An instrument designed to estimate a student’s potential performance on the Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Exam. These tools generally incorporate a user’s predicted performance on both the multiple-choice and free-response sections of the exam to generate an overall estimated score. For example, a student might input that they expect to answer 40 out of 60 multiple-choice questions correctly and score an average of 4 out of 6 points on each of the free-response questions; the calculator then uses a predetermined formula to project a final AP score from 1 to 5.
Such assessment tools offer several advantages. They provide students with a preliminary understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to focus their study efforts on areas requiring improvement. Moreover, they can serve as a motivational aid, offering encouragement when projected scores are positive or prompting increased effort when scores fall short of desired targets. Historically, instructors have also utilized these resources to gauge the effectiveness of their teaching strategies and adjust curriculum accordingly.
