ap world essay examples 2022

AP World History DBQ & FRQ

There are some great online resources available for AP World History Document Based Questions as well as the Free Response Questions. See our listing below for prior year questions along with some excellent writing guides.

Official Practice Questions

Prior year questions, heimler’s history, document based question tips.

AP World History | Practice Exams | DBQ & FRQ | Notes | Videos |  Flashcards |  Study Guides

• AP Calculus
• AP Chemistry
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• AP World History
• Free AP Practice Questions
• AP Exam Prep

 Learn about the AP World History Exam

Ap world history: multiple-choice and short answer questions.

The AP World History multiple-choice section consists of 55 questions, each with four answer choices, to be completed in 55 minutes.  A primary or secondary document is provided for each question set, which will contain two to five questions. You’ll then have 40 minutes to answer three short-answer questions, each of which will have two to three parts.

What’s tested on the AP World History Exam?

The AP World History exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long. Section I is 1 hour and 35 minutes long and consists of 55 multiple-choice questions and 3 short-answer questions. Section II is 1 hour and 40 minutes long and consists of one document-based question (DBQ) and one long essay question (LEQ).

AP World History: Long Essay Questions

The long essay question on the AP World History exam assesses your ability to apply knowledge of history in a complex, analytical manner. In other words, you are expected to treat history and historical questions as a historian would. You must be able to write a strong, clearly developed thesis and supply a substantial amount of relevant evidence to support your thesis.

AP World History Quiz

In order to track your progress in preparing for the AP World History Exam, it’s important to take quizzes and practice tests from time to time. You can start with this five-question quiz that spans several of the time periods you’ll see on the AP World History Exam.

AP World History Periods 1 & 2 Notes (up to 600 C.E.)

Check out our AP World History Periods 1 & 2 (up to 600 C.E.) key definitions and takeaways. You’ll find a printable version of the notes that you can save, take notes on, and use to supplement your learning in class.

AP World History Period 3 Notes (600-1450 C.E.)

Check out our AP World History Period 3 (600-1450 C.E.) key definitions and takeaways. You’ll find a printable version of the notes that you can save, take notes on, and use to supplement your learning in class.

AP World History: Sample DBQ Thesis Statement

Let’s take a look at a sample AP World History DBQ question and techniques to construct a solid thesis. Remember that your thesis can be more than just one sentence. With the compound questions often asked by the DBQ, two sentences might be needed to complete the idea.

AP World History Prep Resources

Kaplan has a variety of prep resources available for the AP World History Exam. Check out your test prep options for AP World History and many other AP exams.

More Articles

Ap world history: modern sample long essay question, ap world history: modern — period 4 notes (1900-present), chinese empire notes — ap world history: modern, civilizations in asia — ap world history: modern, ap world history practice questions: quiz 2, ap world history exam: period 6 notes (1900 c.e. to the present), ap world history practice questions: quiz 1, how to approach ap world history: modern dbqs.

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AP® World History

Ap® world history faq: everything you need to know for 2024.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: February 6, 2024

For the 2024 AP® World History exam, you should follow the AP® FAQs listed below!

What We Review

Is AP® World History: Modern easy? What can make it hard?

AP® World History is considered to be a fairly difficult course. Compared to other AP® courses, AP® World History is considered harder than many other AP® exams (but it’s not the hardest).

In 2023, 350,353 students took the AP® World History exam, making it the third most popular AP® exam. Of these students, 64.7% scored a 3 or better on this exam . The mean score for the AP® World History exam in 2023 was 3.04.

To make sure you are one of the students to pass the AP® World History exam, you will want to maximize your study time by focusing on the units that carry the most weight on the exam. The AP® World History exam covers 9 units. Most of the units are weighted at 8% – 10% of the exam, but Unit 3 through Unit 6 are weighted at 12%-15% of the exam.

Going into the AP® World History exam, it might be helpful for you to know how many questions you need to answer correctly in order to pass with a 3 or higher. Albert’s AP® World History: Modern score calculator shows that you need to answer 28 of the 55 multiple choice questions currently and receive at least 29 points on the free response questions.

Return to the Table of Contents

Is AP® World History: Modern worth it?

Students taking the AP® World History exam for college credit typically feel it is worth it. AP® courses like AP® World History provide students with a useful introduction to the rigors of college-level classes. Students who take AP® courses arrive at college better prepared and more confident than students who never took AP® courses in high school .

Students who are applying to colleges will also be happy to know that AP® courses can assist in the acceptance process. When admissions counselors see AP® courses on a high school transcript, it signals to them that the student is serious about their education and that they are prepared for college.  According to College Board research , “ students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP® Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP® peers.”

Financially, AP® courses provide another important benefit to students. When AP® courses are used for college credit, students and their families often see significant college savings as a result. The chart below outlines a few colleges that accept the AP® World History exam for college credit and the potential savings the student can realize.

