The AP® Psych FRQ, or free response question section of the AP® Psychology exam, consists of two questions that evaluate your ability to make connections across the AP® Psychology course material. You will have 50 minutes to complete these two questions, which are worth 33% of your total exam score.
With the thought two “essays” after 100 multiple-choice questions, some of you may begin to freak out. But not to fear, with an understanding of the test, diligent studying, and the use of these key strategies you’ll know how to rock your AP® Psych FRQ in no time!
1. Do your homework
Before going into to any section of an AP® test it’s important to know what lies ahead of you.
Generally, one question is focused on a research study and will ask you to critique, analyze, redesign, or explain pieces of the experiment. The other, typically asks students to evaluate a problem, situation, or phenomenon using different theories, terms, and ideas from the AP® Psychology curriculum.
Thequestions can vary from these general formats, however, familiarizing yourself with these formats and visiting the College Board websitefor past examples of AP® Psychology FRQ questions can definitely help you to practice. This way, you’ll have less of a surprise opening your exam booklet.
2. Read the entirequestion, then read it again
Most of the questions in the AP® Psych FRQ section will have many parts. It is important that you read the entire question thoroughly before you start to plan or write your response.
This is NOT an English test. Don’t waste your time trying to craft an eloquent introduction or conclusion. Instead, focus on knowing exactly what the question is asking you, and answer EXACT®LY that. AP® readers (the teachers who grade your test) read tons of exams each day, and therefore will not have patience for responses that dance around the subject. After reading your question twice through, underline key terms to make sure you answer each part of the prompt and check them off as you go.
3. Maintain order
Some of you will want to answer the information you know the best first within your prompt. This can potentially confuse readers. Try instead to answer each question within your AP® Psych FRQ in the order it appears within the prompt.
To help with this, make a brief(don’t waste too much time)outline before you begin. Although you should NOT write in list or bullet format (as readers will only score essays with complete and fluid sentences), make sure to get to the point quickly and answer each portion of your prompt.
4. Be specific
You want to make your essay stand out to the reader. Make sure that by the end of reading your essay, they will know that you have a full understanding of the terms, theories, or experiments you discussed instead of just glazing over them like some other students. This means using concrete examples and clear language throughout your writing.
Most importantly, avoid being vague. For example, don’t just say that a specific technique helps us to remember information better, but be sure to state WHY this is so.
5. Don’tfreak out if you don’t recognize something
No matter how much you study, it is not completely unreasonable that there will be a term or theory on the AP® Psych FRQ that you don’t recognize. There is a ton of information to know for this test, so some of it can slip your mind. The best strategy to deal with this? Don’t panic.
Take a deep breath, and count to 10. After this time is over, don’t allow yourself to stress about this issue. Instead, find a proactive solution. Look at the term again. Have you seen it in any previous multiple-choice questions? How can you figure it out based on the context of the question? If you still have no idea what the term is, try making an educated guess based on the words within the term and continuing to demonstrate what you do know about the larger question.
Then forget about it and move on to the next part. Don’t let one part of the question get you down!
By the way, you should check out Albert.io for your AP® Psychology review. We have hundreds of AP® Psychology practice questions written just for you!
