Advanced Placement United states government and politics

Advanced Placement United states government and politics “The easiest 3 you will ever earn.” Unless it isn’t anymore.

“But Mr. Woody, what is a 3 ?” One college Political Science course at most major institutions. (Maybe not at some snobby places.) About half of the possible points! Not as good as a 4 or 5 (Even most snobby places will take those.) MUCH better than a 1 or 2 (Don’t even think 0 !)

“Please, tell me how to get a 5!” First, you have a Syllabus… http://www.misterwoodynotebook.us Find it on the Coursework Resources pages.

“Please, tell me how to get a 5!” Second, you have a textbook… READ, doggone you! Pay special attention to the Learning Objectives at the end of each chapter.

“Please, tell me how to get a 5!” Third, let’s learn the meaning of the word STUDY Review (rewrite?) your notes regularly Take your notebook home every Tuesday & Friday night Make study aids to help you remember difficult stuff Pay attention to the tests and learn from them

“Please, tell me how to get a 5!” Fourth, know what the test looks like… This will be no problem, since every one of your tests will look like one! There are only two elements…

Multiple Choice Questions There are 55 Questions to answer in 80 Minutes. (Pace yourself at 87 Seconds per Question) (That will leave you a little “buffer”) (You will NEVER need this much time, but…) Questions are worth 50% of your total. Get your College Vocabulary ready! It‘s built by “Good” (and now “insane”) test-makers.

Multiple Choice Questions Always 4 possible answers. None are “Mickey Mouse”. There are some tricky wordings… and now some tricky structures too. Watch out for the word, “BEST”

Multiple Choice Questions They are in random order of difficulty. There is No Penalty for a wrong answer!

So, What’s My Strategy? Read through every question at pace Answer all the easy ones Mark out incorrect answers immediately Jot down any ideas you have in the margin Underline key words (it’s a test booklet, not the Bible!) Then, go get ‘em again!

So, What’s My Strategy? On Graph Questions, read the Answers before you read the Questions! Begin by asking yourself, “What exactly DOES the chart tell me?” Look at the legend/axes If it’s not about actions, the answer can’t be about actions

Free-Response Questions (FRQs) Four Types of Questions Concept Application Quantitative Analysis SCOTUS Comparison Argument Essay

So, What’s My Strategy on FRQs? Each of them count as 12.5% 3 of these are NOT an Essay! “Answer the Question!” More is not always better Stay on Pace. (20, 20, 20, 40) READ. UNDERLINE. PLAN.

What’s My Strategy on FRQs? Look for the Key Words: Define Identify Describe Explain “Why…” leads to “because…” “How…” leads to “by…” Compare (which implies Contrast)

What’s My Strategy on FRQs? Things to Avoid: Slang Name-Dropping Data-Dumping Editorials even Patriotism

What’s My Strategy on FRQs? Things to DO: Use a Black Pen Be Legible Be sure how many parts are in the Question Use your context vocabulary More examples are OK Answer the Question!

AP US G&P Exam Now you have a chance!