AP World History

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

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++questionWhat is the AP World History Exam?question++

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++questionPreparing for the AP World History Examquestion++

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++answerWhat is the AP World History Exam?

The Advanced Placement World History course is remarkably broad, covering the historical development of the entire world from the earliest historical periods. This course spans the earliest stages of human development to the modern world and from east to west. Additionally, the course includes significant information on regions less commonly studied, including Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.

The breadth of the course poses a number of challenges for both students and teachers. While there is no set textbook for AP World History, the course is designed to mimic an introductory college world history course and most college-level world history textbooks will provide an appropriate review tool for this subject, particularly if you are planning to take the test without having taken the course. This review text is ideal for both groups of students, but should not stand alone if you have not taken the AP World History class in school. answer++

++answerWhat is on the AP World History Exam?

In order to make this subject more manageable, the College Board has identified a few key concepts in each historical period. This guide will be organized chronologically, with each of the key concepts clearly noted and emphasized. Each chapter will include common themes, helping you to organize information and consider how different periods and societies relate to one another. For the purposes of this course, the world will be divided into five key regions. These are:

1. Africa

2. The Americas

3. Asia

4. Europe

5. Oceania

Notably, while this course will include information about both European and American history, this is a world history class, and you should expect this course to provide a balanced look at each region.

The class will also teach four essential historical thinking skills. These skills are, according to the College Board:

• Historical Argumentation: By the end of the AP World History course, students should be able to recognize, define and express a historical problem and construct an argument addressing that problem using historical evidence. Students should be able to use historical evidence, including historical documents, appropriately, understanding them within their historical context.

• Chronological Understanding: Students should fully understand historical causation, including concepts of coincidence and correlation. They should be able to recognize the importance of events in chronological order, including both the continuity of events and cultures, as well as historical change.

• Historical Comparison and Events in Context: Comparison allows students to compare and discuss historical events in a single society, in a single period across multiple societies or in other ways. Context identifies how events relate to other events, culture, or things occurring globally at the same time.

• Interpretation and Historical Synthesis: Interpretation allows students to assess various historical viewpoints and perspectives. Synthesis brings together all aspects of historical study, including historical argumentation, chronological understanding, comparison and interpretation.

The Advanced Placement World History test consists of two parts, multiple choice questions and free response questions. The test is quite long, totaling three hours and five minutes in length. There are 70 multiple choice questions, making up 50 percent of your total grade. You’ll have 55 minutes in total for this portion of the test. Each of the six historical periods of the test will be included on the multiple choice portion of the examination, with questions distributed as follows. Period 1, prior to 600 BCE, will account for three to four questions of the 70 on the test. Period 2, from 600 BCE to 600 CE, will account for 15 percent or around ten questions. Each of the remaining periods accounts for 20 percent of the test, or around 14 questions.

The free response portion of the examination takes up the majority of the test time, two hours and 10 minutes. There are three free response questions in total, but they vary widely. The first of the free response questions is a document-based question. You will have one document-based question, with 50 minutes to complete this response. This 50 minute period includes a 10 minute reading period and a 40 minute writing period. The next essay focuses on historical change or continuity, with a 40 minute total writing period. The final essay is a historical comparison, again with a 40 minute writing period. In the sample essays later in this text, you’ll find examples of all the types of questions, along with sample answers in a high, average and low scoring range. For a high-scoring test, you need to do well on both the essay questions and the multiple choice questions. Plan to spend the first five minutes of each writing block planning your essay with a brief outline or some simple notes. This will help you to stay on track and focused throughout the essay. Practice will help you to write well under time pressure.

You can opt to work your way through this guide and your textbook in a straightforward fashion, from beginning to end, or you may begin by taking one of the sample tests in the back of this text. If you opt to take a sample test, grade your test and assess the questions you struggled most with, devoting additional study time to those sections. When you’re preparing for the test, take the time to take at least one sample test in circumstances similar to those of the actual test day. Set a timer, work in a quiet room, and limit your access to supplementary materials. It is particularly important that you practice writing under pressure, particularly given the number of questions on the AP World History exam. answer++

++answerPreparing for the AP World 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 World 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 World 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 World History Test Scored?

The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 5 is extremely well qualified to receive college credit, while a score of one is 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 on a different year. The curve is different each year, depending upon the test. Approximately 46 percent of students receive a 4 or 5 on the AP World History 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 offered. While you’ll take the AP World History Examination 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 the most random guess provides you a one in four chance of a point. If you can narrow down the choices just a bit, your chances increase and, along with them, your possible test score.

The 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 psychology instructors. They have been trained to grade the essays by the College Board. You’ll find more information on specifics about scoring the free response questions in the chapter that includes the sample essay questions and responses. answer++