Put your exploration of U.S. History to the test—and possibly gain college
credit in the process—with the AP U.S. History Exam. The exam tests knowledge
of U.S. History from the first European explorations of the Americas up through
modern times. Exam topics include political institutions and behavior, public
policy, social and economic change, diplomacy and international relations, and
cultural and intellectual developments.
The three-hour-and-five-minute exam has two sections: a 55-minute
multiple-choice and a 130-minute free-response section. The multiple-choice
questions are designed to test your factual knowledge, breadth of preparation,
and knowledge-based analytical skills. The essay questions give you the chance
to demonstrate your mastery of historical interpretation and your ability to
express your views and knowledge in writing.
There are 80 multiple-choice questions on the AP U.S. History Exam. To
score a grade of 3 or above, you need to answer about 60 percent of the
multiple-choice questions correctly—and write acceptable essays in the
free-response section.
About one-sixth of the multiple-choice questions deal with the period
through 1789, one-half cover 1790-1914, and one-third cover 1915 to the present
including questions on events since 1980.
Within those time periods, 35 percent of the questions are on political
institutions, behavior, and public policy; 35 percent are about social changes;
approximately 15 percent of the remaining questions cover diplomacy and
international relations; 10 percent cover economic developments; and 5 percent
are about intellectual developments. A substantial number of the social and
economic history questions deal with such traditional topics as the impact of
legislation on social groups and the economy, or the pressures brought to bear
on the political process by social and economic developments. As you
The bulk of the questions focuses on the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. The questions in the multiple-choice section are designed to test
students
Students often ask whether they should guess on the multiple-choice
questions. Haphazard or random guessing is unlikely to improve scores because
one-fourth of a point is subtracted from the score for each incorrect answer.
(No points are deducted for a blank answer.) But if you have some knowledge of
the question and can eliminate one or more answers, it
The free-response section covers the period from the first European
explorations of the Americas to 1980. The section has three parts. Part A has
one document-based essay question (DBQ). Parts B and C each offer a choice of
two standard essay questions.
DBQ
There is a mandatory 15-minute reading period at the beginning of the
free-response section. Spend most of that time analyzing the documents and
planning your answer to the DBQ in Part A. It
Although confined to no single format, the documents contained in the DBQ
rarely features familiar classics like the Emancipation Proclamation or
Declaration of Independence, though the documents
When appropriate, the DBQ will include charts, graphs, cartoons, and
pictures, as well as written materials. This gives you the chance to showcase
your ability to assess the value of a variety of documents. The DBQ usually
requires that you relate the documents to a historical period or theme and show
your knowledge of major periods and issues. For this reason, outside
knowledge is very important and must be incorporated into the student
Your DBQ essay will be judged on thesis, argument, and supporting evidence.
The DBQ tests your ability to analyze and synthesize historical data, and
assess verbal, quantitative, or pictorial materials as historical evidence.
Standard Essay Questions
You
The standard essay questions may require that you relate developments in
different areas (e.g., the political implications of an economic issue);
analyze common themes in different time periods (e.g., the concept of national
interest in United States foreign policy); or compare individual or group
experiences that reflect socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, or gender differences
(e.g., social mobility and cultural pluralism).
Although historiography is not emphasized in the examination, you are
expected to have a general understanding of key interpretations of major
historical events. Some questions are based on literary materials but the
emphasis will be on the relationship between the material and politics, social
and economic life, or related cultural and intellectual movements, not on
literature as art.
Standard essays will be judged on the strength of the thesis developed, the
quality of the historical argument, and the evidence offered in support of the
argument, rather than on the factual information per se. Unless a question asks
otherwise, you will not be penalized for omitting specific illustrations.
The multiple-choice and free-response sections each account for one-half of
your final Exam grade. Within the free-response section, the document-based
essay question counts for 45 percent and the two standard essays count for 55
percent.