AP exams are right around the corner and for the first time, students will experience a digital exam. For AP Calculus AB and BC and AP Precalculus, students will view all questions on a computer screen, submit answers to multiple choice questions online, and write their responses to the free response questions on blank pages in an exam booklet provided by the exam proctors.
The platform through which students will complete the exams is called Bluebook, which some students may already be familiar with from taking the digital SAT. As with any new process, it’s best to walk through the platform so you can get a feel for what the students will experience on exam day. We’ve done just that and have summarized some of the main features in the video below. You can show the video to your students during class or assign it as homework to help prepare them for the new digital experience. Keep reading after the video for a description of the features discussed in the video.
AP Precalculus Video
AP Calculus Video
Test Taking Experience
When students begin each section of the exam, a timer will count down in the top middle of the page. In the directions before the exam, students are told that the timer will turn RED when there are 5 minutes remaining with no announcements from the proctor.
Students will not be able to move on to the next section until the entire room is finished. If a student needs to use the restroom, they can choose “Unscheduled Break” in the menu options to pause their exam. The timer will continue counting down during that time, and students will not receive extra time to make up for their break.
Features for All Digital Exams
Mark for Review: If students get stuck on a question and want to come back to it, they can hit “Mark for Review” to flag the question. When they click the Review Questions button at the bottom of the screen, it will show a flag next to the questions they’ve marked.
Highlights & Notes: In the top right corner of the screen, students can choose “Highlights & Notes.” When they drag their cursor across a word or phrase, it will highlight the text in yellow, blue, or pink. They can also underline any word or phrase. There is a trash can icon that will remove any unintended highlights or underlines. In addition, students can choose to add a note to the side.
However, it is important to note (pun intended) that the review of all questions screen doesn’t show when notes are added. We recommend students hit the “Mark for Review” flag if they add a note so it will show up when they look at the screen with all questions.
Cross out answer choices: If students choose the ABC with a slash icon, then they can cross out answer choices they know are incorrect. This is a great test taking strategy that you can practice with the students throughout the year.
Line Reader: For questions with a lot of text, students can choose the Line Reader feature from the More section. This will put a black box around everywhere except one horizontal line, which will help students who need support with reading comprehension.
Features for AP Precalculus and AP Calculus
The biggest addition to the AP Calculus and AP Precalculus platforms is the embedded Desmos calculator. This calculator looks and feels exactly like the graphing calculator in Desmos. Students can expand it to make it larger and move it around the screen. They can graph any function, change the graph window, and quickly identify points of intersection or relative extrema. They will also be able to use the calculator function to evaluate expressions and make calculations. It is worth noting that while the Desmos embedded calculator is available for students to use, they are also allowed to bring a handheld calculator with which they may be more familiar.
