Lesson 3: MCQ Study Plan

You’ve likely taken many big exams before, such as another AP exam or an end-of-quarter or end-of-year exam. We’re going to identify all the strategies, tools, and resources we can use to be successful on the AP CSA exam and even other exams like it.

Do This: Give each student 5-10 sticky notes.

Do This: Click through the animated slide to prompt students to write ideas for a strong study plan. Students should write down one idea per sticky note.

Do This: Have students sort their sticky notes into three different categories around the room:

• Qualities of an effective study plan
• Differences between effective and ineffective study plans
• Tools, resources, activities, or actions to help them study

This brainstorm becomes a resource later in the lesson when students are creating their study plans. Students do not need to review ideas from other students.

You completed a multiple-choice pre-assessment in the previous lesson. We will take a few minutes to review your results. By reviewing which topics you performed well on and which are areas for improvement, you can effectively study for the CSA exam.

Do This: Explain the AP CSA scoring structure and curve.

Distribute: Give each student a copy of the MCQ Pre-Assessment Scoring Reflection handout.

Do This: Direct students to review their results on the Multiple-Choice Pre-Assessment and complete the MCQ Pre-Assessment Scoring Reflection handout.

Some students may be disheartened by their results. Emphasize that the pre-assessment helps them identify their strengths and areas for improvement to determine how to prepare for the AP CSA Exam. It’s okay if they didn’t score as well as they hoped - they have time to improve.

Discuss: Click through the animated slide to display the prompts.

• Which topics or subtopics do you feel most confident?
• Which topics or subtopics did you miss most often?
• Were your results surprising to you?

Discussion Goal: Students should identify common topics and subtopics that they missed. Students identify that they have both strengths and areas for improvement and share any aspects of their results they found surprising.

No matter what your score, the goal of the pre-assessment was to help you identify some topics or subtopics that you would like to spend more time practicing before the exam.

Now that we’ve spent some time identifying our strengths and areas for improvement, it’s time to create your own study plan for the AP CSA exam!

Do This: Give each student a copy of the MCQ Study Plan handout.

Do This: Have students reflect on their mastery of the content to self-identify their areas of highest need. This process has three parts:

• Recording their assessment data from the practice exam
• Identifying any subtopics they would like to spend additional time with
• Self-rating their current level of mastery for each of the ten College Board units

Do This: Click through the animated slide to demonstrate how to record assessment data from the multiple-choice pre-assessment in the appropriate box for each topic.

If students have completed Progress Checks or other quizzes on AP Classroom, encourage them to record that data as well.

Do This: Click through the animated slide to demonstrate how to identify subtopics to focus on:

• Students read through subtopics listed for each topic.
• Students check any topic they would like to review further.

This study plan also includes a mastery tracker for each unit covered on the AP CSA Exam. This tracker is a tool you can use to track your mastery of the content covered under each topic. Mastery tracking will help you increase confidence, boost motivation, and mentally prepare for the exam.

Do This: Click through the animated slide to demonstrate how to use the mastery tracker.

You can build in regular check-in times for students to self-assess mastery. You can also use a shared class mastery tracker for specific topics.

Finally, it’s time for us to make an actionable plan to build mastery in topics we might not feel as confident about right now.

Do This: Click through the animated slide to demonstrate how to use the study plan table on pages 7-8 of the MCQ Study Plan handout.

Do This: Have students add topics and subtopics to their MCQ Study Plan handout.

Some students may find it beneficial to work in pairs or small groups to think through how they’d like to study and complete their planner. Consider offering students the option to choose between working individually, in pairs, or in groups of 3-4 with the expectation that all students will have their own individual plan.

Encourage students to think of how they plan on spending time outside of class to study for the AP CSA Exam.

While we will continue to review and practice as a class, your study plan should guide how you prepare for the AP CSA Exam outside of class as well.

Distribute: Give each student a sticky note.

Do This: Have students write down their needs on their sticky note.

Collect and review these to identify resources or supports students may need as they prepare for the AP CSA exam.