Episode 1 breaks down the 2 hour exam into its two parts.The apsolute recap is here to get you familiar with which sections are multiple choice
Episode 1 breaks down the 2 hour exam into its two parts.The apsolute recap is here to get you familiar with which sections are multiple choice (1:00), free response questions (1:47), sight singing (2:35), or questions with a recording. With insights on time management, resource recommendations and study tips (3:30), this first episode is certainly not one to miss!
Question of the day: Can you list the lines and spaces for the alto clef? (5:53)
Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Music Theory Edition!
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Hi and welcome to the APsolute Recap: Music Theory Edition. Today’s episode will recap the exam structure and provide an overview of what to expect on the actual day.
Let’s zoom out: The AP Music Theory exam is just about 2 hours long - I know, that’s a long time to take a test. The exam is designed to highlight the four big ideas covered in the eight units of the course: pitch, rhythm, form and musical design. You will see these ideas intertwined throughout the exam, as no one section focuses solely on one idea. The exam is split into two main sections, each divided again into subsections.
Let’s zoom in:
The first half of the exam- the multiple choice questions. It counts for 45% of your score and is done in about 80 minutes. Which means that half of the time you are testing, you are answering multiple choice questions. The multiple choice questions are split into two subsections- aural and nonaural. The aural multiple choice questions will require listening to a recording, and amounts to just over half of the total multiple choice questions. Luckily, since there is a significant portion of the exam that is timed with a recording, you will have some of the test paced out for you. However, that means you won’t have as much freedom to go back and double check questions. You need to think, but you also need to hustle. If you are placed properly in the multiple choice section of the exam, you are taking approximately 60 seconds to answer each question in the multiple choice section.
The second section is split into FRQs, or free response questions and sight singing questions. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of the 70 minute FRQ section, which counts as another 45% of your score. The first 25 minutes will be taken with a timed recording and cover two melodic and two harmonic dictations. The remaining 45 minutes will be spent on part writing from figured bass, part writing from Roman Numerals, and harmonization of a melody. You may think to allot 15 minutes for each of those three FRQs, but I would suggest 10 minutes for each of the part writing questions, and 20 for the harmonization of a melody as that may take more time. If you finish that third section early, you can go back and edit the final three FRQs.
The last 10 minutes of the second section is allotted for two sight-singing questions, which are conducted with a recording.
This section is counted as 10% of your overall score. Get comfortable singing all the time, whether it be for yourself, for your family, or for your cat, you just have to get cozy with it! Your voice is one of the best tools you have for learning music theory, and it is always with you. Never fear, you will not be expected to have perfect pitch for the exam, but you can certainly aim for pretty good pitch!
As students, you’ve taken many tests with multiple choice questions in the past - so what makes an AP exam any different? Well, it’s harder - but you can do it. The best advice any musician would give you is to practice, so why would it be any different for music theory? You would practice tricky measures over and over and then place them back into the piece and play it as a whole. Do the same with your studying. Practice the trickier sections, but also put it in context.
One of the ways you should be practicing for the exam is practicing melodic dictation with varying degrees of difficulty and time allotment. For melodic dictations, start with short, simple melodies with unlimited repetitions and work toward what will be the exam, a longer melody played four times. Not to worry, this is where the APsolute RecaAP comes to the rescue. Throughout the year we will release dictation episodes, each increasing in difficulty to prepare you for the exam.
When you are practicing dictations, FRQs, multiple choice, or sight singing, challenge yourself. Try to complete them just over the pace you need, then at the pace you need, and then to really challenge yourself in those last few weeks leading up to the exam, work on finishing at a faster pace than necessary. On the day of the exam, you will be allowed to bring in a watch. But this has to be a traditional, non smartphone style watch. Having a watch on your wrist while you are practicing will allow you to feel more comfortable using this as a pacing guide on the day of the exam.
Knowing this information is only a piece of this puzzle. But here at the APsolute RecAP, we will ensure that you feel comfortable not only with the content, but also with the skills necessary to be successful on the exam.
I’m going let you in on a secret. The information that your teachers have, you can have too. The CED, or course exam description, is a PDF document that is released by the College Board and readily available online. I encourage you to download this document. In it, it will have practice questions, layouts of the exam, as well as an overview of all eight units that you will be expected to study.
Remember, the AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5, with 5 as the highest score. One great resource is the AP Classroom found on the apcentral website. This platform provides daily practice and instant feedback, which can help you gauge how ready you are for all of the information coming up for your exam. Once you’ve completed your progress checks, you’ll have a better understanding of what you still need to study. That's where the APsolute Recap Music Theory edition comes in.
To recap:
The Music Theory exam consists of two sections. The first, a multiple choice section, is about 80 minutes long and contains between 73-77 questions. Part 1 is 45% of your score. The second section of FRQs and sight singing is 80 minutes and 9 questions. Part 2 is 55% of your score. AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5.
Coming up next on the Apsolute RecAP Music Theory Edition: Rhythmic Patterns
Today’s Question of the day is about note identification
Question: Can you list the lines and spaces for the alto clef?