AIR: Lesson - The AP English Language Exam: Multiple Choice Section
The AP English Language Exam: Multiple Choice Section
The AP English Language and Composition Exam
In May, AP English Language students from around the world complete the AP English Language and Composition Exam. This is a challenging exam that assesses your ability to dissect texts – many of them argumentative. Thus, it is important to know the elements of argument and how to trace a writer’s line of reasoning when making an argument. You’ve already learned about the AP English Language Argumentative Essay on the exam. Now, let’s take a look at the overall set up of the exam itself.
There are two main sections to the exam:
- The Multiple Choice Section
- The Free Response Section
The Multiple Choice Section
This section of the exam makes up 45% of your AP English Language Exam score. It consists of 45 Multiple Choice questions that should be completed within 1 hour. Of these 45 questions, 20-22 are writing questions that require you to edit a passage for active voice, parallel structure, word choice, and other grammatical errors. Twenty-three to 25 questions are reading questions that ask you to analyze a variety of nonfiction texts. Do note that many of the passages are argumentative in nature and will require knowledge of rhetorical strategies and elements of argument. The modules throughout this course will help you hone the skills needed to do well on the Multiple Choice section of the exam!
The Free Response Section
This section of the exam consists of three essays: the Synthesis Essay, the Rhetorical Analysis Essay, and the Argument Essay. You will have 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete this section of the exam; furthermore, this section makes up 55% of your overall AP English Language Exam score. Many of the activities and assignments throughout this course will prepare you for the kinds of writing you will be expected to master!
Comparing Traditional Multiple Choice with AP
The table below lays out some of the main differences between traditional multiple choice exams and the AP multiple choice exam.
| Type of Test | Traditional Multiple Choice | AP Multiple Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Question Type | Content based | Skill based |
| Time Limit | Variable | 1 hour |
| Number of Questions | Variable | 45 questions |
| Weight of Section | 100% | 45% |
[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION