Chapter 1 Excelling On the AP Spanish Language Exam
WHY THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU
This book will help you master the AP Spanish Language Exam, which was revamped in 2007, with complete coverage fully embracing the exams new format and question types. REA offers the total test prep package with comprehensive printed and audio materials that take you through the newly integrated listening, speaking and writing portions of the exam.
As you may already know, the test covers subject matter deemed to be comparable to an advanced-level college course in Spanish Composition and Conversation.
Why use this book? Because you dont want to leave anything to chance on test day. While our prep is designed to be effective for self-study, this book also lies at the heart of hundreds of AP Spanish classrooms in schools across the United States.
Our targeted subject reviewspecially designed to complement your textbookand three full-length practice tests, featuring detailed explanations for each answer, will put you in the best possible position to succeed on the exam. We also provide a 500-word English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English glossary.
About the Review Section
This book begins with a substantive review of the Spanish language. This review includes conjugations of regular and irregular verbs, pronouns, idioms, as well as other parts of speech. After each new topic, we offer drills to enable you to practice the vocabulary and rules you have just reviewed.
At the end of the practice tests is our 500-word English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English glossary. With it, you will not only be able to locate Spanish words you do not know from the reading passages but you can also review words that will help you provide a more detailed answer to the essay or speaking parts of the exam. (Please note that no dictionaries will be allowed at the time of the actual exam.)
About Our Audio CDs
At various points throughout the practice tests, you will need to stop the test CD and record your responses on a recording device. Make sure to have a recording device available. Follow the directions carefully by listening to the directions on the CD as well as following the tests in this book.
About the AP Program
The Advanced Placement Program is intended to provide high school students with the opportunity to pursue college-level studies and, if they test sufficiently well, gain actual college credit or placement for that work. In fact, most colleges and universities in the United States and in more than 30 other countries grant incoming students credit, placement, or both according to their AP Exam scores.
SSD Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Many students qualify for extra time to take the AP Spanish Language exam. For information, contact:
College Board Services for Students with Disabilities
PO Box 6226
Princeton, NJ 08541-6226
Phone: (609) 771-7137 Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
TTY: (609) 882-4118
Fax: (609) 771-7944
E-mail: [email protected]
WHATS ON THE EXAM?
The AP Spanish Language exam is divided into two sections. The first section is a 90-minute multiple-choice section that tests listening and reading comprehension. The second section, a free-response section, is approximately100 minutes long and tests the students speaking and writing skills.
Section I. Multiple choice (50% of your grade):
This section is composed of two parts. Part A is the listening comprehension portion of the test. You will listen to a series of dialogues, narratives, and lectures on audio CD. You will then answer questions based on each. Part B is the reading comprehension part of the exam. Students read several passages and answer questions about each.
Section II. Free response (50% of your grade):
Part A of the free-response section consists of four distinct parts.
The first exercise requires the student to read a paragraph and fill in the correct form of the root words that have been provided. The second exercise also requires the student to fill in correct and appropriate words, but the root word is not provided.
The next part of Section II, Part A, is a writing component. The first task, an informal writing task, requires the student to read a prompt and write a response to that prompt. Prompts may require the student to address an e-mail message, a letter, or a postcard, for example. Students are allowed 10 minutes to complete this part.
The last section is the formal writing component. Students are asked to read documents, listen to a related recording, and respond to a writing prompt. Students are allowed 55 minutes to complete this part and their written response should contain at least 200 words.
Part B of the free-response section consists of two distinct parts.
In the first part, the informal component, students are asked to interact with a recorded conversation. There are five or six opportunities for a student to respond and a response can last up to 20 seconds.
The second part, the formal component, requires the student to read one document and listen to a recording. Students then have 2 minutes to prepare for an oral presentation and 2 minutes to answer a question related to the sources.
About the Exam's Spoken Portion
In Section II, Part B of the exam, the student will be required to record all answers on audio tape. For the actual exam you will have either a second recorder provided for you or you will be instructed to replace the test tape with a blank audio tape. You should familiarize yourself with the recording equipment before the exam. If you should make an error while speaking, make the correction. You will score better by correcting yourself than by leaving an error in place.
Studying for Your AP Examination
It is never too early to start studying. The earlier you begin, the more time you will have to sharpen your skills. Do not procrastinate! Cramming is not an effective way to study, since it does not allow you the time needed to review the test material.
It is very important for you to choose the time and place for studying that works best for you. Some students may set aside a certain number of hours every morning to study, while others may choose to study at night before going to sleep. Other students may study during the day, while waiting on a line, or even while eating lunch. Only you can determine when and where your study time will be most effective. But, be consistent and use your time wisely. Work out a study routine and stick to it!
When you take the practice exam(s), try to make your testing conditions as much like those of the actual test as possible. Turn your television and radio off, and sit down at a quiet table free from distraction. Make sure to time yourself.
As you complete the practice test(s), score your test(s) and thoroughly review the explanations for the questions you answered incorrectly. But dont review too much during any one sitting. Concentrate on one problem area at a time by reviewing each question and explanation, and by studying our review(s) until you are confident that you completely understand the material.
Since you will be allowed to write in your test booklet during the actual exam, you may want to write in the margins of this book when practicing. However, do not make miscellaneous notes on your answer sheet. Mark your answers clearly and make sure the answer you have chosen corresponds to the question you are answering.
Keep track of your scores! By doing so, you will be able to gauge your progress and discover general weaknesses in particular sections. You should carefully study the reviews that cover the topics causing you difficulty, as this will build your skills in those areas.
Test-Taking Tips
Although you may be unfamiliar with tests such as the Advanced Placement exams, there are many ways to acquaint yourself with these exams and help alleviate your test-taking anxieties. Listed below are ways to help you become accustomed to the AP exam, some of which may also be applied to other standardized tests as well.
Become comfortable with the format of the AP Examination in Spanish Language. When you are practicing to take the exam, simulate the conditions under which you will be taking the actual test. You should practice under the same time constraints as well. Stay calm and pace yourself. After simulating the test only a couple of times, you will boost your chances of doing well, and you will be able to sit down for the actual test much more confidently.
Know the directions and format for each section of the exam. Familiarizing yourself with the directions and format of the different test sections will not only save you time, but will also ensure that you are familiar enough with the AP exam to avoid nervousness (and the mistakes caused by being nervous).
Read all of the possible answers. Just because you think you have found the correct response, do not automatically assume that it is the best answer. Read through each choice to be sure that you are not making a mistake by jumping to conclusions.
Work on the easier questions first. If you find yourself working too long on one question, make a mark next to it in your test booklet and continue. After you have answered all of the questions that you can, go back to the ones you have skipped.
Use the process of elimination when you are unsure of an answer. If you can eliminate two of the answer choices, you have given yourself a fifty-fifty chance of getting the item correct since there will only be two choices left from which to make a guess. If you cannot eliminate at least two of the answer choices, you may choose not to guess, as you will be penalized one-third of a point for every incorrect answer. Questions not answered will not be counted.
Be sure that you are marking your answer in the circle that corresponds to the number of the question in the test booklet. Since the multiple-choice section is graded by machine, marking the wrong answer will throw off your score.