Whats On The Apush Exam

When Should You Take Ap Us History

Learners typically take AP U.S. History as juniors or seniors. The course follows an advanced curriculum and includes a heavy workload. Therefore, having a couple of years of high school history under your belt can prepare you for this more challenging course.

Some students might choose to take the course their sophomore year. However, jumping into an AP course early in your high school years may be a difficult adjustment.

Students also sometimes take multiple AP courses at once. If you wish to take AP U.S. History along with another advanced course or several courses make sure you’re not overwhelming yourself with your course load.

Should I Take Ap Us History

Like all AP classes, the course offers a greater challenge than a typical high school course. Students who possess a keen interest in history often embrace that challenge.

But for students who might not feel as motivated about the topic, putting in the work in this course might lead to burnout.

If you’re concerned about the difficulty level or workload, ask teachers and past students about the course. That’s a great way to learn what to expect. Make sure you evaluate for yourself which AP classes you should take, considering your own interests and academic goals.

How Is Ap Us History Scored Whats The Weighting Of Different Questions

The multiple choice section of the AP® US History exam requires answering 55 questions in 55 minutes. The questions are typically grouped in subject sets of three to four. The questions require you to analyze historical texts and evidence using primary and secondary sources. All sources maps and graphs needed to answer the question are included.

The AP® US History short answer section consists of three questions with a time limit of 40 minutes. This section actually consists of four total questions the first two are required and you can choose to answer either question 3 or question 4, for a total of three answered questions.

The first two questions cover the years 1754 to 1980. The optional questions cover 1491 to 1877, and 1865-2001 respectively.

The single document-based question on the AP® US History exam allows a 15 minute reading period and then allows for an additional 45 minutes to answer the question.

You must read 7 documents from a variety of historical perspectives. Based on your assessment of these documents you must present and defend an argument that is supported by the provided documents. This question can cover any topic from the time period 1754-1980.

The exam weighting breakdown for AP® US History is as follows:

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The AP U.S. History exam is one of the most popular AP exams among self-studiers and enrolled students alike. In 2019, just under 500,000 students took the AP U.S. History exam, making it the second most popular AP exam, trailing only English Language. If youre planning to take the AP U.S. History exam, whether you have taken the class or self-studied, read on for a breakdown of the test and CollegeVines advice for to best prepare for it.

Content Background For The Ap Us History Exam

There are eight themes addressed in the AP US History course, and all of them show up in one form or another on the exam across the nine units, or time periods. Each represents a subset of learning objectives that students are expected to master. You can read more about these learning objectives in the AP US History Course and Exam Description.

Before I give you a broad overview of the eight themes, let’s take a look at how the major units are weighted on the AP US History exam:

Below, we give you the definition of each course theme as described in the AP US History Course Description.

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Tip : Write For Clarity

One thing to keep in mind is that you will be graded on how well you make and argue a thesis, and how well you incorporate the evidence from the documents to support that thesisyou dont get graded on how beautifully or fluently you write! So, while youll want to use correct grammar and write as clearly as you can, dont spend too much time thinking about how best to phrase things as if you were writing for publication. Just focus on clearly explaining your ideas!

You wont have points taken away for grammatical errors unless they make it difficult for the graders to see how youve used the evidence to make an argument.

Do You Offer A Shorter Duration Or Custom Packages

We do not offer custom duration or combination packages other than those outlined on the website. Please refer to our purchase page for currently available subscriptions .

Self-Assessment exam subscriptions are for 14 days each. Subscribers whose active subscription have not expired can purchase renewals from 7 days or more at any time before their active subscription expires. Please refer to the respective course description page for renewal options.

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Practice Writing A Thesis

Because your DBQ response will have to choose a position and defend it, youll need to work on writing strong thesis statements. A thesis statement is essentially your argument in a nutshell, and it sums up the purpose of your essay.

The most important aspect of your APUSH DBQ thesis is that it has to make a claim that is both arguable and is relevant to the prompt youre given. However, you dont want to just restate the prompt in your thesis!

Heres what we mean. Lets say your APUSH DBQ prompt is:

Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 to 1783.

