Um, I already know how a bill becomes a law. Why am I taking this exam again?
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- Navigate this page:
- Guess Away
- Pacing: Check Yoself Before You Wreck Yoself (Part II)
- Free-Response Style: You Are Not Thomas Jefferson
- Say My Name
Secret StashHave You Read This?If yes, click here. Now that you've got the basics down (we hope), let's use this section to cover a few Advanced Shmoop Pro Tips. Pacing: Check Yo'self Before You Wreck Yo'self (Part I)Let's see…60 questions. 45 minutes. We know that this isn't a math test, but bear with us. That yields ¾ minute per question, or 45 seconds per question. So yeah, you need to be kinda fast when it comes to multiple-choice, and if you find yourself falling behind the pace, you're in trouble. There is nothing to be gained from obsessing over a single question, and a good bit to lose. Here's a handy guide on pacing, laying out how many questions you should be through at each point. Keep it in mind as you take Shmoop's practice exams (which come with an equally handy timer). 15 minutes elapsed: 20 questions done 30 minutes elapsed: 40 questions done 45 minutes elapsed: 60 questions done Simple, right? Guess AwayThat leads to a related point: don't be afraid to guess or skip. Unlike some exams, the AP U.S. Government exam doesn't penalize you for wrong answers or for unanswered questions—you just don't get points for them. And the questions are all weighted the same. So if a hard question is dragging you off of your pace, cross out an option or two and eenie-meenie-miney-moe it, or just skip it completely. Just leave a mark in your test booklet reminding you to come back if there's time. (It's like the X that marks buried treasure, except here the treasure isn't very exciting.) Also, keep in mind that the exam is split between easy, medium, and hard questions, so you probably won't keep to a strict 45 seconds per question unless you're some kind of freakish human metronome. On an easy question, there's no shame in going with your gut, or in skipping straight to the right choice without reading all of the options. As a Buddhist monk said in some kung fu movie whose name escapes us: "First thought, best thought." Pacing: Check Yo'self Before You Wreck Yo'self (Part II)The AP is a big-boy exam, so you won't hear any test proctor telling you "pencils down" at the end of every free-response question. You have 100 whole minutes to spend as you please, and if you want to write a book-length response to the first question and make your other three about as long as a Zen koan ("What is the sound of one branch of government clapping?"), go for it. Of course, you'll bomb the test that way, but the freedom is yours. If you're more interested in not bombing, we recommend that you stick pretty closely to an even amount of time for each question: 25 minutes, and then move on. Sure, you can add or subtract five or so minutes if you find the question a bit harder or easier, but you'll feel pretty dumb if you come to the final question with only 30 seconds left because you spent the rest of your time dotting all of your I's with hearts. In theory, the questions are written to be equally hard, so an equal amount of time on each makes the most sense. Free-Response Style: You Are Not Thomas JeffersonIn the free-response section, you'll be writing about some of the most inspiring topics there are: freedom, equality, democracy, blah, blah, blah. What does that mean for your writing style? Absolutely nothing. Maybe you're tempted to polish your free-response answers to a shiny sheen, but don't. The graders want workmanlike, not beautiful—get the required information on the page in a reasonably organized fashion, and you'll be fine. While we're not sure about you, nothing slows up our writing as much as worrying about how each sentence sounds. That's great for a more formal piece of writing, but this free response is an information dump: answer straightforwardly (with maybe a topic sentence on each paragraph to signpost the way), and you'll be fine. Now, that does not give you permission to stop capitalizing the right letters, treating "ain't" like it's a word, ignoring the rules of grammar, and so on. It just means that (correct) information matters more than anything here. There's no right length for these answers, but you can use these guidelines: first, write enough to answer the specific question you've been given. Second, longer is better (as long as you don't use up the time for your other questions or spew irrelevant information). Show them what you know.
Other things flashcards and bullet points help for: different kinds of powers under the Constitution; functions of political parties; ways parties differ from interest groups; important presidents; levels of federal courts; important Constitutional rights; important Supreme Court cases. We've put many of these lists in bullet-point format for you throughout the test prep, so don't be afraid to cut-n-paste. Study Plan Have You Read This?If yes, click here. 90 days out: Read each exam prep section on the Shmoop website. All things being equal, spend more time on the sections that will have more questions (see Exam Strategy for the section breakdowns). Take each practice exam in one sitting, trying to match the test atmosphere as closely as possible (e.g., write your free-response answers by hand). 60 days out: Identify your weakest sections from the practice exams (this will be easy, because you'll see the category for each question on the Shmoop practice tests once you submit your answers). Focus your review on your weakest sections. Make review flashcards for material you're struggling with (some suggestions for flashcards are in the Secret Stash section). Though you can sometimes find pre-made flashcards, we suggest making your own: writing something out helps you remember it. Once you've completed Shmoop's practice tests, look on the AP website for more practice multiple-choice and free-response questions; try to take as many practice exams as possible under exam conditions (one sitting, writing by hand). 30 days out: Focus on flashcards for your most difficult material. Take one more practice test (either from Shmoop or on the AP website) a week or two before the exam. Glance over Shmoop's exam prep material (especially for your weaker areas) a day or two before the exam. But don't kill yourself cramming all night the night before. If you've followed our handy 90-day plan, you should be plenty prepared. Directory: uploads uploads -> 587 Return function, r i(X) r i(0) r i(1) r i(2) r i(3) 1 0 2 4 6 Thermal Station, I 2 0 1 5 6 3 0 3 5 6 10 uploads -> Department of science and humanities department of mathematics part-a questions and answers uploads -> The Case Against the nypd’s Quota-Driven ‘Broken Windows’ Policing What Is It? uploads -> For want of a nail uploads -> Ownership Models There are two different types of ownership models uploads -> Police Militarization uploads -> City of rising star regular meting thursday, july 14, 2016 uploads -> Township of winfield uploads -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 uploads -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program What We Want Now! Download 0.75 Mb. Share with your friends:
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