AP US History Course (College Board AP® US History): Revision Note

AP U.S. History

Your complete guide to what you will study, how you will be assessed and the structure of the exam.

Exam structure

• Total exam time: 3 hours 15 minutes

• Section I (Parts A + B) is worth 60% of the final score

• Section II (DBQ + LEQ) is worth 40% of the final score

Section I

Part A — Multiple-choice

• 55 multiple-choice questions appear in sets of three to four, each set linked to one or more stimuli

• Stimuli include:

  • Primary texts

  • Secondary texts

  • Images (artwork, photos, posters, cartoons, etc.)

  • Charts or other quantitative data

  • Maps

• At least one set of paired text-based stimuli will appear in either the multiple-choice or short-answer questions

• Questions require analysis of the stimulus and of the historical developments or processes described

Part B — Short-answer

You must answer three short-answer questions:

• Question 1 (required) — includes a secondary source stimulus; covers 1754–1980

• Question 2 (required) — includes a primary source stimulus; covers 1754–1980

• Question 3 or Question 4 (choose one — no stimulus):

  • Question 3 covers 1491–1877

  • Question 4 covers 1865–2001

Section II

Document-based question (DBQ)

• One required question with seven documents offering different perspectives on a historical development or process

• Covers the period 1754–1980

• Your response must:

  • Set out a historically defensible thesis that establishes a line of reasoning

  • Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt

  • Support the argument using at least four of the documents

  • Use at least one additional piece of specific historical evidence beyond the documents

  • For at least two documents, explain how the point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience are relevant to the argument

  • Demonstrate a complex understanding through sophisticated argumentation and/or effective use of evidence

Long essay question (LEQ)

• Choose one of three essay options — each focuses on the same reasoning process but in a different time period:

  • Option 1 — 1491–1800

  • Option 2 — 1800–1898

  • Option 3 — 1890–2001

• Your response must:

  • Set out a historically defensible thesis

  • Describe a broader historical context

  • Support the argument with at least two pieces of specific and relevant evidence

  • Use historical reasoning (comparison, causation, or continuity and change) to frame the argument

  • Demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development

Course units

The course covers nine chronological periods. Each unit's weighting on the exam is shown below.

Course themes

Eight themes run throughout the course. The exam draws on content from across these themes:

• Theme 1 — American and National Identity

• Theme 2 — Work, Exchange, and Technology

• Theme 3 — Geography and the Environment

• Theme 4 — Migration and Settlement

• Theme 5 — Politics and Power

• Theme 6 — America in the World

• Theme 7 — American and Regional Culture

• Theme 8 — Social Structures

Historical thinking skills

The exam assesses six historical thinking skills. These are the equivalent of assessment objectives and describe what you must be able to do with the course content.

Reasoning processes

When answering free-response questions, you must apply the reasoning process that matches the prompt. The three reasoning processes are:

• Comparison — describe and explain similarities and/or differences between historical developments or processes, including their relative significance

• Causation — describe and explain causes and effects of a development or process, the relationship between them, the difference between primary and secondary causes, and short- and long-term effects

• Continuity and Change — describe and explain patterns of continuity and change over time, and the relative significance of specific developments in relation to a larger pattern

Task verbs

The following task verbs appear in the free-response questions. You must know what each one is asking you to do.

• Compare — Provide a description or explanation of similarities and/or differences.

• Describe — Provide the relevant characteristics of a specified topic.

• Evaluate — Judge or determine the significance or importance of information, or the quality or accuracy of a claim.

• Explain — Provide information about how or why a relationship, pattern, position, situation or outcome occurs, using evidence and/or reasoning.

  • Explain how — analyze the relationship, process, pattern, position, situation or outcome

  • Explain why — analyze motivations or reasons for the relationship, process, pattern, position, situation or outcome

• Identify — Indicate or provide information about a specified topic, without elaboration or explanation.

• Support an argument — Provide specific examples and explain how they support a claim.

Key terminology

These abbreviations are used throughout AP U.S. History materials and the exam:

• DBQ — Document-based question (Section II, Question 1)

• LEQ — Long essay question (Section II, Questions 2–4)

• SAQ — Short-answer question (Section I, Part B)

• MCQ — Multiple-choice question (Section I, Part A)

• APUSH — Common shorthand for AP U.S. History