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AP LATIN

AP Latin Exam – Student Guide

 

 

AP Latin Exam - Exam Overview

             The AP Latin Exam will test your understanding of the Latin literary concepts covered in the course units, as well as your ability to translate Latin texts into English.

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Exam Duration
3hrs

 

Exam Components

Section 1: Multiple Choice - 50 questions |1hr | 50% of Score

             This section tests your understanding of the poetry and prose readings covered in the course, as well as your ability to read at sight. Questions also require you to relate the Latin texts to Roman historical, cultural, and literary contexts.

You’ll see these 4 types of questions:
 

  • Syllabus reading: Vergil (10–12 questions)

  • Syllabus reading: Caesar (10–12 questions)

  • Sight reading: Poetry (13–15 questions)

  • Sight reading: Prose (13–15 questions)
     

Section 2: Free Response - 5 questions | 2hrs | 50% of Score

The two-hour time limit for this section includes a 15-minute reading period. The free-response section includes 3 types of questions:
 

  • 2 translation questions: Vergil (1 passage) and Caesar (1 passage). You’ll be asked to literally translate a short passage from the required readings.

  • 1 analytical essay question: You’ll be given 2 passages in Latin from the required readings and asked to write an essay analyzing their linguistic and literary features through a comparative analysis.

  • 2 short-answer questions: Vergil (1 passage) and Caesar (1 passage). You’ll be given a passage from the required readings and be asked to answer a series of 5–7 questions based on the passage.

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AP Latin Exam – Scoring 

             For the first section (multiple-choice), for every question you answer correctly, you will get one point each. There is no negative marking. It means that even if your answer is wrong or left blank, no points are deducted. 
 

             Next is the free response section. Its scoring system is a bit complicated. Rather than being graded by AI, it is reviewed by AP graders and scored following these guidelines for AP Latin Exam.

            For more information about AP Latin Exam and scoring, you can visit the College Board’s website.

 

AP Latin Exam – Credit 

             Keep in mind, credit and advanced standing based on AP scores vary widely from school to school. Though a score of 3 is typically considered passing, it is not always enough to receive credit. Regulations regarding which APs qualify for course credits or advanced placement depend on the policy that your desired college or university has for AP exams. 
 

 

AP Latin Exam - Study Resources

• College Board Classroom Resources

• AP Latin Vergil Exam (REA Test Preps) 2nd Edition

• Aeneid.co

• Albert.io 

• Dickinson College Commentaries

• Hexameter

• latintutorial

• Project Arkhaia: AP Tiered Readings

 

 

Best Ways to Study for the AP Latin Exam

 

Assess Your Knowledge

             Before you can make a solid study plan, you’ll need to get a good idea of your starting point. The College Board has free-response questions and scoring information from past exams that will be helpful for you.

 

             Start your studying for the exam by taking a practice or diagnostic test. It might seem counterintuitive to dive straight into test-taking when you haven’t even reviewed the material, but the easiest way to narrow in on content areas that need your attention is to get a realistic and objective score through a formative assessment.

 

            Once you’ve taken some kind of diagnostic test, score your answers and make a list of areas that need more studying. Use this list to target content that will shape your studying.

 

Study the Material

             In the case of the AP Latin exam, your studying will focus on four major skills applied to the seven major themes of the course. The skills that you will need to develop are: reading & comprehension, translation, contextualization, and analysis of texts. These skills will be used in the context of the seven themes, which include:

 

  • Literary Genre and Style

  • Roman Values

  • War and Empire

  • Leadership

  • Views of Non-Romans

  • History and Memory

  • Human Beings and the Gods

 

             As you study, you should concentrate in part on vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. These hard skills will make it easier for you to prepare and translate the required Latin readings with accuracy. You will also be required to read and comprehend passages at sight. In order to do so, you will need to be able to get the general gist of selections that are not familiar to you.

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            Practice your critical reading skills, since the exam will test your ability to build clear and coherent arguments supported by evidence from the text. It will also assess your mastery of the many terms that have been devised by scholars and teachers over the years to describe and analyze Latin grammar, syntax, and literary style. 

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             Unlike the case for most AP exams, it is difficult to find a high-quality, commercial study guide that is widely used for the AP Latin exam. There are many relevant study materials available, but few produced specifically for the exam. Look for the ones with good reviews.
 

            You should also take advantage of the materials provided by the College Board. Also look through the vast compilation of study materials listed on the teacher’s AP Latin Web Guide. Finally, a fun and easy way to brush up on your vocabulary and grammar can be through the use of the many apps available on your mobile device. These range widely in price and quality, so be sure to read reviews before downloading one

 

Practice Multiple-Choice Questions

             The multiple-choice portion of your exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions that include both readings from the syllabus and sight reading. Approximately 20 questions will focus on Vergil and Caesar selections from the required readings while about 30 will contain sight readings. As you review questions, keep a running list of vocabulary, grammar, and skills that are still tripping you up. These will be areas for further review when you go back over the materials one last time.

 

Practice Free-Response Questions

             Before you begin practicing for the free-response section of your exam, make sure that you know what to expect on it. The first two free-response questions will be literal translations of required course readings. You will be asked to translate one given selection from the Caesar text and one given selection from the Vergil text as verbatim as possible. Each selection will be approximately five lines long, and you will be provided with any particularly unique vocabulary terms.
 

            The next section of the free response will require you to write an analytical essay based on a selection from the course’s required readings. As you build your argument, you will need to refer specifically to the Latin text by writing it out and/or citing line numbers. You must also translate, accurately paraphrase, or otherwise make clear in your discussion that you understand the Latin that you are using. It is recommended that you spend about 45 minutes on the essay.

 

             The final two sections of the free-response portion will ask you a series of short-answer questions about one selection from Vergil and another selection from Caesar.

            The best way to prepare for the free-response portion of your exam is to practice by using the many  free-response questions and scoring information from past exams.

This should give you a good understanding of what you’ll be expected to perform on this section and how your answers will be evaluated.

 

Task Verbs

 

Pay close attention to the task verbs used in the free-response questions. Each one directs you to complete a specific type of response. Here are the task verbs you’ll see on the exam:
 

  • Analyze: Examine methodically and in detail the structure of the topic of the question, for purposes of explanation and interpretation.

  • Identify/Name or other interrogatory words such as What? Which? Who? Does? Why? Where? Indicate or provide information about a specified topic, without elaboration or explanation.

  • Scan/Mark the scansion: Annotate the metrical pattern of a line of dactylic hexameter.

  • Translate: Render or express Latin text literally into English.

  • Write: Produce a response in writing
     

Take Another Practice Exam

             Though it is difficult to find complete practice tests for the AP Latin exam, you can maximize using the free-response questions and scoring information from past exams.

 

             Try to make as realistic a practice test as you can, then score it with a classmate to identify content areas that need more studying or practice. With your list of areas to review, repeat the steps above to incrementally increase your score.

 

 

Conclusion

             The aim of the AP Latin exam is to test the exam takers if they were able to cultivate their understanding of classics through preparing and translating readings and considering themes in the context of ancient literature as they explore concepts like literary techniques, Roman values, war and empire, leadership, views of non-Romans, history and memory, and human beings and the gods. As an exam taker yourself, your dedication toward preparedness will get you to your goal of passing this exam. Good luck!

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