Some info about 2017 Math and Science AP® Test results

As we did last year, we have catalogued a bunch of tweets from Trevor Packer, the College Board® Head of AP®. These are really important tidbits of information for students taking an AP class in 2017/2018, who should consider where students from the previous year tended to have trouble. Here is what Mr. Packer had to say, with tweets organized by course; scroll down to look for your course. Students should look for the AP course they plan to take in Fall 2017, and take his remarks from this year under advisement! Please also compare with our blog from last year, Some info about 2016 AP® Test results

First, note these general remarks:

Trevor Packer ‏@AP_Trevor  June 12 When I report perfect scores, note that other perfect scores may emerge as late exams are scored, so the numbers are not final.

Trevor Packer ‏@AP_Trevor  June 13 2016 (ed note – this is from previous year, but still applicable). As a reminder, AP Exams aren’t graded on a curve. So when more students demonstrate mastery, the percentage of 3s,4s,5s increases.

 June 15 Students can check colleges’ and universities’ AP credit policies here, but should always confirm with the schools: Link Here

 June 19 (1/2) For all AP exams, profs + psychometricians shift points needed up /down depending on difficulty of questions. (wikipedia: equating)

 June 19 (2/2) Thus any variations in exam difficulty=removed, so AP scores changes each yr reflect changes in student ability, not changes in rigor.

 June 19 Find out how you can help students access their AP Exam scores next month: 

 June 22 This online community is where AP teachers discuss teaching strategies, share resources, and connect: Link Here

AP Calculus BC 
 June 15 I’m at the AP Calculus Standard Setting today, where professors take the AP Calc exams themselves to determine scores needed for 1,2,3,4,5.

 June 15 One professor just said, “This is one of the best calculus exams I have ever seen; students who do well on it will succeed at my college.”

  June 22 Scores of 4 and 5 on AP Calculus AB and BC now typically require students to earn points for reasoning and accurate notation.

  June 22 AP Calc BC students found modeling w/separable diff(Q4) & Maclaurin series (Q6) very difficult; about 24% of students earned 0 pts on them.
  June 22 AP Calculus BC free-response questions: students scored highest on graphic analysis of f’ (Q3): Link Here
  June 22 AP Calculus BC students generally scored so high on each topic in the multiple-choice section that there’s nothing to single out.
  June 22 1 student, out of 133,000 worldwide, earned all 108/108 points possible on this year’s AP Calculus BC Exam.
 June 22 The 2017 AP Calculus BC scores: 5: 42.4%; 4: 18.3%; 3: 19.9%; 2: 14.3%; 1: 5.1%.
 June 22 Ben Hedrick and I will post next week a memo on the AP Calculus online teacher community w/specific details about this year’s scores.
AP Calculus AB
 June 15 I’m at the AP Calculus Standard Setting today, where professors take the AP Calc exams themselves to determine scores needed for 1,2,3,4,5.
 June 15 One professor just said, “This is one of the best calculus exams I have ever seen; students who do well on it will succeed at my college.”
  June 22 Scores of 4 and 5 on AP Calculus AB and BC now typically require students to earn points for reasoning and accurate notation.
 June 22 3 students, out of 317,000 worldwide, earned all 108/108 points possible on this year’s AP Calculus AB Exam.
 June 22 The most challenging question on this year’s AP Calc AB exam involved modeling w/separable diff (Q4); 49% of students earned 0 points on it.
 June 22 AP Calculus AB free-response: students earned the highest points, on average, when modeling rates (Q2): 
 June 22 AP Calculus AB multiple-choice: students scored very well determining derivatives, while finding the limits questions most challenging.
 June 22 The 2017 AP Calculus AB scores: 5: 18.6%; 4: 18.1%; 3: 21%; 2: 21.9%; 1: 20.4%.
 June 22 Ben Hedrick and I will post next week a memo on the AP Calculus online teacher community w/specific details about this year’s scores.
AP Biology
 June 20 AP Biology free-response: many students really struggled with detecting DNA damage (Q6); 59% earned 0 pts on it: 
 June 20 AP Biology free-response: students did very well constructing & analyzing food webs (Q4) and evaluating impact of algal growth (Q5).
 June 20 AP Biology multiple-choice section: students scored highest on cellular processes questions and lowest on genetics questions.
 June 20 1 student out of 256,000 worldwide earned all 120/120 pts possible on this year’s AP Biology exam. Looking forward to him/her curing cancer.
 June 20 The 2017 AP Biology scores: 5: 6.2%; 4: 20.9%; 3: 36.7%; 2: 27.8%; 1: 8.4%.
 June 20 AP Biology students and teachers have achieved the highest number of scores of 3+ of any of the past 5 years.
 May 10 The 2017 free-response questions are now available here
AP Chemistry
 June 16 AP Chemistry students scored best on Q1 (CCl4 synthesis): Link Here
 June 16 The most difficult AP Chemistry question was Q6 on Mg(OH)2. More than 40% of students scored 0 on it.
 June 16 AP Chemistry multiple-choice: students scored well — best on atomic structure questions, least well on equilibrium.
 June 16 3 students, out of 160,000 worldwide, earned all 100/100 points possible on this year’s AP Chemistry exam.
 June 16 The 2017 AP Chemistry scores: 5: 9.2%; 4: 15.7%; 3: 26.1%; 2: 27%; 1: 22%.
AP Physics C (Electricity & Magnetism)
 June 13 AP Phys E&M Q2 (circuits) was a great, challenging question; students who can earn >half its points meet colleges’ standards for a 5.
 June 13 AP Physics C: E&M students scored highest on Q3 (magnetostatics) and lowest (by far) on Q1 (electrostatics): 
 June 13 The 2017 AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism scores 5: 28.1%; 4: 25.1%; 3: 15.6%; 2: 18.2%; 1: 13%.
 June 13 In AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism this year: smaller percentages of 5s and 2s; higher percentages of 3s and 4s.
 May 10 The 2017 C: Electricity & Magnetism free response questions are now available here
AP Physics C (Mechanics)