It is clear to see when you combine the academic and financial benefits of taking the AP® World History exam, many students feel that this exam is worth their time and effort.

When is the 2024 AP® World History: Modern exam?

The 2024 AP® World History: Modern exam will take place on:

Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 8am local time

Curious about when other AP® exams are happening in 202 4? View or download the complete AP® exam schedule here .

Is the 2024 AP® World History exam a digital test?

Schools can take the 2024 AP® World History exam as a traditional paper-and-pencil test or as an in-school digital exam on computers. More information on the digital option is available here .

You should check with your teacher and AP® Coordinator to know if you’ll take a paper-and-pencil or digital version.

When do AP® World History: Modern scores typically come out?

According to the latest update from the College Board exam season timeline , students will receive their AP® scores in July 2024. Historically, the College Board typically releases AP® scores early in the month of July.

You’ll be able to access your AP® scores online with your College Board account username and password

How is AP® World History: Modern scored? What’s the weighting of different questions?

In the multiple-choice portion of the AP® World History exam, you will be required to answer 55 questions in 55 minutes. The questions are grouped into three or four questions covering the same subject. The questions will typically ask you to analyze and interpret historical texts and evidence using provided primary and secondary sources. 

For the short answer portion, you must answer three questions out of four options. The first two questions are required. One includes a secondary source, and one includes a primary source. Both focus on the time period of 1200 to 2001. 

You can choose between question 3 and question 4 for your final question in this section. One covers the time period of 1200 to 1750, and the other covers 1750 to 2001. Neither question includes any outside sources.

Section 2A is the document-based question. You will have 15 minutes of reading time and 45 minutes to answer this question. In this question, you must read 7 documents that approach a historical event from various perspectives. You will be required to assess these sources and develop an argument that uses the sources to support your view. The time period covered for this question is 1450-2001.

The final AP® World History exam question is the long essay question. You will have 40 minutes to answer this question. The essay question requires you to analyze a significant world history event and argue a point that is supported by the evidence. For this question, you can choose from three time periods: 1200-1750, 1450-1900, or 1750-2001.

It’s useful to know that the rubrics for the LEQ and DBQ have been slightly changed for the 2024 exam. The basic instructions remain the same, but the instructions for earning the evidence and complexity points have been simplified. The most noticeable changes are in the DBQ, where the number of documents that need to be used and the number of times POV has to be analyzed to earn full credit has been reduced. You can find the full rubrics in the College Board’s Course and Exam Description .

Pro tip: Chronology and periodization are useful concepts that you should spend extra time on in preparation for the AP® World History exam. One helpful exercise is to create a master timeline so that you can conceptually understand the way the time periods flow together.

The AP® World History course units are represented in the exam in the weights outlined below. To see how these weights translate to an overall score, check out Albert’s AP® World History score calculator . The units below are relatively evenly weighted, so you’ll want to be generally prepared for this exam.

What happens if you fail AP® World History: Modern Exam?

You can retake the AP® World History exam as many times as necessary to pass with the score you want. The exam is given each May. You will be responsible for the exam fees for every time you sit for the exam. 

If you are worried about how failing the AP® World History exam will impact your high school GPA, you will be happy to know that it should not have any effect on your GPA. Most high schools base your course grade on the coursework and exams leading up to the AP® exam, rather than on the AP® exam itself. 

As far as the college admissions process goes, failing the AP® World History will affect your ability to use that exam to gain college credit. A score of lower than 3 will typically not be recognized by most colleges as worthy of college credit.

It is important to remember that you are in control of where your AP® scores are sent. You have the ability to choose not to send a low score to colleges. If you do end up sending a low score to a college and then score higher on your re-take, you can cancel your lower score and send the higher score in its place.

When do students typically take AP® World History: Modern? When is best?

Many students take the AP® World History course during their sophomore year in high school. The typical timeline in the AP® History and Social Sciences category is to take AP® Human Geography or AP® US History first, then AP® World History . This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is the typical pattern we have found in our research.

Since AP® World History is typically taken in the 10th grade, it is considered more of an entry-level AP® course. The timeline mentioned above would allow you to become familiar with the AP® course requirements in AP® Human Geography, then apply those in a more reading and writing-intensive AP® World History. Later in your high school career, you would take AP® US History, which would build on the skills you learned in the previous two AP® courses. 

Of course, a variety of factors should influence when you take the AP® World History exam. Your school may require certain prerequisite courses requiring you to take AP® World History later than your sophomore year. 

When to take AP® World History will also depend on the other AP® exams you want to take in your high school career and what the best timing and combination of these courses look like for you. AP® World History is a reading and writing intensive course, so if you plan on taking two AP® courses at the same time, you may want to pair it with an AP® course that is less text-based.

The decision of when to take AP® World History is, in the end, a personal decision that will look different for every student. You should consult with your parents, guidance counselor and teachers to determine the best time for you to take AP® World History.

