AP US History

Have questions about the AP US History exam? Click below to find the answers you need.

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++answerWhat is the AP US History Exam?

The Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) examination covers the period from 1491 through the present era. This year, the College Board—the organization that administers all AP tests—has significantly increased the APUSH examination’s focus on the time period between 1491 and 1607, as well as on the years after 1980. College Board changes to the curriculum and areas of focus are reflected in this guide.

Like other AP courses, individual teachers have a wide degree of freedom to cover topics and subjects of particular interest during the year-long course. The textbook assigned for your class may vary. Typically, any college-level American history textbook is acceptable for the APUSH course. The text should be supplemented with various materials, including primary sources, maps, scholarly works on U.S. history and artwork. What does this mean for you? It means that your teacher may spend more or less time and attention on certain topics, which necessitates that you put in extra study time in order to gain a thorough understanding of the chronology and key topics you will encounter on the APUSH exam.

This study guide is not intended to take the place of a college-level textbook, and is not designed for students who are testing against the APUSH exam without first enrolling and completing the course. Rather, this guide serves as a broad, high-level overview of the material you will most likely encounter on the exam. As such, you would be wise to augment your preparation by studying your assigned textbook and reviewing any notes you took during class.

From time to time, you will see an icon like the one. That indicates that the information in this paragraph is critical to your success on the practice examinations. It’s important to read everything to learn critical context, but when you come back to study, look for these paragraphs.answer++

++answerWhat is on the AP US History Exam?

The APUSH will test your mastery of the following skills:

1. Historical argumentation

2. Interpretation

3. Appropriate use of historical evidence

4. Historical causation

5. Patterns of change and continuity

6. Periodization

7. Comparison

8. Contextualization

9. Synthesis

The APUSH exam will also test your knowledge of the “thematic objectives” associated with this course. The purpose here is not to teach you to be able to recite historical facts, but to be able to use and apply historical knowledge in a variety of different ways.

This study guide is organized chronologically and thematically – each period will cover several of the APUSH exam’s thematic objectives. In the practice examinations at the back of the book, you will find specific questions that cover these objectives.

1. Identity

a. Why and how have debates over the idea of an American identity shifted and changed over time?

b. How have personal identities functioned in different eras?

2. Work, Exchange and Technology

a. In what ways have technology, the marketplace, and transportation impacted or changed American society?

b. How have labor systems impacted the development of American society, with a particular focus on the differences between British and North American labor systems?

c. How have differences in economic ideologies and debates over economics impacted the environment, society, politics and the economy?

3. Peopling

a. What reasons have led to migrations to North America, as well as from and within North America?

b. In what ways have changing migration patterns and population affected life in America?

4. Politics and Power

a. Why and how have different groups fought for political, economic and social influence in the land that would become the United States and, later, the United States?

b. What values have guided American politics through time and how have Americans disagreed or argued about these values over time?

5. America in the World

a. In what ways have events in North America and/or the United States impacted global events and affairs?

b. What factors have impacted U.S. involvement in international affairs of various sorts, including diplomatic, military and political?

6. Environment and Geography: Physical and Human

a. How did the natural environment impact the behavior, beliefs and actions of the people living in the United States?

b. In what ways did the economic and demographic changes over time in the United States impact the surrounding environment, as well as discussions about use of the environment and resources?

7. Ideas, Beliefs and Culture

a. Why and how have cultural and moral beliefs and values in the United States changed over time?

b. How have these changes impacted American history over time?

The Course Breakdown

The APUSH course is broken down into nine distinct chronological periods. Below, you’ll find information identifying each of these periods, as well as the percentage of class time in the course relating to this period. You should note, that in terms of the examination, periods 2 through 5 total 45 percent of the questions on the examination, and periods 6 through 8 total another 45 percent, with period 1 and period 9 each totaling 5 percent of the questions on the test. You will see that several periods overlap.

As you work through this book, you’ll notice more information and more detail for periods that are heavily weighted on the examination, and less on those that are not as significant.

Period Percentage of Test

Period 1: 1491-1607 5 percent

Period 2: 1607-1754 10 percent

Period 3: 1754-1800 12 percent

Period 4: 1800-1848 10 percent

Period 5: 1844-1877 13 percent

Period 6: 1865-1898 13 percent

Period 7: 1890-1945 17 percent

Period 8: 1945-1980 15 percent

Period 9: 1980-present 5 percent

Later in this guide, you’ll find explanations of the chronology of each period, as well as the key focuses of study for each.answer++

++answerPreparing for the AP US History Exam

Staying Calm, Cool and Collected

Conquering test anxiety can help you to succeed on AP exams. Test anxiety is common and, if it’s mild, can help keep you alert and on-task. Unfortunately, if you suffer from serious shakes, it may leave you struggling to focus, cause you to make careless errors, and create potential panic.

