If you got a 2 on the AP® English Language exam, you’re in good company. Though the number of students opting to take AP® exams is on the rise, the number of students that actually “pass” seems to be diminishing.
To get college credit for an AP® course, you must earn at least a 3 on the exam, and some colleges will only accept 4’s and 5’s.
So if you got a 2, it’s understandable that you’re feeling discouraged. It’s so close… yet so far away.
The good news is that although it may be a hassle, retaking the AP® exam is definitely a viable option. Here are some things to consider:
- You have to wait until the next time the exam is offered, usually in a year.
- You must pay the registration fee each time you take the exam.
- Colleges will still see your previous score unless you pay to cancel it before the deadline.
However the price of taking the class again at the college level almost certainly outweighs any of these slight costs and inconveniences.
What to Do Next
The date of the AP® English Language and Composition exam takes place in early May. If you know that you’re going to retake it, there are a few steps that you need to take.
Begin talking to your AP® Coordinator in January to make arrangements for the test. If your school does not offer AP, you must contact AP® services by March 1 so that they can find a coordinator in your area that can take care of your registration. If you have a disability and require accommodations, you must request them in mid-February.
The fee for each AP® exam is $93. Your school may charge a higher rate to cover the cost of proctoring and administration. Students who demonstrate financial need may be eligible for a $31 fee reduction. Check with your AP® coordinator to see if you can qualify.
But what can you do to make sure that your time and resources are not wasted?
Read on to find some helpful tips to improve your score
How did I Get a 2 on AP® English Language Exam?
To understand how to improve an AP® exam score, you first need to know how you got that low score in the first place.
You probably already know that the multiple-choice section of the exam is worth 45% of your score, and the essay section counts for 55%.
Each section is graded separately and given a raw score. The multiple choice section is graded by a computer and the essay section is evaluated by a group of readers. Each essay response is given a score between 1 and 9. A 9 is nearly perfect. The total points awarded for this section become your free response raw score.
Both raw scores are then converted into a composite score to reflect the correct weight of the two sections. This score often falls between 100 and 150.
Here is a rough formula for figuring out your composite score:
(Multiple Choice Raw Score x 1.23) + (Essay Raw Score x 3.05) = Composite Score
Next, the composite score is converted to a number between 1 and 5. The place where a score may fall on this scale varies slightly from year to year, but here is a general breakdown:
- 106 – 150 = 5
- 92 – 105 = 4
- 74 – 91 = 3
- 46 – 73 = 2
- 0 – 45 = 1
Just to put this in perspective, a raw score of 40 on the multiple choice section combined with a raw score of 19 on the essay section will just barely achieve a 5.
Ideally, to score a 3, you should shoot for 60-70% correct on the multiple choice section and at least a 5 on each of your essay responses.
How to Prepare for Retaking the AP® English Language Exam
If you got a 2 on your AP® English Language exam, it is definitely worth trying to retake it. Make it worth the added time and expense by taking these steps to improve your score.
Track your scores on the multiple choice section. As you prepare, carefully note your score on the multiple choice section. It’s possible (though unlikely) that you are scoring 80-90% on this section without much effort. If that’s the case, move on and focus on preparing for the essay section. Otherwise, pay attention to the kinds of questions that you seem to be getting wrong. What mistakes are you making? Perhaps you are reading too fast and missing key information in the passage. Maybe you didn’t understand some of the terms that were used, or maybe you choose responses that do not directly answer the question. Once you understand what you keep doing wrong, you can rectify these mistakes. Use the resources here at Albert to help you find your mistakes and fix them.
Scan all the sections and questions on the multiple choice before you begin. The key here is to identify which sections and questions you can respond to most efficiently. Choose three out of four (or four out of five) of the passages to start with. It’s a good idea to save the section with the fewest questions for last. You may also start by skipping the passage that looks the most difficult (usually the oldest) and save it for last if you have time. Start with the passages that you feel most confident about. This will help you maximize your time and achieve your best score.
Practice good time management. It’s very common for students to get tripped up by the “time trap:” spending too much time on some questions and then not having enough time to even look at others. Keep yourself on track by quickly scanning the total number of questions in the multiple choice section and dividing by two. For example, if you have 52 questions and only 60 minutes, be aware that you should have completed 26 questions at the 30-minute mark.
Practice the specific skills on which you are scored for the essay. Remember that your essay will be scored mainly on four components: a) good organization, b) sophisticated style and language, c) writing on topic and d) thoroughly developed ideas. When you practice for this section, read over your responses and evaluate how they measure up against these four criteria. Identify which area that you need to work on the most.
Read as much as you can. The best preparation is to read literature of all kinds. Try to cover every time period. Yes, it’s a lot, but the passages on the AP® English Language exam will encompass every time period from the 19th century to the present day, so you need to be prepared. Read the greats, like James Joyce, Charles Darwin, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Read fiction as well as non-fiction. And read from a wide selection of genres: political works, biographies, historical fiction, and anything else you can think of. Try to challenge yourself as much as possible by choosing writers that you find difficult.
Be an active reader. Ask yourself questions about the text as you read. Who is the audience? What is the writer’s position? What kind of rhetoric does he/she use to argue that position? As you read, be sure to underline any details that support your conclusions.
Practice your argumentation skills. To master the essay section of the AP® English exam, you must become adept at the skills of rhetoric and argumentation. Read further to learn how you can do that.
The Synthesis Question
This particular essay question is often a challenge for students. Many have not learned how to synthesize sources to effectively take a position on an issue.
There are six steps to take that will allow you to meet this question with confidence.
Read the sources carefully. During the 15 minutes that are allotted for reading, carefully examine the prompt and all the sources. Mark them up with notes.
Analyze the argument made by each source. What are the claims that the source is making about the issue? What evidence supports that claim? What is the reasoning for using that evidence in support of this claim? Do not forget that any visuals, such as charts, graphs, or cartoons, also need to be analyzed.
Take a position. Start by considering two or three possible positions that you could take, then think about the merits and drawbacks of each. This will allow you to evaluate positions critically instead of over-simplifying them. The best responses will take into account the complexities of the issue.
Have an imaginary conversation with each of the source authors. Practice defending each of these positions to the source authors. How would these authors feel about your position? Would they agree? Why, or why not?
Refine your point into a thesis statement. A good thesis statement will do justice to the complexity of the topic. It should appear early in your essay, probably in the second or third sentence.
Argue your position. Develop your case by incorporating the conclusions made by your sources. State to what degree you agree with each author and give specific reasons.
If you still feel hesitant about your ability to respond to the synthesis question, or any of the others, use some of the resources here at Albert.
With lots of practice and study and a little guidance, you can achieve at least a 3 on your AP® English Language exam.
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