There are a number of guides online and in your AP Exam Review books that breakdown the scoring of the AP exam for you. However, what I wanted to do here is explain some of the confusion that is found in their explanations.
Every year the test is revised and new questions are entered and others taken away, but the College Board attempts to keep the difficulty level of the test (questions) relatively the same. However, the questions often surprise students and teachers of these courses, which can lead to a discrepancy in scores from one year to the next. The purpose of the 5-point scale is to ensure that the scores reflect the same performance level regardless of the year the test was taken. There is a statistical equation the College Board uses to calculate this number from your raw score on both the multiple-choice and short response questions.
The raw score for your test is much easier to explain and understand.
Every correctly answered multiple-choice question is worth 1 point, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers. With that being said, it would benefit you, with those questions you are unsure of an answer, to reduce the number of possible answers through the use of "word math," and then choose between the remaining options (usually only two). This portion of the test is worth 50 percent of your entire score and there are 75 questions.
The short response questions are the reminder of test and consist of the other 50 percent of your total score. Each question is broke down into 7 points. The first point usually consist of an identifying a key word/concept and defining it. The next section is typically worth 2 points and consist of identifying an example and explaining the importance (1 point for identifying, 1 point for explaining). The last part consist of 4 points and consist of two parts in which you will need to provide an example, or identify one, and discuss the importance of it. All of the above points are not hard rules, they are just the general guidelines and the test is likely to deviate from the pattern in at least one of the questions. Your goal is to answer is portion to the best of your ability, and ensure you completely read the requirements for each section.
I hope this short explanation has been useful for you, but if you still have questions about the scoring please comment or ask in class!
