too many), but I'm making him take Bio and Comp. Gov't because it says he's taking them on his transcript (and we already paid for them).  He has a perfect record of 5's in every one of the large number he's taken before, and now he's like "So.... if I took Bio right now I'd probably get a 4, but could possibly get a 3.  Is that OK?"  Yes, relax kid.  Too soon he'll be reviewing for math placement tests.

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AP Gov today, the one DS is best prepared for because he loves discussing politics so he thought about the material quite a bit throughout the year.

His take on AP Lit yesterday - thinks he nailed the essay, but thrown by the first poem in the MC (and I see there are a lot of memes on it!)

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Dd felt very well prepared for AP Gov....seems to be that was the general consensus at her test taking facility (& online--check out the memes--guess the test takers were looking for a bit more challenge-ha!). She is glad it is over and was very happy to shut down all her open webpages that she was studying! Now on to AP Lang! ?

 

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2 down, 1 to go.  On both the Psych and Lit exams, she felt she rocked the multiple choice, but is not as confident on the free response.  She did love the poem that was one of the selections she had to analyze ... so much that she had to share it with me. 

 

Right now, she is frantically trying to finish her last two pieces for her AP Studio Art portfolio.  She is not as confident in her concentration pieces.  She experimented with many different media that she was less comfortable with and she is having to work at writing a good concentration statement (or as she says "major bs") for her portfolio ... the pieces are part monochromatic and part in color.  These were to represent the duality of apathy and exploration of feeling (she has been working with a therapist about suppressing emotions - a side effect of living with the turmoil of a mentally ill sibling.)   

Oh, and she had/has 3 scholarship applications due this week.  She was frantically finishing up one on Monday and has 2 due tomorrow before we leave town for her Regional climbing competition.  Then senior year will be almost over.

 

 

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24 minutes ago, dirty ethel rackham said:

2 down, 1 to go.  On both the Psych and Lit exams, she felt she rocked the multiple choice, but is not as confident on the free response.  She did love the poem that was one of the selections she had to analyze ... so much that she had to share it with me. 

 

Right now, she is frantically trying to finish her last two pieces for her AP Studio Art portfolio.  She is not as confident in her concentration pieces.  She experimented with many different media that she was less comfortable with and she is having to work at writing a good concentration statement (or as she says "major bs") for her portfolio ... the pieces are part monochromatic and part in color.  These were to represent the duality of apathy and exploration of feeling (she has been working with a therapist about suppressing emotions - a side effect of living with the turmoil of a mentally ill sibling.)   

Oh, and she had/has 3 scholarship applications due this week.  She was frantically finishing up one on Monday and has 2 due tomorrow before we leave town for her Regional climbing competition.  Then senior year will be almost over.

 

 

My ds loved one of the poems, too. He said he was laughing internally so hard. I wonder if it's the same one. He's a climber, too. But he isn't climbing this year. 

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9 hours ago, freesia said:

3 down!  He felt really prepared for the US Government test.  His biggest classes are finished! One more test-Statistics.  How did the other Gov takers do?

Dd said it went pretty well. I think we have a different test overseas. She wasn't sure about one of the FRQs but tried to answer anyway. At least it is over. It seems to me that there isn't a defined set of things to know for a test like that. Only Micro left for her and my other dd has Biology and French next week.

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Just a small vent. DS is taking AP English lit at the public school. He was absent from school Tuesday, had the test Wednesday, and when he got to school Thursday (yesterday), he found out that there was an assignment due that wasn't on the syllabus. Apparently, it was discussed on the day he was absent. I'm just stunned that the teacher expected them to take the AP test and then go home to work on their assignment. Many (most) of the kids also have other AP exams to prepare for. I don't think ds will be penalized for turning in the assignment today, since he was absent when it was announced. I just don't see the necessity of this in an AP English class.

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Today is dd's last AP ... She took her big no-sew blanket to school today for her Studio Art workday ... so that she could hide in the corner when she needs a break ?. She is not happy with her last 2 pieces, one of which she will be submitting for a local art contest that has some decent scholarship money.  She hopes that she can rescue it before we have to leave for her comp.  

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CollegeBoard has started releasing this year’s exams online. They announced on Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday.

Monday’s exams

Chemistry https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-chemistry.pdf

Spanish Literature and Culture https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-spanish-literature.pdf

Psychology https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-psychology.pdf

Tuesday’s exams

Spanish Language and Culture https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-spanish-language.pdf

Art History https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-art-history.pdf

Physics 1 https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-physics-1.pdf

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Has anyone needed to disclose their social security numbers yet this year? DD has a passport, but she doesn't know her SS number. And, I didn't even disclose this on the application, so how would they even verify she's the one with the SS # taking the test? The administrator at the site asked us to bring in her SS card on Friday.

