How I took AP German Exam
A quick Review/Feedback/Description of the Advanced Placement German Language and Culture Exam that I did with very little preparation.
I won't explain some things, so also read How I took TestDaF for some details.
I lived in Austria, so German was my second language and the first one I knew well, hence my intuition and mental models have a very easy time handling German (even though I haven't spoken it for a while). This allowed me to wing a test that would have required ~3 years of intense classes from zero-level. (My experience is representative of a native-speaker-ish student.)
I don't know my score yet, but I expect it to be a 5.
Exam Overview
Most of the stuff below is on Wikipedia and CollegeBoard anyway.
Part | Time | Significance | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Reading MCQ | 40 min | 30 Questions ~23% | Reading articles, normal stuff |
Listening MCQ | 35 min | 35 Questions ~27% | Proctor puts on a CD, and each audio plays twice |
Writing Email | 15 min | 12.5% | Write a reply email |
Writing Argumentative Essay | 55 min | 12.5% (?) | Argumentative Essay based on 3 sources: article, infrographic, audio |
Speaking Conversation | 1+3 min | 12.5% | Pretend to talk with the CD audio |
Speaking "Presentation" | 5+2 min | 12.5% | Talk about a specific culture/theme for 2 minutes |
MCQ
(Multiple Choice Questions with 4 answer choices, and you bubble in the answers on an answer sheet)
Reading is 4 or 5 texts with ~7 questions each. The Course Description PDF has some sample questions, and it is comparable to level 3 or 4 of NGE, a german middle schooler wouldn't have trouble.
Audio is 5 audios (2-3 minute each) with ~7 questions each (no examples I could find.) The proctor puts a CD into a CD player and it goes for 35 minutes. Per audio you get 1 minute to read the questions then it plays once you get 1 minute to answer the question, audio plays a second time, then 15 seconds per question to mark your answers.
Audios are mostly interviews or conversations. But 2 of the 5 audios will have texts (and an extra minute to read them), so a few questions will ask you to compare audio and text on the same topic.
I don't think you are allowed to start reading the next audio's questions when you are done, but you can go look at previous questions.
FRQ
CollegeBoard actually provided Free Response Questions from past years (it provides them for every subject actually.)
The Free Response consists of the question booklet with the materials and empty packet for responses.
Writing Email you are given an email by someone, and you have to reply. Pretty easy, you reply to questions in the email, ask your own on topic, and wrap in boilerplate greeting/closing sentences.
Argumentative Essay given a text, an infographic, and an audio source you have to write an argumentative essay on a specific prompt 1-2 pages. You have to use/discuss all sources so I heavily recommend you see the examples and rubric for this one. You are allowed to go back and edit the email during the essay writing time.
Speaking Conversation are are given some context in the question booklet ("you are meeting a friend in a park"), and you record your voice using a tablet (yes Language Exams use Electronics). Then the CD plays your friend describing some issue and asking you for advice. You have 20 seconds to answer. Typical conversation, with some greeting and progression. I will explain how exactly the answers are recorded a bit later.
Speaking Presentation you are given a prompt and 4 minutes to prepare for a 2 minute "presentation". You have to compare the difference between the cultures of a german speaking country and "some other community/nation." The prompt is like "What Roll do Celebrities play in german culture compared to the USA?"
For FRQs you have to look at examples, it is hard to figure out what they want from you.
Preparations
All resources I found are below.
Reading: If you have taken other Multiple Choice German Exams, the Reading and Audio Multiple choice will be easy. I found some reading samples in here. The text and audio is easier than typical german news but harder than these educational materials. Middle school complexity/difficulty overall. Your (high school-level) ability to read in English will do the heavy lifting here. For me this was the easy part.
In Writing: it is important to use as many synonyms as possible, and avoid using words from the text (if you can).
Email is just boilerplate:
- Greeting followed by a comma.
Sehr geehrte/r Frau/Herr _ ,
<- formal
Guten Tag Frau/Herr _ ,
<- a bit formal
Liebe/r _ ,
<- informal
- "I was waiting for your message"
vielen dank für ihre/deine Antwort/Nachricht.
- Directly answer questions and insert logically relevant information.
- Be creative and make up some details about the situation.
- Ask a question for further conversation.
- Closing sentence
Bei weiteren Fragen bin ich gern für Sie/dich da.
<- formal
Wo wird das Fest stattfinden?
Wir haben uns lange nicht mehr gesehen, und ich vermisse dich schon.
Ich bin am Wochenende frei, und ich würde gerne zu deiner Party gehen.
es freut mich sehr von ihnen/dir zu hören.
