U.S. Advanced Placement Test Information

It is the same test given nationally and all U. S. History students take it on the same day unless there are extenuating circumstances.  The test begins at 8:00 a.m. on test day. The entire test takes 3 hours and 5 minutes to take.

Part 1:  Multiple Choice Section (50% of the final score)

Part 2:  Writing Section (50% of the final score)

  • 55 minutes in length
  • 80 multiple choice questions covering everything from the period of first European exploration through the present:
    • 13 questions will come from before 1789
    • 40 questions will come from the time between 1790 and 1914 and
    • 27 questions will come from the time 1915 to the present

Break down of Questions

    • 35% Political/policy
    • 35% Social changes
    • 15% Foreign relations/diplomacy
    • 10% Economic
    • 5% Intellectual development
  • There is a penalty of .25 of a point for "guessing."  If you leave a question blank, you get 0; if you answer it incorrectly, you lose .25 of a point. The general rule of thumb is, if you can eliminate 2 answers, guess. You should not leave many blank.
  • In order to score a "3" on this section, or to pass this section, you must have 48 points (60%).  Remember, this is the score after the guessing penalty is subtracted from the number correct.

A: Document-based question (DBQ)

  • The DBQ counts 45% of this last half of the test.
  • 60 minutes in total length.  You will have 15 minutes to read the documents, underline relevant material and make a few notes, and 45 minutes to write the essay.
  • This essay is scored on a 9-point scale or rubric where 9 is the highest and 1 is the lowest.

B: Free response essay

  • These two short essays count 55% of this last half of the test.
  • You will have 70 minutes for these two essays:  five minutes each to choose a question from four options and sketch a quick outline, and 30 minutes each to write the essays.
  • These essays are also scored on a 9-point scale with 9 being highest and 1 being the lowest score.