IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Use these strategies to get a higher score on the multiple-choice section of the AP Human Geography exam.
Key Ideas
Always completely fill in the ovals on the answer sheet.
Work quickly but carefully. Remember, you only have 60 minutes to answer 75 questions.
Read the question carefully and read each of the five responses before choosing your answer. Sometimes the correct answer is very close to one or more wrong answers. Only one word or phrase may make a difference.
Four out of five of the answers are wrong—only one answer is correct! Try to eliminate the wrong ones quickly. Draw a line through the wrong answer choices quickly in your booklet.
Sometimes two answers both appear correct. Without taking much time, choose one and move on. Put a quick checkmark beside that question in your test booklet. If you have an extra minute to two after completing this section, you can return to the questions to think further.
Never leave any blanks! There is no penalty for guessing. You are only awarded points on correct answers. An educated guess is better than a blank, which will guarantee 0 points for that question.
The first section of the AP Human Geography exam contains 75 multiple-choice questions. This is timed and you will be given 60 minutes to complete this section. Your score depends on the number of correct answers you accumulate. There is no penalty for guessing and no chance of ever getting a point if you leave a blank.
With only 60 minutes to read and answer 75 multiple-choice questions, you really need to know AP Human Geography! You have an average of 48 seconds to read the question, read all the answer choices, and think about what to pick. The better your level of understanding, the quicker you can recognize the correct choice and keep moving. Remember, time spent learning and reviewing now means a better score on the exam. And a good score on the exam means time and money saved by not having to take three expensive college credits in college.
Each question has five choices–four of these are wrong and are called distracters. Hopefully, the correct answer will “leap out” at you. Don’t worry if it doesn’t, however. One or two distracters will be “really” wrong and can be eliminated quickly. That leaves three choices—two of which contain errors. Search quickly for the word or phrase that makes two of the remaining choices incorrect. By doing this you will narrow down and find the right answer. If the correct answer is still elusive, make a good guess and move on quickly. Remember, there is no penalty for guessing. Don’t skip a “toughie” thinking you will have time later to return and think about it more. You probably won’t have time to go back to it. Most students find they cannot complete 75 questions in 60 minutes as it is. Quickly eliminate, then guess, and keep moving!
There are three main types of multiple-choice questions found on the AP Human Geography exam:
• Conceptual questions. Most of the questions will ask you to analyze a concept you have covered in AP Human Geography class.
• Interpretation of maps, graphs, charts. A few questions will contain a graph, map, or other figure that you will be asked to interpret. You will have to figure out quickly what is being displayed in the figure and see what is being asked in the question. Read each answer choice and see if the answer that came to your mind is listed.
• Fact-based questions. Some questions will ask you for a specific bit of knowledge, such as “Which of the political states listed below has recently experienced a resurgence of nationalism?” The distracters will be a list of political states.
Hopefully, one of them will “grab” you and you can mark it and quickly move on. Time is very limited! With less than 60 seconds for each question, you must move quickly through the fact-based questions. The ones requiring interpretation of a map or graph will require extra seconds to read, analyze, and check out the possible answers.
Below is a list of important tips you can use to score your best on the AP Human Geography exam. Follow these recommendations and you will have a strategy for success!
• Know your stuff! Study and review this book and all vocabulary, models, and concepts.
• Read each test question quickly, but carefully.
• Carefully fill in the answer oval on the answer grid in pencil only. Do not place any other marks on the answer sheet.
• Read each answer choice—some could look correct at first glance but have one word that makes them wrong.
• If you are not 100 percent sure, narrow it down to the best two choices and quickly guess.
• Keep moving at a steady pace. Don’t get bogged down on one question.
• Check the clock periodically.
• Made a checkmark on the test booklet beside questions you have guessed at. You may have a minute to return and think about them after you have attempted the other questions.
• Never leave a question blank. Remember, blanks will never earn a point but a filled-in answer grid just might get you extra points. If you don’t know the correct answer, eliminate the obvious distracters, guess, and move on.