Where can I find past AP® World History: Modern exams?

The College Board has provided past AP® World History exam questions on their AP® Central Website .

In addition to past exam questions, the College Board website also includes access to practice tests for the last several years. Reviewing these practice tests will get you familiar with the kinds of questions to expect on this year’s exam and see what kinds of answers received full credit in the past. You can also use these practice tests to get an idea of the academic rigor of the questions and prepare accordingly.

You can find links to practice tests for recent AP® World History exams below:

• 2023 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2022 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2021 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2019 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2018 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2017 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2016 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
• 2015 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions

In addition to reviewing the free-response questions, you will also want to spend some time preparing for the multiple-choice portion of the exam. The College Board has provided a limited number of practice multiple choice questions on the AP® World History Course and Exam Description . Since there are only a few practice questions in the guide, this won’t be an exhaustive preview, but it will get you started.

For additional practice on the multiple choice portion of the AP® World History exam, Albert provides hundreds of AP® World History multiple choice questions. The questions have been crafted to align with the learning objectives of the AP® World History course.

To fully prepare for the AP® World History exam, you should explore all of the information that the AP® Central website has to offer. These resources can make the difference between a well prepared student and an under-prepared student.

• AP® World History Scoring Guidelines: 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016
• AP® World History Chief Reader Reports: 2023 / 2022 / 2021 /2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016
• AP® World History Scoring Reports: 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016

You will want to review the scoring guidelines before you begin studying for the AP® World History exam. This report shows how past questions were graded and what elements must be present to gain full points for each question. Knowing this information in advance can really help you maximize your exam score.

The Chief Reader report also provides useful information from someone who has actually graded these responses in the past. This report analyzes the responses to each past free response question and provides feedback on where students did well and where they missed the mark. Knowing how students did in the past can help you identify overall concepts and skills that are important to review prior to the exam.

For example, the 2019 Chief Reader Report showed that students struggled with periodization, or the ability to place events and people within their proper time period. Students should spend more time reviewing chronology and periodization rather than studying dates. This will provide you with a better understanding of the “flow” of history, which will be helpful in answering the free response questions. 

The scoring statistics for AP® World History can also be useful in determining which questions on past exams received the lowest and highest scores overall. For example, question 3 on exam section II has a mean score of 1.36 out of a possible 6 points. According to the Chief Reader Report, students who answered this question had difficulty creating a timeline of events that spread across several different periods of history. 

To fully prepare for the AP® World History exam, you should also review the sample responses for the past free-response exam questions. These responses provide examples of answers to past questions, one that received full credit and two that received fewer points. The responses are analyzed for what they included and did not include that impacted their score. 

With all of the focus on the free-response questions, it is easy to forget that 40% of your exam score comes from the multiple-choice questions. You can find hundreds of multiple-choice practice questions on Albert. These questions have been crafted to align with the learning objectives of the AP® World History exam. Each question also includes a detailed explanation of each correct answer to help build your knowledge base before the exam.

You can learn more about Albert here

Who should take AP® World History: Modern? What sort of students may like it more than others?

Compared to some of the science and math AP® courses, AP® World History is considered to have content that is more accessible for students. If you enjoy history and placing events into specific eras and timelines, AP® World History would be a good choice for you. The course overview can give you more information on whether this course is a good fit.

Taking AP® World History will give you a good insight into the AP® process for future courses, but it is not required. If you feel that the subject matter is not a fit for your skills, you should choose another AP® course that is better suited to your interests.

It is important to remember that the AP® World History exam has a relatively low passing rate as compared to other AP® exams in the History and Social Sciences category. If you aim to achieve all 5s on your AP® exams, you’ll need to work extra hard studying for this exam. In 2019, only 8.6% of students who took this exam scored a 5. This is the lowest number of 5s awarded for any exam in the History and Social Sciences category.

Your chances of getting a perfect score on the AP® World History exam might be difficult, but it is not impossible. If this course speaks well to your interests and strengths, you should consider taking it. Don’t let the low number of perfect scores deter you from attempting it.

In the end, the only person who can decide whether taking the AP® World History exam makes sense for you is you. You should seek advice from parents, teachers and guidance counselors, but the final choice is yours.

How do students typically score on AP® World History: Modern? What’s the score distribution?

On average, about half of the students who take this exam pass it with at least a score of 3. Past data can be useful to see how past test groups have fared when taking the AP® World History exam. Of course, past data should only be used as a guide. Your score will be a reflection of how well you have prepared for this exam as well as your aptitude for the subject. 

The score breakdown for the AP® World History exam in recent years is outlined in the chart below:

Over the last few years, the passing rate for the AP® World History exam has been above 50%. Of those who took the exam, however, only around 28% received a 4 or better, and typically less than 10% of test takers received a 5. In 2023, there was a higher number of students earning a 5 than usual.

In 2023, the mean score for the AP® World History exam was 3.04 , based on a total of 350,353 students who took this exam. 