You dont want your thesis to be Ideas about American independence changed a lot from 1763 to 1783. Thats just adding a few words to the promptand its not descriptive enough to cover the argument youll make later. Instead, make a specific claim about how and why ideas about American independence changed, and youll need to use the documents provided to prove it!

So for this example, a better thesis might be, Between 1763 and 1783, American ideas about independence changed from being unsure about how the nation could survive without British rule to believing in the nations independence.

Because APUSH DBQs are open-ended, there are actually many different thesis statements you could come up with that would let you write an amazing answer. Here are two APUSH DBQ examples that College Board considers acceptable theses for this prompt:

Lets look at how these theses make specific claims:

Is Ap Us History Worth It

The AP® US History exam is worth taking for a variety of important reasons. First, AP® courses help to build essential skills needed for college, such as time management and study skills. AP® courses also help to build an academic confidence level for students going on to college.

Second, taking AP® courses lets colleges know that you are taking your academics seriously and that you are familiar with and prepared for the rigors of college-level courses. According to College Board research, students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP® Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP® peers.

Perhaps the most important benefit of taking the AP® US History exam is the potential for college credit, which can translate into thousands of dollars in savings on your college tuition. By completing college credits in high school, you can avoid the need for additional semesters beyond four years and, in some cases, even graduate early.

Earning college credit can translate into significant savings on college tuition. The list below of several top colleges outlines the savings realized when using AP® US History for college credit.

The chart clearly outlines that there are significant savings to be gained by taking and passing the AP® exams. Add to this the educational benefits and it is clear that taking the AP® US History exam is worth your time and effort.

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Can I Take The Ap Exam If I Havent Taken An Ap Course

Yes. We recommend taking the AP course before taking an AP Exambut its not required. We want to be sure homeschooled students and students in schools that dont offer AP can take AP Exams.

You will have to arrange to take the exam at your school or, if your school doesnt administer the exam, at a local school or testing center that administers it. See The AP Exam I want to take isnt offered at my school. What should I do? and Im homeschooled. How can I take an AP Exam? for details.

To prepare for the exam without taking the course, you should study the skills and content outlined in the course and exam description for your subject, which you can find on the specific course page. For most courses, this document also explains how your knowledge of the course content and skills is assessed on the exams.

Get to know the exams by reviewing free practice questions. The AP Program releases the free-response questions every year for exams that have them. We also offer free-response questions from past exams along with sample student responses and scoring guidelines so you can see why a real exam taker got the score they did.

Note: AP Seminar and AP Research are exceptions. In order to take the AP Seminar end-of-course exam and/or submit AP Seminar or AP Research performance tasks, a student must be enrolled in the AP Seminar or AP Research course at a school participating in the AP Capstone Diploma program.

When Do Students Typically Take Ap Us History When Is Best

Students typically take the AP® US History course later in their high school career.

The AP® US History exam does not have any prerequisite requirements, however, many schools require at minimum successful completion of the schools regular US History course. Many also require a grade of C or better on either AP® European History or AP® World History. For these reasons, most schools recommend waiting until your junior or senior year to take AP® US History.

Waiting until 11th or 12th grade to take AP® US History means that youre well-established in your high school career and more able to juggle the demands of more rigorous classes. This experience will allow you to handle this intensive survey course that covers the entirety of American history.

Taking other AP® courses before AP® US History also allows you to have more exposure to the in-depth and informed responses required for the College Boards short answer and essay questions before tackling them in the detail-heavy environment of AP® US History.

Some students like to take more than one AP® class at a time. Many pair the reading and writing intensive AP® US History course with either an AP® language or AP® math course to balance the workload.

In the end, the decision of when to take AP® US History will depend on your academic abilities and your workload. You should discuss the decision with your parents and your guidance counselor to settle on the perfect time to take AP® US History.

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Ap Us History Exam 2022

Unlike 2020 and 2021, when the College Board modified the AP exams as a response to the disruption caused by COVID-19, the 2022 AP exams will return to its original format.

This year, the AP exams will take place over a two-week period in May: May 26 and May 913.

