Intelligence and Achievement

Intelligence and Achievement is topic 2.8 of AP Psychology, inside Cognition. This page works through three real practice questions on it, with the full reasoning behind each credited answer.

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49 questionsResearch Methods and Design100% with a figure
Worked examples

Three real intelligence and achievement questions

From the practice pool, not the mock papers — each with the reasoning that produces the answer.

100% of them come with a figure. Reading the graph or diagram correctly is most of the work here before any content knowledge applies.

73% test a single AP skill: Research Methods and Design. That makes this topic unusually predictable to prepare for.

Research Methods and Design · with figure

A school gives the same reasoning test to a group of students in September and again in October. The two sets of scores are very similar for most students. Which property of the test is most directly supported?

  1. AContent validity, because the test samples every possible academic skill.
  2. BRandom assignment, because students were placed into score groups by chance.
  3. CReliability, because the scores are consistent across administrations.correct
  4. DExperimenter bias, because the researchers changed the answer key.
Why C is correct

The evidence concerns consistency, which is reliability.

reliability is the mechanism that makes "A school gives the same reasoning test to a group of students in September and again in October." coherent. The credited option, "Reliability, because the results are consistent across administrations", is supported because Consistent results across time support test-retest reliability. "Experimenter bias, because the researchers changed the answer key" is a real-looking alternative, but There is no evidence that researchers changed answer logic; "Content validity, because the test samples every possible academic skill" also fails because The scenario does not show whether the test covers the full construct. The aim is to connect the concrete evidence to the psychological mechanism, then reject choices that shift the process, time frame, or research logic away from the scenario pattern.

Research Methods and Design · with figure

A test-preparation study gives practice exams in different orders so that no passage always appears first. Which control is being used?

  1. APlacebo control
  2. BCase study
  3. CCounterbalancingcorrect
  4. DNaturalistic observation
Why C is correct

The design prevents a fixed order from explaining results.

counterbalancing is the mechanism that makes "A test-preparation study gives practice exams in different orders so that no passage always..." coherent. The credited option, "Counterbalancing", is supported because Changing order across participants helps control order effects. "Case study" is a real-looking alternative, but No single person is examined in depth; "Naturalistic observation" also fails because The procedure deliberately arranges test order. The aim is to connect the concrete evidence to the psychological mechanism, then reject choices that shift the process, time frame, or research logic away from the scenario pattern.

Data Interpretation · with figure

A testing table reports correlations between three practice measures and final score. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. AVocabulary drills have the strongest association.
  2. BAll three associations are equal.
  3. CThe table proves practice tests cause final scores.
  4. DMixed practice has the strongest association.correct
Why D is correct

The supported conclusion compares the correlation coefficients.

Intelligence and Achievement reasoning here starts with "A testing table reports correlations between three practice measures and final result." and asks what mechanism fits. The credited option, "Mixed practice has the strongest association", is supported because A correlation of 0.62 has the largest magnitude among the listed values. "The table proves practice tests cause final results" is a real-looking alternative, but Correlation alone does not establish causation; "Vocabulary drills have the strongest association" also fails because A correlation of 0.18 is the smallest listed value. The aim is to connect the concrete evidence to the psychological mechanism, then reject choices that shift the process, time frame, or research logic away from the table pattern.

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Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Topic and unit names follow the College Board course framework. Question counts describe the PrepScore practice bank, not the exam.
Same unit
Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision-Making58 questionsEncoding Memories42 questionsForgetting and Other Memory Challenges33 questionsPerception32 questionsIntroduction to Memory30 questions

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