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The AP site says that a SSN is not required, but to check w colleges to which you’re sending scores to see if they prefer that you use a SSN on the answer sheet.  If your student is not listing colleges to which to send scores, I wouldn’t worry about it.  

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I made a sheet for my dds with their SSN and other info on it so they could fill in the forms. They didn't mention it, but I assume they filled it in the blanks. It is in their college board accounts also. Mine still don't have their SSN memorized since they never need it. They don't have their US address memorized either so filling in the forms is a challenge for them. State and zip code nearly gave my dd an anxiety attack on the SAT since she didn't know how to read the US address I gave her. We have that all cleared up now. :blush:

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DS just got out of Calc BC. He was feeling pretty confident going in, but not so much now ? . Hoping it went better than he thinks it did. He's gotten 4s on all 3 exams he's taken so far, and I know he's really hoping for a 5 on this one. 

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4 minutes ago, kokotg said:

DS just got out of Calc BC. He was feeling pretty confident going in, but not so much now ? . Hoping it went better than he thinks it did. He's gotten 4s on all 3 exams he's taken so far, and I know he's really hoping for a 5 on this one. 

Oh, I hope so!

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Older boy was done yesterday afternoon with Physics C and we went for dinner after that since he had lunch at 10:50am to report to the test site by 11:30am. There were 3 kids for Mechanics and 2 kids for Electricity & Magnetism so the proctor had an easy time ? 

He is taking a break before prepping for SAT Chemistry on June 2nd. 

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2 hours ago, kokotg said:

DS just got out of Calc BC. He was feeling pretty confident going in, but not so much now ? . Hoping it went better than he thinks it did. He's gotten 4s on all 3 exams he's taken so far, and I know he's really hoping for a 5 on this one. 

Same here.  Apparently there was an "impossible problem" that he just left blank, and the MC calculator section was very hard.  And this is after doing extraordinarily well on the practice exam.  So we'll see.

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2 hours ago, EKS said:

Same here.  Apparently there was an "impossible problem" that he just left blank, and the MC calculator section was very hard.  And this is after doing extraordinarily well on the practice exam.  So we'll see.

 

Sorry your son had a hard time, too, but I'm kind of glad at least that it's not just mine. I wish it weren't such a long wait for scores!

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I'm feeling a bit frustrated with the exams this year. How can a student do very well in a class and on the released practice exams and then come out of the exam feeling like they did poorly? Why would there be so many questions they are unprepared for assuming the course was approved by the College Board and the student worked many released exams? We only have one more to go but it's on Friday.

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14 hours ago, EKS said:

Same here.  Apparently there was an "impossible problem" that he just left blank, and the MC calculator section was very hard.  And this is after doing extraordinarily well on the practice exam.  So we'll see.

A parent posted on CC that her son's calc teacher sent an email out to the parents yesterday stating that there were two versions of the BC test - version E and version O.  The teacher said that version O was much more difficult than version E and that the students who took the O version are not to worry because the curve will reflect the difference in difficulty.

My D also had form O and thought that the problems were more difficult than the problems on the released exams.

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1 hour ago, alewife said:

A parent posted on CC that her son's calc teacher sent an email out to the parents yesterday stating that there were two versions of the BC test - version E and version O.  The teacher said that version O was much more difficult than version E and that the students who took the O version are not to worry because the curve will reflect the difference in difficulty.

My D also had form O and thought that the problems were more difficult than the problems on the released exams.

This happened with DS and the AP English Comp exam last year; he was discouraged by how hard his test was, and I was surprised by reports of kids feeling like it was surprisingly easy.  There were two versions - one markedly more difficult.  The curve equals them out; DS still got a 5 even though he felt he didn't do well.

AP Bio was much easier than the practice ones DS took, so he's feeling like he might have done better than he expected.  Very last AP forever for this kid is Comparative Government tomorrow! 

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2 hours ago, alewife said:

A parent posted on CC that her son's calc teacher sent an email out to the parents yesterday stating that there were two versions of the BC test - version E and version O.  The teacher said that version O was much more difficult than version E and that the students who took the O version are not to worry because the curve will reflect the difference in difficulty.

My D also had form O and thought that the problems were more difficult than the problems on the released exams.

This is very interesting information--thank you!  

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4 hours ago, alewife said:

A parent posted on CC that her son's calc teacher sent an email out to the parents yesterday stating that there were two versions of the BC test - version E and version O. 

Do you have a link to the CC post?

