About AP® U.S. History Exam

APUSH is considered one of the most valuable AP courses you can choose in high school, despite its challenging nature. The course demands extensive reading, writing, and memorization to succeed. Although achieving an A demands significant dedication, the rewards of improving your overall GPA and strengthening your college applications are worthwhile. Additionally, taking APUSH develops your critical thinking skills and makes you more adept at engaging in political and historical debates. Although it can be time-consuming, the benefits of taking this course are well worth it. Let's explore a few advantages of enrolling in AP History:

1. College Readiness: Enrolling in challenging AP courses such as APUSH demonstrates to college admissions committees that you are prepared for college-level coursework. AP students are more prepared for college coursework than others.
2. College Credits: Many colleges will grant credit if you score 3 or higher on the APUSH exam. This means you can potentially complete your degrees more quickly, reduce your overall course load each semester, and access advanced coursework earlier in your college journey.
3. Save on College Tuition: While the initial cost of taking AP exams may seem significant, it's usually much lower than the cost of college tuition for the equivalent courses. By paying for AP exams and performing well, you can potentially save thousands of dollars in college tuition over the course of your education. The minimum credit requirement varies by school. So, remember to research your target colleges' AP credit and placement policies beforehand.
4. In-depth subject knowledge: AP U.S. History prepares you for college-level history courses and more. Your AP classes' rigor and challenges will build your confidence and skills for harder classes.
5. Reading and Writing Mastery: APUSH involves an extensive amount of content. It necessitates substantial reading and writing, which can enhance your reading and writing abilities compared to a non-AP course.

Do I Need an AP U.S. History Course to Take the APUSH Exam?

Students with a solid background in the subject or those who have self-studied the course can take the exam without enrolling in the APUSH class. Students enrolled in the APUSH course can take the exam in the spring but are not required to do so. Nonetheless, due to the benefits of taking the exam, most students who enroll in the course also take the exam at the end of the academic year.

What Is on the AP U.S. History Exam?

The AP US History exam tests your critical thinking and analytical skills in six categories:

1. Developments and Processes: Identify and describe historical developments and processes.
2. Sourcing and Situations: Analyze the origin and context of primary and secondary sources.
3. Claims and Evidence in Sources: Analyze claims and evidence in primary and secondary sources.
4. Contextualization: Analyze the historical contexts of events, developments, or processes.
5. Making Connections: Analyze patterns and links using historical reasoning (comparison, causality, continuity, and change).
6. Argumentation: Construct an argument.

As an APUSH student, you must be able to read and analyze historical sources, considering the author, historical context, the author's point of view, and the intended audience. You’ll also need to apply the following reasoning processes: Comparison, Causation, Continuity, and Change.

In addition to these skills, the exam will test your knowledge of the eight “Big Ideas” that form the core themes of the course. Let’s learn a bit about those below:

1. American and National Identity (NAT): This theme focuses on how American and national identities and values have developed among North America's diverse and changing population. You’ll also learn how these values have contributed to citizenship, constitutionalism, foreign policy, assimilation, and American exceptionalism.
2. Work, Exchange, and Technology (WXT): You’ll learn about technology, economic markets, and government in economic exchange systems.
3. Geography and the Environment (GEO): The third big idea examines geography and natural and human-made environments in the context of U.S. social and political development.
4. Migration and Settlement (MIG): You’ll learn how and why immigrants adapt to new social and physical environments.
5. Politics and Power (PCE): Under this theme, you’ll learn how social and political groups have influenced U.S. society and government and how political beliefs and institutions have changed over time.
6. America in the World (WOR): This big idea focuses on colonial-era interactions between nations and U.S. global influence.
7. American and Regional Culture (ARC): You’ll learn how national, regional, and group cultures evolved and influenced government policy and the economy.
8. Social Structures (SOC): The final big idea examines how social organizational systems evolve and impact society.

These themes or big ideas are taught across nine different units throughout the school year, and each of these units is tested on the exam. The following table details the units tested and their relative importance in the examination.

AP U.S. History Exam Format for 2024

The duration of the AP US History exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes, and it is administered both in paper-and-pencil and digital formats. Each section of the AP U.S. History exam consists of two parts. The table below shows the duration of each section and part, as well as the number of questions and their types:

Let us explore these question types one by one.

Section I, Part A: Multiple-Choice (MCQ)

Part A of Section I has 55 MCQs, and you have 55 minutes to complete them. These three- to four-question sets require historical text, interpretation, and evidence analysis. There are graphs, maps, and images, as well as primary and secondary sources, included.