MCHS students are nervously awaiting finals week and hopefully are already preparing themselves for the tasks that lay ahead. However, a small group of students at Mason City High School are studying vigorously for Advanced Placement exams that occur from May 7th through the 18th. A lot of outside work goes into studying for these exams. Some classes are studying in class already. For others regular class work is making it hard to study in class. For AP Human Geography students, study sessions have been held on Saturday mornings. At these study sessions, they go through past units and practice important skills needed for the exam.
Advanced Placement exams consist of two parts: multiple choice questions and a writing portion. Both parts are timed. For example, the AP Human Geography exam is 75 multiple choice questions in one hour and 3 free response questions in 75 minutes. The exams are national tests administered at scheduled times across the country. The exams are scored in June, and students will receive their scores in July.
Exams are scored on a scale of 1-5. Typically, a score of 3 or above is considered passing, and the student can potentially receive college credits. Different schools will accept different scores. For example, UNI will mostly accept a 3 or above, where the University of Iowa typically only accepts a 4 or above.
Aside from studying in class, there are many resources students can use to prepare on their own. Companies like The Princeton Review, 5 Steps to a 5, and Barron’s Test Prep offer review books students can purchase online or at most bookstores. Students can also use apps like iScore5, available on Android and Apple devices. With a lot of outside effort, MCHS students can potentially earn college credit while in high school. Good luck to all of our AP students!