ETA: Never mind--found it!

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2 down (Bio & Macro), one to go.  DS thought Bio was reasonable and MacroE was easy.  We'll see.  He's been SUPER stressed about them this year, but they seem to be going OK so far.

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On 5/3/2018 at 7:35 AM, Momto5inIN said:

D'S is doing Calc BC. I've been completely hands off after handing him the AoPS book and the test prep books that Kathy in Richmond recommended from Amazon lol

He feels prepared and is getting excited to get it over with. He's pretty much done with all his senior year coursework and this exam will probably be his last "assignment" of his homeschooling career *sniff*

Can you share what books your DS is using for Calc BC, as per Kathy's recommendations? Thank you!

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DD took Psych, Comp Science A, and is taking Latin tomorrow. These are her first AP's.

She was originally going to take only Latin, but decided to self-study for the other two a couple of months into the school year. I've pretty much left her to her own devices. She is pretty disciplined and has been studying non-stop, all day on weekends, etc. She felt really good after the Psych exam. She loves to write so she was comfortable with the FRQ's. She said she felt average about CS. Now we wait for Latin tomorrow. I'm the one who's nervous, but I don't let her know it. ?

If she tanks one of these, no one has to know, right?

Edited by omd21
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And just like that he's done with high school!  Last AP forever for DS!  He felt good about both Bio and Comp Gov't, so though he was by far the most relaxed ever about APs, it was a good ending.  Even with all the drama around APs (finding testing sites, only one chance to take it each year, cost, etc), I am thankful that they are an option for us.

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Yay, done!

Ds took AP Stats this afternoon. He doesn't feel great about it, but it doesn't matter, it would only count as an elective at his future college.  So he is mostly done.

I get a break from APs next year, too. phew

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10 hours ago, omd21 said:

Can you share what books your DS is using for Calc BC, as per Kathy's recommendations? Thank you!

He used AoPS as his main curriculum, then Barron's test prep book and an out of print book bought used on Amazon called Solutions AP Calculus Problems Part II AB and BC 1987-2001 by Broadwin Lenchner and Rudolph.

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FYI

2018 AP Score Access Schedule for Students https://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores

“Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington

Thursday, July 5
8 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. CT/ 6 a.m. MT/ 5 a.m. PT/ 4 a.m. AKT/ 2 a.m. HAT

Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

Friday, July 6
8 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. CT

Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont

Saturday, July 7
8 a.m. ET

Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia

Sunday, July 8
8 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. CT/ 6 a.m. MT

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming

Monday, July 9
8 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. CT/ 6 a.m. MT/ 5 a.m. PT

Canada, U.S. Territories, International

Monday, July 9
8 a.m. ET/ International - local time varies”

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27 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

FYI

2018 AP Score Access Schedule for Students https://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores

 

We live in Georgia but travel in the summer; last year we were in California when scores came out and California was the last day (it's based on where you are, not where you live or where you took the test). This year California is first, but we're going to be in Canada, so last day again. We'll have to check the score release schedule before making plans for next summer ?

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Want to hear a ridiculous AP horror story? My DD17 took the AP Stats exam on Thursday between a hair appointment for a fancy ‘up-do’ and her senior prom. Although she has a high A in the class and a terrific teacher, she thinks she bombed the exam. All she could think about was how much she hated her hairstyle. She began pulling out bobby pins during hour one of the exam and by the end, her long, red hair was a wreck and her stomach was churning. (She always has tummy ‘issues’ when she stressed.) Luckily the prom was ultimately a ton of fun. She’s resigned herself to taking Stats in college. At least she’ll be well-prepared by her rigorous high school class. Not sure whose bright idea it was to plan prom on a week night while AP exams were being given?!

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2 minutes ago, fourisenough said:

Want to hear a ridiculous AP horror story? My DD17 took the AP Stats exam on Thursday between a hair appointment for a fancy ‘up-do’ and her senior prom. Although she has a high A in the class and a terrific teacher, she thinks she bombed the exam. All she could think about was how much she hated her hairstyle. She began pulling out bobby pins during hour one of the exam and by the end, her long, red hair was a wreck and her stomach was churning. (She always has tummy ‘issues’ when she stressed.) Luckily the prom was ultimately a ton of fun. She’s resigned herself to taking Stats in college. At least she’ll be well-prepared by her rigorous high school class. Not sure whose bright idea it was to plan prom on a week night while AP exams were being given?!

Oh, your poor dd!  I am so glad prom worked out okay for her after all.

My ds thought the Stats was hard (and he wasn't pulling out a hairdo).  He has an A in the class, too.  He said he didn't finish.

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