• Allow plenty of time for test preparation. Work slowly and methodically. Cramming doesn’t help and will leave you depleted and exhausted.

• Remember to stay healthy. Sleep enough, eat right, and get regular exercise in the weeks preceding the AP examination, particularly if you’re planning to take several tests during the same testing window.

• Practice breathing exercises to use on test day to help with anxiety. Deep breathing is one of the easiest, fastest and most effective ways to reduce physical symptoms of anxiety.

While these strategies won’t eliminate test anxiety, they can help you to reach exam day at your mental best, prepared to succeed.

The night before the test, just put away the books. More preparation isn’t going to make a difference. Read something light, watch a favorite show, go for a relaxing walk and go to bed. Get up early enough in the morning to have a healthy breakfast. If you normally drink coffee, don’t skip it, but if you don’t regularly consume caffeine, avoid it. It’ll just make you jittery. Allow ample time to reach the testing location and get your desk set up and ready before the examination starts.answer++

++answerWhat to Take to the AP US History Exam

• A sweatshirt or sweater, in case the testing room is cold.

• A bottle of water.

• At least two No. 2 pencils, sharpened.

• At least two black or blue ink pens.

• A wristwatch

And a quick note here: there’s no need to take paper along. You’ll receive not only the test booklet, but also additional scratch paper to take notes and make outlines for your free response questions. Plan to leave your phone in the car, but you may take a paperback book or magazine into the testing room if you’re early.answer++

++answerTackling the AP US History Exam

Some people don’t find testing terribly anxiety-inducing. If that’s you, feel free to skip this section. These tips and techniques are designed specifically for students who do struggle with serious test anxiety and need to get through the test as successfully as possible.

• Control your breathing. Taking short, fast breaths increases physical anxiety. Maintain a normal to slow breathing pattern.

• Remember your test timing strategies. Timing strategies, like those discussed in relation to the free response questions, can help provide you with confidence that you’re staying on track.

• Focus on one question at a time. While you may become overwhelmed thinking about the entire test, a single question or a single passage often seems more manageable.

• Get up and take a break. While this should be avoided if at all possible, if you’re feeling so anxious that you’re concerned you will be sick, are dizzy or are feeling unwell, take a bathroom break or sharpen your pencil. Use this time to practice breathing exercises. Return to the test as soon as you’re able.

• Remember that, while this may be an important test, it is just a test. The worst case scenario is that you do not receive college credit and find yourself taking human geography in college. If you do so, the knowledge you gained in the AP Human Geography course will help you to succeed.answer++

++answerHow is the AP US History Test Scored?

The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 5 means you are extremely well qualified to receive college credit, while a score of 1 means you are not qualified to receive college credit. While colleges and universities use scores differently, a score of 4-5 is equivalent to an A or B. A score of 3 is approximately similar to a C, while a score of 1-2 is comparable to a D or F. The examination is scored on a curve, adjusted for difficulty each year.

In this way, your test score is equivalent to the same score achieved in different years. Approximately 46% of students receive a 4 or 5 on the APUSH examination. Scores of 4 to 5 are widely accepted by colleges and universities; however, scores of 3 or lower may provide less credit - or none at all. More elite schools may require a score of 5 for credit and some schools vary the required score depending upon the department. You will need to review the AP policies at your college or university to better understand scoring requirements and credit policies.

While you’ll take the APUSH exam in May, your scores will arrive in July. You can have your scores sent to the college of your choosing, or, if you’re testing after your junior year, simply wait until you’re ready to apply to the colleges of your choice. Scoring on the multiple choice section of the examination is straightforward. You receive one point for each correct answer. There are no penalties for an incorrect answer or a skipped question. You should, if you’re unsure, guess. Even a random guess provides you a one in four chance of scoring a point. If you can narrow down the choices just a bit, your chances increase and, along with them, your possible test score.

The Free Response Questions (FRQs) are scored from 1 – 8 depending upon the quality of the essay. Essay questions are graded by human graders, typically high school and college history instructors. They have been trained to grade the essays by the College Board. You’ll find more information on FRQ scoring specifics later in the guide.answer++