Need help preparing for your AP® World History: Modern exam?

Albert has hundreds of AP® World History: Modern practice multiple-choice questions, free-response questions, and full-length practice tests to try out.

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., guide to the ap world history exam.

The AP ®  World History: Modern exam covers historical developments from c 1200 to the present. It will test topics and skills discussed in your Advanced Placement World History: Modern course.  If you score high enough, your AP score could earn you college credit !

Check out our AP World History Guide for what you need to know about the exam:

• AP World History: Modern Exam Overview
• AP World History: Modern Question Types
• AP World History: Modern Scoring
• How to Prepare

AP World History Exam Overview

The AP World History: Modern exam takes 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete and is composed of: a multiple-choice, short answer, and free response section.

AP World History Question Types

Multiple-choice.

AP World History: Modern multiple-choice questions are grouped into sets of usually 3-4 questions. They are based on primary or secondary sources, including excerpts from historical documents or writings, images, graphs, and maps. This section will test your ability to analyze and engage with the source materials while recalling what you already know about world history.

Short Answer

The AP World History: Modern short answer questions require you to respond to a secondary source for Question 1 and a primary source for Question 2, both focusing on historical developments between 1200 and 2001. Students will choose between two options (Questions 3 or 4) for the final required short-answer question, each one focusing on a different time periods of 1200 to 1750 and 1750 to 2001.

For all short answer questions, you’ll be asked to:

• Analyze the provided sources
• Analyze historical developments and processes described in the sources
• Put those historical developments and processes in context
• Make connections between those historical developments and processes

Document-Based Question (DBQ)

The AP World History: Modern DBQ presents a prompt and seven historical documents that are intended to show the complexity of a particular historical issue between the years 1450 and 2001. You will need to develop an argument that responds to the prompt and support that argument with evidence from both the documents and your own knowledge of world history. To earn the best score, you should incorporate outside knowledge and be able to relate the issues discussed in the documents to a larger theme, issue, or time period.

Long Essay Question

The AP World History: Modern Long Essay Question presents three questions and you have to choose one to answer.    All questions will test the same skills but will focus on different historical periods (i.e., from c. 1200–1750, from c. 1450–1900, or from c. 1750–2001). Similar to the DBQ, you will need to develop and support an answer to the question you picked based on historical evidence to earn the best score possible.

For a comprehensive content review, check out our book,  AP World History Prep

AP World History Review

The College Board is very detailed in what they require your AP teacher to cover in his or her AP World History course. They explain that you should be familiar with world history events from the following nine units that fall within four major time periods from 1200 to the present.

Read More: Review for the exam with our AP World History Cram Courses

AP scores are reported from 1 to 5. Here’s how students scored on  AP World History exam in May 2020:

Source: College Board

How can I prepare?

AP classes are great, but for many students they’re not enough! For a thorough review of AP World History: Modern content and strategy, pick the AP prep option that works best for your goals and learning style.  You can also check out our AP World History: Modern test prep book here .

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AP World History: Modern

Learn all about the course and exam. Already enrolled? Join your class in My AP.

Not a Student?

Go to AP Central for resources for teachers, administrators, and coordinators.

About the Course

In AP World History: Modern, you’ll learn about the rise and fall of empires, the evolution of technology, and the cultural and social changes that have shaped our world. The course isn’t just about memorizing dates and battles—it’s about exploring civilizations and cultures from a global perspective to better understand the complex relationships that exist today.

Skills You'll Learn

Evaluating primary and secondary sources

Analyzing the claims, evidence, and reasoning you find in sources

Putting historical developments in context and making connections between them

Coming up with a claim or thesis and explaining and supporting it in writing

Equivalency and Prerequisites

College course equivalent.

An introductory college course in modern world history

Recommended Prerequisites

Thu, May 8, 2025

12 PM Local

AP World History: Modern Exam

This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP World History: Modern Exam.

About the Units

The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences.

Course Content

Unit 1: the global tapestry.

You'll explore how states formed, expanded, and declined in areas of the world during the period c. 1200–c. 1450 and the related political, social, and cultural developments of that time.

Topics may include:

• Afro-Eurasia
• South and Southeast Asia
• The Americas
• Global and regional religions and belief systems

On The Exam

8%–10% of exam score

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange

As you continue your study of the period c. 1200–c. 1450, you’ll learn how areas of the world were linked through trade and how these connections affected people, cultures, and environments.

• The Silk Roads
• The Mongol Empire
• The Indian Ocean trading network
• The trans-Saharan trade routes
• The effects of cross-cultural interactions

Unit 3: Land-Based Empires

You'll begin your study of the period c. 1450–c. 1750 with an exploration of the empires that held power over large contiguous areas of land.