The College Board may change the format, however, if schools are disrupted in the spring due to COVID-19.

Well continue to monitor global, national, and local health conditions, putting the health and safety of students first, and if there are widespread school closures in spring 2022, well provide options similar to those offered in 2021, the College Board noted here.

We will, of course, update this guide if that should happen.

The AP US History exam for 2022 will be a full-length paper-and-pencil exam that students can take in school only.

Here is what you need to know to do well in the upcoming APUSH exam.

Apush Multiple Choice Questions

Questions are grouped into sets of three or four questions and based on a primary source, secondary source, or historical issue. Each set of questions is based on a different piece of source material. This section will test your ability to analyze and engage with the source materials while recalling what you already know about U.S. history.

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When Do Ap Us History Scores Typically Come Out

According to the latest update from the College Board exam season timeline, students will receive their AP® scores in July 2022. Historically, the College Board typically releases AP® scores early in the month of July.

Youll be able to access your AP® scores online with your College Board account username and password.

Section 1 Part B: Short Answer

Part B of Section 1 on the US History test requires you to answer three short-answer questions in 40 minutes, giving you about 13 minutes per question. It’s worth 20% of your overall score.

The first two questions are required, but you get to choose between question 3 and question 4for your third short answer. Here’s what you can expect with each question:

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Practice Creating An Outline

With only an hour to read the documents to write your essay, you probably wont have time to revise. Its very important that you make the best use of the limited time you will have available, so an outline will help you organize your thoughts and will keep you on track as you write.

Just be careful that you dont take too much time with your outlineyou need to write a whole essay! Five minutes is all you need to put together an outline thatll help you write an awesome DBQ.

With that said, lets talk about what makes up a great outline.

Two important elements of a good outline are an introduction and ! Your intro will set up your thesis and your conclusion to restate your thesis while explaining why its relevant to the reader today. Because both of these sections center around your thesis statement, theyll help you organize the rest of your argumentand your DBQ essay!

Once you have those in place, you can start adding body paragraphs to your outline. Since you only have about 45 minutes to write this essay, you dont want too many of them. Three or four body paragraphs will be enough to get the job done.

The most important thing about your body paragraphs is that each of them makes a claim that a) supports your thesis and b) allows you to incorporate information from the documents as evidence. You may even want to make a note of which documents you want to use in each body paragraph!

Heres an outline template you can use as you practice your APUSH DBQs:

The Ultimate Guide To The Ap Us History Exam

The AP US History exam involves critical reading, writing, and in-depth analysis. It’s not just about memorizing names and dates, but rather interpreting historical evidence quickly and accurately, recalling outside information on a topic, and synthesizing your ideas into a coherent argument.

In this guide, we’ll give you a rundown of the format and structure of the AP US History test along with a brief content outline, sample questions, and some tips for a great score.

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Passing The Ap Us History Exam

Tips to Help You Ace the Test, Get Into College, and Save Money

If your high school Spanish class was anything like mine, it is inevitable that you watched Stand and Deliver on a roll out TV on a rainy day. Do not let Edward James Olmos introduction to AP exams intimidate you. Advanced Placement United States History is a college-level history course offered to high school students, and unlike Stand and Deliver, you will not be required to show up on Saturdays with crazy 80s hairdos. The Advanced Placement Exam is a wonderful option for any student who worries the SAT will not convey their true college potential, for students who are unsure how they can finance college, and those unable to register for expensive test prep classes. In short, if you are a history buff who struggles with cal-cu-luuus, AP US will be beneficial.

The AP US History exam is advantageous for many reasons:1) You have control over what to study. Unlike the SAT, which can ask you the definition of any word in the English language, the AP Exam in US History is limited to information on one countrythe United Statesbetween 1492 and 1990. As the major events in this 500-year span are unchanging, you are in control of what to study. Knowing the limits of what to study radically increases the probability that you can master the material and ace the exam.

Possible Scores:

2) Document Based Question Essay 1 essay 60 minutesFree Response Essay Questions 2 Essays 70 minutes

What to bring:

A sweater