Psychology is a fascinating area of study and is often not given enough credit when it comes to the complexities of the subject. Whether you are considering psychology as a major in your future college career, want to get ahead of that “Intro to Psych” course, or you are simply interested in the subject, AP® Psychology is a great addition to an Advanced Placement resume. The course’s purpose is not only to introduce you to the study of behavioral and mental processes but also to expose you to the various subfields of psychology and the ethics and methods behind the science.
The AP® Psychology exam is similar to many of the other Advanced Placement exams; it comprises of both multiple choice and free response questions. In this article, “How to Approach the AP® Psychology Multiple Choice Questions”, we will review how to prepare for the multiple choice questions to get the highest score possible.
If you’re looking for our extensive list of AP® Psychology tips, click here. If you’re looking for references for what AP® Psychology review books are best, see here.
What is the Format of the AP® Psychology Exam?
There are 100 multiple choice questions on the AP® Psychology exam that test a wide range of topics covered in your AP® Psychology course. The AP® Psychology multiple choice questions are designed to test your ability to apply skills such as comparison and interpretation to the various topics covered in AP® Psychology, including theories and scientific methods. Scores for the multiple-choice section are based on a number of questions answered correctly, and points are not deducted for incorrect answers.
Why is the AP® Psychology Multiple-Choice Section Important?
The 100 AP® Psychology multiple choice questions comprise 66.6% of your final score on the exam. Many students spend time worrying about the straight recall of the Free Response Questions and feel that they will do better with the ability to use recognition with the multiple choice questions. While this could be realistic for some students, it is important to remember that the multiple choice is worth two-thirds of the total exam score so how well you do on them is a huge factor on how well you do on the exam.
For example, in released scoring guidelines of both the 2004 and 2007 AP® Psychology exams, of the students who got 88 to 100 multiple choice questions correct, just over 99% of them received a 5. Those who didn’t get a 5, got a 4 instead. Across both exams, the next set down is extremely similar as well. For students who got 73 to 87 questions right, over 50% of them received a 5 and over 40% of them received a 4. On the other hand, of the students who got 0-29 multiple choice questions right on either of the exams, 100% of them received a 1. On average, the majority of students receive a score of 3 or higher (considered a passing score) on the total exam, including the multiple choice and free response questions.
What Content is Covered in the Multiple-Choice Section of the AP® Psychology Exam?
As listed by CollegeBoard, there are 14 main topics covered within the entirety of the AP® Psychology course. You should expect to receive a variety of multiple choice questions from each section; however, CollegeBoard does specify the percentage that each topic will show up in the exam. The full list of subjects, which should correspond to your textbook in some way, are: history and approaches (2-4%), research methods (8-10%), biological bases of behavior (8-10%), sensation and perception (6-8%), states of consciousness (2-4%), learning (7-9%), cognition (8-10%), motivation and emotion (6-8%), developmental psychology (7-9%), personality (5-7%), testing and individual differences (5-7%), abnormal behavior (7-9%), treatment of abnormal behavior (5-7%), and social psychology (8-10%).
You can see that sections such as biological bases of behavior, cognition, and social psychology have the largest percentages expected on the exam, with learning, developmental psychology, and abnormal behavior coming right afterward. Other sections such as history and approaches and states of consciousness may only appear in a small portion of the multiple choice questions.
How to Prepare for AP® Psychology’s Multiple-Choice
The AP® Psychology exam is, admittedly, a long exam. 100 multiple choice questions is not an easy task, but it still possible for any student. You would not be in the AP® Psychology course if you couldn’t handle a test of this caliber. It is still possible to exceed even your own expectations on the multiple choice questions and get a lot of them right.
Have a firm grasp on as many definitions as you can handle. You can purchase flashcards to avoid making an unbelievable stack, or as you go throughout the year make flashcards per chapter. But, definitions are important for the multiple choice section and will help you get through many of them.
With that being said, don’t start reviewing and studying for AP® Psychology the night before. The best practice is to start at least several weeks before the exam and review some concepts and terms every night. With repeated practice, you will be able to memorize more information better than if you started a night or two before.
