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These question-answering strategies can help you raise your AP score.

Carefully read the question.

Before reading the answer choices try to answer the question yourself.

Drawing a picture can help.

Don't spend a lot of time on one question.

The answer can be approximated by rounding.

You should be consistent from one part of your answer to another.

If there is a need to draw a graph.

Don't write more if the question can be answered with one word or number.

Tell why if a question asks how.

We hope that with a little background and a few tips, you can improve your scores on this important part of the AP Chemistry exam.

There are three important parts to a multiple-choice question. Sometimes this comes in the form of a blank statement.

The mass number of an atom is the sum of two numbers.

This is the only one that can complete the statement or respond to the question in the stem. You will choose this option many, many times because you have purchased this book.

The incorrect answers were intended to distract anyone who didn't purchase the book. You can find this person in the exam room if you look for the individual who is hitting his or her forehead on the desktop.

Students who do well on multiple-choice exams are so well prepared that they can easily find the correct answer, but other students do well because they are perceptive enough to avoid the distracters. There is a lot of research done on how to study for multiple-choice questions. Some of this research can be found by using your favorite Internet search engine, but here are a few tips that many chemistry students find useful.

You have to read the question carefully. You would be surprised how difficult those test developers can be. The use of a negative can throw a student if they rush past and fail to see.

They are not made of metal.

The monatomic anions have a -1 charge.

Solids, liquids, or gases can be found in their standard states.

Positive oxidation states may be adopted by all.

The noble gases are on the periodic table.

You need to be very careful with the wording. You have to answer the correct question.

Do not add your name to the list if you make this type of mistake.

Many people find success when they read the question carefully and visualize the correct answer. The person can narrow the search for the correct option and identify the distracters. The visualization tip is useful for students who have used the book to thoroughly review the chemistry content.

The relationship between pressure and volume was discovered by Robert Boyle.

You should know what the answer is before you look at the options. You can find that option, and then confirm to yourself that the others are wrong.

Words such as "never" and "always" are not acceptable. It is not the correct choice if these words are in it.

There are no interactions between the particles.

The particles are always small.

If you can think of any situation where the statements in (a) and (b) are not true, distracters can be eliminated as valid choices.

It's exam day and you're going to have a very difficult test on its ear. The first question looks like a no-brainer. The answer is 7. You doubt yourself when you don't smile at the satisfaction that you know the answer.

Before you guess, try to eliminate at least one answer. Pick what you think is the best answer. Don't leave an answer blank because you are not punished for guessing.

A quick sketch in the margins of your test book can answer many questions. You paid for that test book, so you should use it.

The answer to these types of questions requires two ingre dients. You can draw a graph in the margin.

Skip the question if you don't know the answer immediately. 90 seconds per question is what you have. Even if you don't finish all the questions, you can still get a good grade on the test. If you spend too much time on a question, you may get it correct, but if you go on, you may get several questions correct in the same amount of time. The more questions you read, the more likely you are to find the answers. By practicing, you can help yourself on this timing.

If you try to follow certain times, you will learn how to pace yourself automatically.

Each of the 60 questions takes about 90 seconds.

As you pass the halfway point, keep an eye on your watch. If you're running out of time and you have a few questions left, it's a good idea to skim them for the easy ones so that the rest of your time can be devoted to those that need a little extra reading or thought.

Don't try to outthink the test. Do not overanalyze the multiple-choice questions. Pick the simplest answer if you find yourself doing this. If you know the answer to a difficult question, give yourself credit for preparing well, but don't think that it's too easy and that you missed something. There are a lot of questions on the exam.

As a last resort, you should change answers. If you mark your test, you can come back to a questionable problem later. Make sure you have a reason for changing the answer when you come back to the problem.

The extra half of a second is needed to fill in the bubbles.

Don't smudge anything. If it's smudgy, ask for another.

If you are bubbling the same line on the answer sheet as you are answering, that's a positive sign. You should double-check that you are lined up correctly every time you turn the page.

The free-response part of the AP Chemistry exam takes 105 minutes to complete. There will be seven free-response questions for two dif ferent types. There will be three long type questions. You can spend a maximum of 25 minutes per question on these three. You will be given some information, and then you will have a lot of questions to answer related to that stem. Most of the questions will be unrelated to each other. You could have a lab question, an equilibrium constant question, and so on. The questions are related to the original stem. The short type will be one of the types of free-response questions. Allow 10 minutes per question.

There are a number of questions that are fair game in the free-response section. One category is quantitative. You might be asked to analyze a graph or a set of data. In many cases you will have to perform calculations.

Some of the questions will refer to a laboratory setting.

There are two types of lab questions: analysis of observations/ data and the design of experiments. In the first type, you might be given a set of data, and then required to use it to determine the order of reaction and/or the rate constant. In the second type, you might be asked to design a laboratory procedure that uses equipment and reagents to accomplish a task, such as separation of metal ion in a mixture. You don't have to use all of the equipment if you use the equipment given.