• The development of the Manchu, Mughal, Ottoman, and Safavid empires
• How rulers of empires maintained their power
• Religious developments in empires

12%–15% of exam score

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections

Continuing your study of the period c. 1450–c. 1750, you’ll learn about advances in ocean exploration, the development of new maritime empires, and the effects of new cross-cultural encounters.

• The influence of scientific learning and technological innovation
• The Columbian Exchange
• Development and expansion of maritime empires
• Internal and external challenges to state power
• Changes to social hierarchies linked to the spread of empires

Unit 5: Revolutions

You’ll start your study of the period c. 1750–c. 1900 by exploring the new political ideas and developments in technology that led to large-scale changes in governments, society, and economies.

• The Enlightenment
• Revolutions against existing governments and the birth of new nation-states
• The Industrial Revolution
• Trade policies
• The development of industrial economies

12%–15% of Score

Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization

You'll continue to investigate the period c. 1750–c. 1900 and learn how the different states acquired and expanded control over colonies and territories.

• State expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries
• Resistance to imperialism
• The growth of the global economy
• Economic imperialism
• Causes and effects of new migration patterns

Unit 7: Global Conflict

You'll begin your study of the period c. 1900–present by learning about the global conflicts that dominated this era.

• Changes in the global political order after 1900
• World War I: its causes and how it was fought
• The interwar period
• World War II: its causes and how it was fought
• Mass atrocities after 1900

Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization

As you continue exploring the period c. 1900–present, you’ll learn about colonies’ pursuits of independence and the global power struggle between capitalism and communism.

• The causes and effects of the Cold War
• The spread of communism
• How colonies in Asia and Africa achieved independence
• The creation of new states after decolonization
• The end of the Cold War

Unit 9: Globalization

You'll continue your study of the period c. 1900–present by investigating the causes and effects of the unprecedented connectivity of the modern world.

• Advances in technology and their effects
• Environment
• Economic change
• Movements for reform
• How globalization changed culture
• New international institutions

Credit and Placement

Search AP Credit Policies

Find colleges that grant credit and/or placement for AP Exam scores in this and other AP courses.

Course Resources

Ap classroom resources.

Once you join your AP class section online, you’ll be able to access AP Daily videos, any assignments from your teacher, and your assignment results in AP Classroom. Sign in to access them.

• Go to AP Classroom

AP World History: Modern Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for the course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the exam and the AP Program in general.

See Where AP Can Take You

AP World History: Modern can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors

Additional Information

Guide to the AP® World History Exam

Why take ap ® world history.

  When faced with the choice of whether or not to take AP ® World History, the benefits often outweigh the costs for most students.

Many colleges require students to fulfill a history or social science course before they can graduate. However, if you take the AP ® World History Exam and attain a high score while you are in high school, you may be able to qualify for credit toward that requirement and not have to take another history exam in college.

A more recent argument for taking AP ® Exams, is that more colleges are going test-optional . This means that SAT ® and ACT ® scores are potentially holding less weight in college applications, and a good AP ® score could help tip the scale in your favor when it comes to college admissions.

Besides creating the opportunity to earn college credit for the work you do, AP ® courses also develop crucial skills, challenge you academically, and help round out your knowledge in ways you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. In addition to that, preparing for and taking the  AP ® World History Exam provides excellent practice for college-level exams you may take in the future.

What can AP ® World History Teach Me?

All too often, students in the United States and Canada have a limited understanding of the world around them. That’s not a knock on you. That’s simply the reality of the situation.

That’s why a course like AP ® World History is so valuable. Young people in the U.S. and Canada now have an opportunity to broaden their worldview by learning the vibrant and consequential history of countries and cultures outside of their own. It can also develop those valuable, but more “unteachable” traits like empathy, openness, and experience that students will carry with them throughout their entire lives.

In doing so, they’ll be able to get a depth of knowledge about the world at large that they otherwise wouldn’t have. Moreover, the course is taught from a global perspective, with a balanced coverage of all regions. This will ensure that students get a basic understanding of geospatial awareness.

You also stand a chance to develop your critical thinking skills. AP ® World History requires students to “analyze text, visual sources, and other historical evidence” along with penning essays regarding the political and social climates of modern world history—and if that doesn’t help develop critical thinking skills, we don’t know what does!

World History students must look at the wealth of global history from 1200 AD through to the present day and critically analyze it. They will also learn to craft arguments based on what they learn, as well as data about cultural and political developments in the modern world.

Essentially, the AP ® World History course is an extensive, collegiate-level primer on global culture, politics, and history. That is a challenge worth taking up if you’re looking to learn some crucial histories about the greater world around you!

How to sign up for AP ® World History

To register for the AP ® World Exam, you need to contact your school’s AP ® Coordinator, who can help facilitate your courses and exams.

Bear in mind you’ll likely need to complete requirements to be eligible to enroll in an AP ® course. In order to register for the AP ® World History Exam, you have to join your class section online, on College Board’s My AP ® portal. Some schools will automatically register you for the exam if you’re enrolled in an AP ® World History class, but others won’t and you will have to register online through the portal. If you are unsure whether or not you are registered for the AP ® World History Exam, check wIth your AP ® Coordinator.