Understand how definitions and concepts fit into the various psychological perspectives. In order to achieve a better score, it’s important to understand how the different concepts and topics of psychology relate to each other, which will help you on the FRQs as well as the multiple choice section.
Understand research methods. You may be asked a question regarding some sort of statistical test or research method and if you didn’t take the time to review the research methods portion of your course you won’t be able to remember it. Many times one of the two FRQs will also feature some aspect of a research study that you need to interpret or analyze.
Determine where your problem areas are. A great way to do this is by going back and reviewing old tests from your AP® Psychology course; which test did you do the worst on? What type of multiple choice questions did you have difficulty with? When you can determine this, you can figure out where you need to spend the most time studying and reviewing. If you passed with flying colors on abnormal psychology, then you may just need to review it. If you just barely passed social psychology, then you may need to pay it more attention.
How to Answer AP® Psychology Multiple-Choice Questions?
When you approach the AP® Psychology exam multiple choice section, it’s important to make good use of your time and be aware of the time restraints that you have. A particularly useful practice is to wear a watch during the exam so that you may check the time at your own pace; for some people it is comforting for them to know that at any point they can check exactly how much time is left.
When you are answering questions, remember that the people who make the exam don’t expect that everyone will know the correct answer to every single question. So, when you approach a question that you are unsure of or even if you have no idea what the answer is, mark it and come back to it later. Go through and answer all the questions you are certain of or can make an educated guess on first, and when you finished with those and are aware of how much time you have left, go back to the unanswered questions. It’s also important to not leave any question blank; points won’t be deducted for incorrect questions so even if you are making a complete guess on a question, put in an answer anyway. Pay attention to questions that are on similar topics, sometimes a different question about a similar topic can either give you a piece of information you forgot or help spark an answer to another multiple choice question you may have been previously unsure about.
When you have answered all the multiple choice questions, go back and review your answers. You won’t be able to move onto the free response section until the 70 minutes are up anyway, so if you have spare time you should make use of it. Go back to check your answers, and to make sure they are correctly recorded on the scantron.
What are AP® Psychology Multiple-Choice Questions Like?
A great way to practice for the AP® Psychology multiple choice is through practice. CollegeBoard has two AP® Psychology exams that are released complete with answer guides in order for you to have access to full tests to practice with. Here are some examples of multiple choice questions that could show up on the exam:
In Sigmund Freud’s view, the role of the ego is to
- make the individual feel superior to others
- make the individual feel inferior to others
- mediate among the id, the superego, and reality
- serve the demands of the unconscious
- serve the demands of the superego.
The correct answer is C, mediate among the id, the superego, and reality. The best way to answer this question is to understand the relationship between the parts of the unconscious in Sigmund Freud’s theories.
The most distinctive characteristic of the experimental method is that it
- studies a few people in great depth
- studies subjects in their natural environment
- is an efficient way to discover how people feel
- seeks to establish cause-effect relationships
- provides a chronological basis for reaching conclusions
The correct answer is D, seeks to establish cause-effect relationships. The experimental method allows for you to determine cause and effect relationships.
The role of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is to
- facilitate the body’s fight-or-flight response
- prepare the body to cope with stress
- promote rapid cognitive processing
- prompt the body to use its resources in responding to environmental stimuli
- establish homeostasis after a fight-or-flight response.
The correct answer is E, establish homeostasis after a fight-or-flight response.
How can I Practice AP® Psychology Multiple Choice?
Well, there you have it–everything you need to know about the AP® Psychology exam’s multiple choice questions. 100 multiple choice questions can feel very overwhelming, but you wouldn’t be in the course if you couldn’t handle it. The best strategy to doing well on the test is to come in prepared, whether that’s through flashcards or re-reading your notes, or just remembering to bring a watch to the test!
If you are unsure of where to begin with studying, our One Month Study Guide is a good place to start to set yourself up with a plan. If you need additional help on review approaches, check out our post on 5 Approaches to AP® Psychology Review! Good luck on the exam!
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