Ich werde für ihre/deine Antwort warten.
<- less formal
- Goodbye (no comma after it)
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
<- more formal
Ich würde mich freuen, bald wieder von Ihnen/dir zu hören.
<- less formal
Herzliche Grüße
Alles Liebe
<- less formal
- Don't put a name.
Don't put your name. Because AP wants to be "fair to everybody" you should minimize true information about yourself, because "the name could make the AP-reader biased."
For the argumentative Essay practice writing real ones from previous year's FRQs. It could help to practice essay once in english just to see what words/phrases you use and look up their translations.
You will hear the audio source twice, but practice listening to the audio and taking notes. The audio files in the examples also include instructions which helps with understanding the vibe of the real test.
Skim through student response examples, and pick up some structural and vocab ideas. Memorize conjunctions and comparison words. Here is my, rather unrefined, wordlist:
Anzeige Werbung Artikel Kopie Email Nachricht Brief Angebot
Praktikum Stelle Position Posten
Teil Aspekt Factor Rolle Stück Glied Mittel
Untershiede Wahl Ursahe Vergleich
erlauben ersetzen austauschen abweisen überwältigen beeinflussen betreffen darstellen vergleichen
Sorge sorgen Pflicht benehmen verwirren verwechseln irritieren Ihre
häufig üblich verbreitet ähnlich
Sitzung Zeitraum
Mentor Ratgeber Berater Lehrer Tutor
diskutieren Diskussion Gespräch Besprechung Auseinandersetzung Rat Beratung Meinung
Erfahrung Fächigkeit Entwicklung Verlauf
wertvoll unersatzbar
ankommen eintreffen
Schließlich Allgemein
Zukunft Gegenwart Vergangenheit
Konjunktionen: und oder aber denn beziehungsweise sondern wenn als weil da dass falls ob obwohl damit so bevor nachdem während seit bis außerdem anderseits
Speaking. Listen to the audio prompts in the examples, you have 20 seconds to say something reasonable, use them well. Learn to quickly come up with things to say. Go through sample responses and see for patterns, the FRQs are kinda templated. The first question is usually "Hallo, wie geht es dir?" and the last is "Wann wollen wir uns wieder treffen?"
Find the patterns and prepare some phrases. Pretend to continue the conversation, instead of dry responses, address the other person as you speak as you would naturally. (Practicing in english first could be helpful for coming up with phrases.) A useful phrases are Meiner Meinung nach...
and Ich finde, dass ...
Now the presentation asks about culture differences, and unless you lived in Europe for a while, you are screwed. There are no resources that explain the differences in a clear manner (maybe scroll through this 188 page course description to figure out what they want from you). However there is a way: go on YouTube and find some "why American (consumer) culture is a disaster" they will probably be praising Europe for being green and friendly. Essentially describe European (German) culture through pink glasses and compare it with the disaster that is American culture. Read through the examples, in my opinion all the "facts" mentioned are debatable, so just say something that fits and is a comparison (format they want).
Lastly, get some sleep the night before.
Resources
Because only 5000 students take AP German, there are very few resources available.
In the end your best friends will be Collins, DWDS, TheFreeDictionary, Duden, whatever this ("Wörterbuchnetz") is and good old Google Translate (and maybe LLMs).
Here is every mention of AP German I could find:
Official by CollegeBoard:
- AP Central - AP German Course Description
- AP Students - AP German Course Description
- Classroom Resources (has some stuff for teachers at the bottom)
- Past FRQs AP diligently publishes the FRQs soon after each exam. The ones I messed up are already up. Then other sites:
- AP Students Subreddit's Discord Server has useful links and information.
- Wikipedia Article on AP German
- AP Live Review Sessions and AP Faculty Lectures are the most useful. Taught by teachers with an American accent. There are also AP Daily Videos but you need to be in an AP Classroom course to view them...
- Fiveable paid but seemingly most useful...
- Knowt seems to have some slightly useful flashcards and advice
- Reddit Search Very little helpful information, maybe you will find something.
- Albert.io has a somewhat useful post, but provides materials only to schools and organizations.
I am sure AP German teachers have cheatsheets and study guides somewhere but I couldn't find them.
Last thought: the AP Spanish community is enormous so you should go to them for some general advice.
Please don't pay or register for any online courses, it would be a waste of time and money. You can't learn a language using an online resource, just doesn't work like that.
You either know it or you don't. If you do then the resources I listed will help you adjust to the exam format. If you don't, then go take normal German classes or tutoring.
My Context
In hindsight, I messed up a lot, and should have practiced more. There goes my 5.
