*You are allowed a short (5-10) minute break in between the two sections

The AP test covers American History from the European exploration up to the present, however, most of the questions will deal with the 1800�s�1900�s. Here is a summary of the questions

17%�European exploration�to�Washington�s first term (1789)

50%�Washington�s first term (1790)�to�US entering WWI (1914)

33%�US entering WWI (1914)�to�present

Below is a summary of the topics covered on the AP Test

35%�politics, government, and laws

35%�social movements and social change

15%�wars, treaties, and international affairs

10%�economic history and technology

5%�art and culture

Multiple Choice

�On the AP test there are a total of 80 multiple choice questions, in which you are given 55 minutes to complete (works out to be about 40 seconds per question)

�Like the SAT, you gain a point for each question you answer correctly, but lose a fraction of a point (1/4) for each wrong answer; questions that you skip, you neither gain nor lose any points. Therefore, don�t guess at random. However, if you can narrow down your choices (you are sure that at least 2 answers are wrong) take a guess. Make an educated, not a random guess

�If you don�t know a question, or you aren�t really sure, mark it, and go on to the next one (I would recommend that you bring a yellow highlighter with you on the day of the test�for answers that you aren�t really sure, or that you don�t know at all, highlight the number of the question on your answer sheet�this way you won�t forget to skip the space on your answer sheet, and its also an easy way to determine which answers you need to check-over once you have finished the questions, and have extra time left)

�There will be a couple of questions that you have never heard of before�DON�T get frustrated�just skip the question (highlight it) and you can always come back to it if you have extra time at the end

�Most people feel that they finished easily within the allotted time limit�personally, I do not feel that the time is a major factor on the multiple choice section of the test

DBQ

�You are allowed 60 minutes for the Document�Based�Question

�In the first 15 minutes, you are required to read only the question, the documents provided, and you will be able to take notes on scratch paper. However, it is not until 15 minutes is up that you can break the seal on the free-response booklet and begin writing your real essay.

�Most people found that 15 minutes was plenty of time to not only read all the documents, but also look at the regular essays, and develop some thoughts about them (actually, it is recommended that you take a look at the next four essay questions and start thinking about which ones you would like to answer)

�In the last 45 minutes you are allowed to begin writing the DBQ Essay

�There are generally about 9 or so documents provided, all of which date from the time period in which the question refers to

�You are free to choose which ever ones you wish to support your thesis. However, it is recommended that you use at least one more than half of the documents that are given

�Prior to the DBQ you should be aware of which time period the question will cover (50 years). Study this 50 year period in history really well! especially controversial events or people

�Although the DBQ provides you with several documents concerning the issue addressed in the question, you are also expected to incorporate outside information into your essay (that�s why it is important to know all the facts during the 50 years)

�When correcting the DBQ, the graders mainly look for a thoughtful thesis statement, historical support, and good use of the documents to support your answer

Essays

�During the 130 minutes which you are given to write 3 essays (one of which is the DBQ) you are also expected to write 2 other, regular essays.

�On the test you are given a choice between 2 essays of which 1 you would prefer to write about. You are given 4 essay questions, and you must answer two out of the four (either #2 or #3, and either #4 or #5). Which question you decide to choose is entirely up to you

�It is recommended that with the 70 minutes you are given, you should spend 5 minutes planning each essay and 30 minutes writing it

�The two essay questions in each pair cover different time periods in history and different aspects of history (for the most part, the first pair covers events prior to 1850�while the second pair deals with events post 1850)

�Make sure that you bring along a watch to be aware of the time�the proctor will NOT tell you when to switch from the DBQ to the essays�you are expected to do it yourself

�I guarantee you that most people when they first look at the essay question will totally draw a blank and panic (I did that at first too). However, if you just remain calm and think the question over in your head for a while, more ideas will come�just try not to stress out

�Try to organize your thoughts on the paper that they provide you as they come�if you just keep them in your mind, there is the possibility that you might forget it

�It is also recommended that you take notes under each document, either while, or after you are reading it�summarize the passage, or underline the main sentence

Studying Tips for the AP Test

�STUDY THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR! Last�minute cramming the week, or even the night before works for some tests, but is not that worthwhile to do on the AP tests

�Take notes/outline the chapters as you go along�not only will this help you for the unit tests at school, but the notes will provide you with an additional study tool for the AP exam

�Most of all, just get a good-night�s rest, try not to cram (although for some people this method may be helpful). Just come in to the test relaxed and confident�know that all you can really do is just try your best