There is also a deadline for exam registration, so make sure you register through your AP ® Coordinator by then to avoid paying any late fees. The deadline to register for exams is in the fall, but specific deadlines may vary by the school—be sure to check with your teacher or AP ® Coordinator.

How much does the AP ® Exam cost?

Each AP ® Exam costs a total of $96—if you’re in the mainland United States and its territories and commonwealths, Canada, or a U.S. Department of Defense Dependents School.

If you’re outside of those areas, the AP ® Exam will cost $126 per exam.

College Board has a financial aid program that offers a $34 fee reduction in the exam. Read more about exam fees here .

You cannot use the My AP ® portal to pay fees – they will be collected by your AP ® Coordinator.

When you take into account the cost of a college course versus the cost of the exam, though, you’ll see that the AP ® Exam is actually a bargain. With a passing score, you may be able to earn college credit and save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

When can I take the AP ® World History Exam?

The AP ® World History Exam date in 2022 is Thursday, May 12th. You can find more information about dates and late-testing schedules for the 2022 AP ® World History Exam in our 2022 AP ® Exam Dates article.

What’s on the AP ® World History Exam?

Knowing what’s on the AP ® World History Exam is the first step to nailing it. The exam will cover all of the topics that you cover in your coursework. You will have to write a long argumentative essay as well as a document analysis showcasing your knowledge on a specific topic.

The course itself covers nine units, and each of the units will be weighted slightly differently in terms of exam coverage. They are:

You should anticipate that the AP ® World Exam will cover ALL these topics. As such, you should make sure that you’ve studied all that you can.

What is the test format for the AP ® World History Exam?

The test format of the AP ® World History Exam is split up into two sections, and includes a variety of question types including multiple choice, short answer, document analysis, and long essay.

Students will have 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete the exam. The exam is made up of a 95-minute section of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, and a 100-minute writing section where students will answer two essay prompts.

Here is what the format of the AP® World History exam looks like—along with how much of the exam score depends on each section:

For the three Short-Answer questions, students must answer Questions 1 and 2, and then make a choice whether to answer EITHER Question 3 OR Question 4.

Question 1 includes one secondary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1200 and 2001.

Question 2 also includes one primary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1200 and 2001.

Question 3 focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1200 and 1750 and includes no source material.

Question 4 focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1750 and 2001 for the last question and includes no source material.

In Section II, students are expected to write two essays:

• A document analysis
• A long essay based on an essay prompt

Here’s an overview of the two essay questions students will face:

Document-Based Question (DBQ)

Length: 60 minutes

Worth: 25% of score

This section includes a 15-minute reading period. The exam presents students with seven documents that provide different perspectives on a historical development or process between the years 1450 and 2001.

Students must then develop an argument based on the documents as well as their own knowledge.

Long-Essay Question (LEQ)

Length: 40 minutes

Worth: 15% of score

In this section, students have a choice of three different questions/essay prompts. They must pick one of them to answer.

The questions cover varying time periods. They are:

Students must develop their argument and support it with evidence.

What is a DBQ?

If you’ve come across the term ‘DBQ’, but don’t know what it means, don’t worry – the world of AP ® tends to come with quite a few of its own acronyms. AP® World History, for example, is often referred to as ‘AP ® World’, or ‘WHAP’, for short.

DBQ simply stands for Document-Based Question. This is the first of the two essay questions you will have to answer in Section II of your AP ® World History Exam.

For the DBQ, you will have one hour, including 15 minutes of reading time, to analyze a set of historical documents (usually 6 or 7), which you should use to help you answer the essay prompt.

The documents provided could either be in text or image format. Past examples of DBQ documents include, but are not limited to:

• Historical texts
• Diary excerpts
• Political cartoons
• Speech transcripts

You will be expected to use information from as many of the documents as you can to answer the question to the best of your ability.

How is the AP ® World History Exam Scored?

The AP ® Exam’s scoring system is on a scale of one to five—with five being the best and one being the worst.

Here’s a good table that breaks down the score you could get and what it means.

When it comes to AP ® World History, you’ll want to aim for a score of 3 or higher. Most colleges will give you college credit if you score within that range.

It varies from college to college though. So, if you want to know the score that a specific college will accept in exchange for credit, you’ll need to check with the college’s registrar’s office to find out information about AP ® credit for the AP ® World History Exam. Often, you can find this information on the school’s website. You can also check out College Board’s search tool for AP ® credit policies .

NOTE: Colleges sometimes change their requirements for awarding college credit or offering placement out of required courses. So always check in with the college to make sure you have the most relevant and recent information.

Bottom line: You’re going to want to score as high as you possibly can. Sure your dream school only requires a 3—but you should always be aiming for the highest possible score regardless.