I started by going to bed later than I wish I had the night before, and showed up to school at 7:30 in the morning. Luckily for me, my proctor for the day was my cool math teacher. Technically I had AP Physics 1 exam that day, but because I am the only person taking AP German, Physics had to wait instead.
First 2 hours go as any other AP Exam. Writing my name a bunch of times, and listening to the teacher read the mandatory speech instructions I nearly memorized at that point. Then the MCQs, all good all easy, I don't think I missed any of the 65 questions, while proctor was making sure the hardware (CD) was working. I recommend you listen to instructions and don't go to the next questions before instructed.
Then a 10 minute break. (most boring 10 minutes of the test)
Now the FRQ. I unseal the packet, read the instructions for the written portion and start writing (you must use a pen), email was easy, but because I didn't write a single line while preparing for the exam (do not recommend, practice writing) I nearly didn't finish in the 15 minutes allocated. Btw. FRQ space are lined sheets of paper, and you have to bubble the question you are working on, on each page.
Then the argumentative essay. Btw. I think you are allowed to go back and edit the email during essay time. I read the text and the infographic, take some notes for the audio and start writing, 5 minutes before the end I realize I forgot what the prompt was. Somehow I couldn't find the prompt in the instructions so I just finished whatever thoughts I was writing. Probably 4 or 3 of 5 points on this one...
Now the Speaking, portion. I rip the seals off the speaking part packet using a pencil (those seals are that hard to rip open).
I am given an Ipad and enter a bunch of IDs and Codes into it, do the mike checks. Here don't click around even if you think you are smart, I nearly messed up. The Ipad lands on a screen with a voice recorder and a big blue Pause button, you are not supposed to press that button (as often as you might expect.)
When the CD starts, it asks you to unpause and the Ipad records the Entire conversation all 5 parts it records both you and the CD talking. Then you click pause. Here I was finishing in 10 seconds and debating my decision to do so for the other 10.
Then the Presentation question starts. You unpause the recording (both questions will be on the same tape apparently) and record me speaking about differences in culture for 2 minutes. Except I speak for more like 1.5 minutes and silently think to myself for the next 30. Should have prepared a better presentation in the 4 minutes of prep-time. Also I am pretty sure I said Austria instead of Österreich, so learn the true names of the countries you will be talking about (USA is Vereinigte Staaten von America btw.) Then you again pause the recording, click "Stop" click some confirmation, check if the recording recorded properly and submit. Meanwhile school bells were actively trying to sabotage my speeches.
After the proctor said the final speech, I was dismissed.
Do you know whose logo I saw on the Ipad's recording app? Our good old friend ETS (Education Testing Service) which creates all the major standardized tests in the US. It creates the GRE, CLEP and SAT for CollegeBoard and apparently also the AP tests. From ETS' reputation CollegeBoard is probably the sole authority keeping test quality above rockbottom.
Conclusion
For me the hardest part was not accidentally switching to English midway. German speaking countries have good education and high schoolers can speak English relatively fluently. In fact the modern German language is starting to increasingly borrow slang and words from English, making it hard to learn and maintain pure German.
This was a somewhat biased but hopefully helpful description of how I took the AP German Exam, and by advice for people taking it in the future.
If you are a teacher please spread or publish more resources so people like me can find them. I hope I was a useful datapoint for you.
Update: I got a 5 on the exam. Unfortunately Collegeboard doesn't provide any other details, so I don't know how well I did on the different sections.
More learning advice I got from someone: Listen to German podcasts on different popular topics so you will be familiar with listening, conversations, and related vocab.
- very qualified AP German Exam taker
Footnotes
Popularity
According to Wikipedia (read through it, it has curious of info) only ~5000 take AP German Exam every year. (Compared to AP English and AP US History (most popular) which reach ~500 000 students.) Note that the Exams also test "Culture" not just language. Here are other foreign languages for perspective:
Language | Students |
---|---|
Spanish Language | 150 000 |
Spanish Literature | 23 000 |
French | 20 000 |
Chinese | 15 000 |
Latin | 5 000 |
German | 5 000 |
Japanese | 3 000 |
Italian | 2 000 |
Notably there used to be Literature for French and Latin, but they got canceled (2000 and 4000 students). There was also purposed Russian, but it never happened. The exams are hard for non-native speakers. Looking at the testing centers to students ratio most students are solo. Probably why TestDaF had only 7 students taking it. I just found out the NAWL (National Examination for World Languages) by the American Council for International Education they do some Eastern Languages and you do get College Credit for them and there is also CLEP by College Board.