2002 AP Biology Exam

2002 AP Biology Exam

Scoring Worksheet

Section 1: Multiple Choice

[ ___________ - (1/4 x __________ ) ] x 0.7563 = __________

Number correct Number wrong Weighted

(out of 119) Section I Score

(If less than zero, enter zero.)

(Do

not

round) Section II: Free Response

Question 1 __________ x 1.5000 = __________

(out of 10) (Do not round) Question 2 __________ x 1.5000 = __________

(out of 10) (Do not round) Question 3 __________ x 1.5000 = __________

(out of 10) (Do not round) Question 4 __________ x 1.5000 = __________

(out of 10) (Do not round)

Sum

=

__________

Weighted

Section

II

Score

(Do

not

round) Composite Score

__________ + __________ = __________

Weighted Weighted Composite Score

Section I Section II (Round to nearest

Score Score whole number)

AP Grade Conversion

Chart

Biology

Composite

Score Range*

AP

Grade

91–150 5

70–90 4

58–69 3

45–57 2

0–44 1 *Students’ scores are weighted

according to formulas determined in

advance each year by the Development

Committee to yield raw composite

scores; the Chief Reader is responsible

for converting composite scores to the

5-point AP scale.

How AP Grades Are Determined

This exam has two sections. Section I, which consists of 120 multiple-choice questions, has scores that range from a minimum possible score of 0 to a maximum possible score of 119 points. The maximum possible score is 119 because Section I originally had 120 questions but, for statistical reasons, question 61 was not scored. Section II, which consists of four free-response questions, has scores that range from a minimum possible score of 0 to a maximum possible score of 10 points for each question.

The scores on the different parts of the exam are combined to produce a composite score for each student that ranges from a minimum possible score of 0 to a maximum possible score of 150 points. In calculating the composite scores, scores on the different parts are multiplied by weights. The Development Committee chooses the weights to place relatively more importance on certain skills to mirror emphasis placed on those skills in the corresponding college curriculum.

Composite scores are not released to the student, school, or college. Instead, the composite scores are converted to grades on an AP 5-point scale, and it is these that are reported. The process of calculating the composite score and converting it to a grade involves a number of steps, which are shown on the Scoring Worksheet and described in detail here.

1.The score on Section I is calculated. In calculating the score for Section I, a fraction

of the number of wrong answers is subtracted from the number of right answers. This adjustment to the number of right answers makes it unlikely that students will benefit from random guessing. The value of the fraction is ? for the five-choice questions in the AP Biology Exam.

The maximum possible weighed score on Section I is 90 points, which is 60 percent of the maximum composite score.

2.The score on Section II is calculated. The weights for items in Section II are

determined so that questions 1–4 each contribute 10 percent to the maximum

composite score.

The weighted scores on the questions of Section II are summed to give the total

weighted score for Section II. The maximum possible weighted score on Section II is 60 points, which is 40 percent of the maximum possible composite score.

3.The composite score is calculated. The weighted scores on Section I and Section II

are summed to give the composite score.

4.AP grades are calculated. The Chief Reader sets the four cut points that divide the

composite scores into groups. A variety of information is available to help the Chief Reader determine the score ranges into which the exam grades should fall:

Statistical information based on test score equating.

College/AP Grade Comparability studies.

The Chief Reader’s own observations of the students’ free-response answers.

The distribution of scores on different parts of the exam.

AP grade distributions from the past three years.