When you get that credit, you will effectively be walking into college with part of the requirements already completed. It means you could skip a history requirement and take whatever class you wanted to. Or, you could even save money on college tuition by spending less time getting credits. Either way, getting that college credit before college is a great way to set yourself up for the next four years. Read more about how AP ® exams helped Marco Learning’s tutors earn college credits.

What can I bring to the AP ® World History Exam?

Below is a list of all the things you can bring with you into the exam room. Note: It’s possible that not all of the items will apply to you (e.g., the Student Accommodations Letter).

• Two No. 2 pencils with erasers. These will be used on the multiple-choice portion of the exam.
• Two black or dark blue ink pens. These will be used for the free-response questions. Be sure to bring black or dark blue ink pens only. Leave your gold glitter pens at home.
• A watch. This is a simple analog or digital watch with no internet access or alarms. Don’t even try to bring your smart watch in the room.
• The AP ® Student Pack. This is given to you just before you take your exam and contains a label that you need to place on your exam. Follow the labeling instructions carefully.
• Government- or school-issued ID. If you don’t attend the school where you’re taking the AP ® World History Exam, you must also bring a government- or school-issued ID.
• College Board SSD Student Accommodation Letter. If you require accommodations beyond the regular exam, you’ll receive a letter that verifies this (e.g., you need a braille or large-type exam).
• Remember, you won’t have to bring all these things—but it’s in your best interest to be as prepared as you can for the exam.

Take a look at our Test Day Checklist to make sure you are 100% prepared to take your AP ® World History Exam when the time comes!

How do I study for AP ® World History?

Here are the best study tips for AP ® World:

#1: Connect the themes

One thing that the AP® World History course wants you to do is be able to connect historical events to the broader themes covered in the course. Not only that, but you need to be able to show that you know how the themes impact each other. That means connecting the broad themes together and showcasing how they relate to one another using specific examples.

#2: Take practice tests

Be prepared! You don’t want to take your first AP® World History Exam on test day. To that end, take as many practice tests as you can before the big day. Take note of the areas you performed the weakest in and dedicate extra study time to those areas. Only by practicing over and over again can you expect to be better at any skill—including test-taking. If you don’t have much experience taking practice tests, check out John Moscatiello’s Step-by-Step Guide to taking a practice test like a pro .

#3: Write as much as you can

The free-response section of the AP ® World History Exam is the most difficult part of the entire test. To prepare, you should be writing and practicing for the document-based question (DBQ) and long-essay question (LEQ) in the weeks leading up to the exam. College Board’s website has a page dedicated to past exam questions . Read them and start to craft essays around them. You can have your AP ® teacher read them and provide feedback as to which areas you can improve. If you’re looking for ways to improve your writing skills, our Free AP ® World History Writing Workshop is designed specifically to teach you fundamental and advanced skills about how to tackle and formulate essay responses. All sessions are recorded and will be sent to you via email if you miss or want to review a session later.

#4: Find resources that work

When it comes to studying for your exam, there is no “one size fits all”. Just because your friend studied best with mind maps doesn’t necessarily mean that mind-mapping is right for you. We encourage you to take some time to figure out what study methods you are most comfortable with; it could be a mixture of everything!

We know it can be overwhelming starting from scratch. If you feel stuck, we suggest downloading our free AP® World History study guide as a jumping off point and going from there.

If you’re looking for live video reviews before the AP ® Exams, we will host live AP ® review sessions on our YouTube channel . As well as live sessions, you can review content and run through essay techniques for the AP ® World History Exam here:  AP World Playlist . In addition to excellent video content on her YouTube channel , Marco Learning teacher, Emily Glankler, runs a fantastic podcast called Anti-Social Studies which you can listen to when you’re on the go!

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AP World History Exam – A Complete Guide

The course concepts and abilities defined in the course framework are assessed through exam questions. Download the AP World History Exam 2021: Modern Course and Exam Description for additional information.

When is the AP World History Exam 2022 ? Thu, May 12, 2022, AT 8 A.M. LOCAL

Exam Structure

The Associated Press Every year, the World History: Modern Exam contains the weighing, same question types, and scoring rules, so you and your students know what to anticipate on exam day. Now the next question is how long is the AP World History Exam?

Section I: Multiple Choice Questions  

Part a: 55 minutes | 55 questions | 40% of total exam score  .

● Questions are frequently presented in groups of 3–4 questions. ● Students examine perspectives, historical documents, and proof. ● Images, graphs, and maps are provided.

Part B: 40 minutes | Three short-answer questions | 20% of exam score  

● Students examine historians’ interpretations, historical sources, and historical claims. ● Questions allow students to demonstrate what they are most knowledgeable about. ● Texts, graphs, images, and maps are examples of questions. ● For the final required short-answer question, students select one of two options, each focusing on a different period: ● Question no. 1 is necessary, contains one secondary source, and focuses on historical developments between the years 1200-2001. ● Question no. 2 is needed, has one primary source, and focuses on historical changes between the years 1200-2001. ● For the final question, students must pick between Question no. 3 (which focuses on historical developments between 1200-1750) and Question no. 4 (which focuses on historical products between 1750-2001).