There are three categories of questions on the exam.

You could be asked to take one and convert it to another or to choose a representation that is most useful in describing certain observations.

There is no room for guessing in this section, as you can guess on a multiple-choice question and have a 1/6 chance of getting the correct answer. There are some tips you can use to improve your scores.

You can organize your responses around the different parts of the question. Make your answer easy to find and read. It helps the reader to see where you are going. Helping the reader can never hurt. Which leads to a related tip. Even the most levelheaded and unbiased reader has trouble keeping his or her patience.

There are several parts to the free-response questions.

It can be frightening to look at an eight-part question. Even if you don't answer the first part correctly, you can still get points because the questions are graded. Even if it is consistently wrong, you must be consistent. You might be asked to draw a graph showing a phase diagram. The triple point, critical point, normal boiling point, and vapor pressure are all determined by the appearance of your graph. Let's say you draw a graph and label it wrong. You are not going to get that point.

There are some points that need an explanation. A garbled paragraph of explanation can be saved with a perfect graph that tells the reader the answer to the question. This doesn't work in reverse.

Readers call these points "graphing points" and they can't be earned with a well-written paragraph. If you are asked to draw a Lewis structure, certain points will be awarded for the picture and only the picture. A delightfully written and accurate paragraph of text won't get you graphing points. You have to label graphs clearly. If lines and points are not clearly identified, some of the points will not be awarded.

There are some parts of a question where you are asked to identify something. This type of question requires a quick piece of analysis that can be answered in a single word or number. If you give a single word or number, that point will be given. A table that shows how a reaction rate varies with concentration can be given to you. The correct rate is 2. If you write a novel that ends with two, you will get the point, but you have wasted time.

If you surround the right answer to a question with a paragraph of chemical wrongness, you will get the point, so long as you say the magic word. A direct contradiction of the right answer is the only exception. If you were asked to identify the maximum concentration, you could spend a paragraph describing how the temperature may change the solubility of the gases and then say the answer is two. You said it was the magic word. The point will not be given if you say that the answer is two, but also four, but on Mondays it is six.

You might be asked to explain how effective nuclear charge affects the atomic radius. You may have only received one of two possible points if you say that theatomic radius decreases. You can get the second point if you say that the effective nuclear charge has increased.

There are a lot of long (multipart) questions in the free-response questions. You should go on to the next part if you don't fully understand one part of the question. The parts are usually stand-alone. You won't be punished for the same mistake a second time if you make a mistake in one part.

You can mentally outline your response by spending 1-2 minutes reading the question. You should spend the next few minutes outlining your response. You should answer the question for about 15 minutes.

It's a common mistake to over answer. A limited number of points is what the question is worth. You won't get more points if your answer is twice as long. You won't have time to spend on the rest of the test. Your answers should go directly to the point. There should be no extraneous material in your answer.

A maximum of one to three points is the maximum for the free-response questions. You will get a set number of points. You have to try to answer each part. If you double the length of the answer to another part, you can't compensate for leaving one part blank.

The grader should be able to find the answer to each part. This will help you get all the points you deserve. You will get a full page for your answer. Multiple pages will be available for the answer to the questions.

You aren't expected to use all of these pages. The extra pages may be due to the physical length of the test. There is a number of pages in the booklet.

They can point to parts of the question that you may need to revisit. It's not necessary to have a detailed outline, just a few words to organize your thoughts. Refer back to the question as you make the outline, it will take care of any loose ends. You don't want to miss anything. The answer to the question can be written in an outline. A well-written response makes it easier for the grader to understand your answer and give you all the points you deserve.

It is not counted against you if you say something that is wrong. Try to say something. This will give you a chance to get some credit. Don't try to make up something you already said. If you say something and then change it later, there will be doubt.

Don't try to outthink the test. There will always be an answer. "no reaction" will not be a choice in the reaction question. Pick the simplest answer if you find yourself doing this. If you know the answer to a difficult question, give yourself credit for preparing well, and don't think that it is too easy. There are a lot of questions on the exam.

It's possible that you didn't perform a certain experiment, so make sure to review any unfamiliar ones.

It is important to know the name of the equipment used in the experiment and how it is used properly. The correct use of a buret involves reading the liquid meniscus.

The initial and final temperatures are measured.

The AP exam has appro priate equations. Know which ones will be useful in the experiment. Simple calculations can be used in each experiment. moles from grams, temperature conver sions, and so on are included in these calculations.

When you actually begin to respond, use this time to write down some quick notes to yourself, so that when you do, you will have a nice start.

The questions are written logically.

Abbreviations are friends. abbreviations for chemical variables and graphical curves can be used to save time. You will get better at their use with practice. There are a number of abbreviations in the test information. Define any other abbreviations you use.