Section II: Document-Related Questions and a Long Essay  

Question-based on documents (dbq): 1 hour and 40 minutes | 2 questions | 40% of exam score.

● Time allotted: 1 hour (including a 15-minute reading session) | 25% of Exam Score ● Seven materials are offered to students, presenting a different perspective on a historical development or process. ● Students evaluate these textual, quantitative, or visual elements as historical evidence. ● Students create an argument that is supported by historical evidence. ● The document-based question spans the years 1450 to 2001.

A lengthy essay : 40 minutes | 15% of exam score

● Students discuss and examine key historical topics. ● Students create an argument that is supported by historical evidence. ● The question choices anchor on the same skills and reasoning process (e.g., comparison, causation, continuity, and change). Still, students select one of three options, each focusing primarily on historical developments and processes in different periods —1200–1750 (option 1), 1450–1900 (option 2), or 1750–2001 (option 3). (option 3).

AP World History Exam 2021

The College Board is pretty specific about what your AP teacher must cover in their AP World History course . . They say that you should be conversant with world history events from the nine parts listed below, which fall into four broad periods ranging from 1200 to the present.

● Part 1: The Global Tapestry 1200 to 1450 c ● Part 2: Networks of Exchange 1200 to 1450 c ● Part 3: Land-Based Empires 1450 to 1750 c ● Part 4: Transoceanic Interconnections 1450 to 1750 c ● Part 5: Revolutions 1750 to 1900 c ● Part 6: Consequences of Industrialization 1750 to 1900 c ● Part 7: Global Conflict 1900 c to the present ● Part 8: Cold War and Decolonization 1900 c to the present ● Part 9: Globalization 1900 c to the present

How to Read AP World History Exam Results

AP scores are assigned on a scale of 1 to 5. Here’s how students fared on the May 2020 AP World History exam:

Many AP courses might feel insurmountable owing to their breadth and complexity, but AP World History may appear especially difficult due to its concentration. However, first impressions may be misleading, and while AP World History is unquestionably difficult, it is not impossible. While students enrolled in AP Planet History may believe they are learning everything that has ever happened in the history of the world, this is not the case. AP World History concentrates on specific events and periods more than others and teaches students to study them as test cases to acquire skills and procedures that they can apply to new varieties as they learn them and integrate them into their understanding of specific historical contexts.

This guide will present a summary of the AP World History Exam 2021 structure, pacing, and question forms after previewing the specific events and times that World History emphasizes. Finally, a fantastic resource for AP World History materials will be discussed. So, if you’re worried about memorizing “everything in the history of the world” for your AP World History class, remember that with the correct mindset and study routine, you don’t have to recall “everything in the history of the world”—just a good chunk of it. Working with an expert may take your studies to the next level, whether you need the best History tutors in Miami, top History tutors in Louisville, or top History tutors in Oklahoma City.

The 6 Theme in AP World History  

AP World History courses are designed to cover the same material as two semesters of standard college beginning with World History. From this statement alone, it should be evident that AP World History covers a wide range of historical periods—from 8000 BCE to the present. The course looks at history through five lenses: the environment, cultures, state-building, economic systems, and social structures. When dealing with specific historical periods, it concentrates on many themes:

• Technological and environmental transformations up to about 600 BCE
• Human social organization and reorganization between 600 BCE and 600 CE
• Transregional and regional interactions between 600 CE and 1450
• Global interconnections between 1450 and 1750
• Global integration and industrialization between 1750 and 1900
• Accelerating worldwide change and realignments between 1900 and the present

When preparing for AP Global History, you can utilize these broad categories to organize your thoughts on world history as a whole. Because AP World History examines these abilities, you must understand how historical events and periods impact one another and how to compare and contrast them. Along with these skills, AP World History requires students to learn to construct convincing arguments about history based on historical truth and analyze and synthesize new material offered to them by recognizing how it connects with their prior body of knowledge.

There are no official requirements for the AP World History course, but History course success can suggest that you have begun to build the abilities required for success in AP World History. If you’ve decided to take the course and want to try answering some practice questions to get a sense of the breadth of content you’ll be expected to know, or if you’re already enrolled in an AP World History course and need to polish up a specific topic, kindly consult Turito’s free AP World History Practice Exam! These AP World History Practice Exam are mini-quizzes that you may use to assess and examine your AP World History knowledge, Particularly to discover gaps.

Every AP World History course culminates in a three-hour and five-minute test. Half of the student’s exam scores are based on their answers to seventy multiple-choice questions, which must be completed in fifty-five minutes; the other half of their AP scores are based on three response questions: a Change-over-time question, a Documents-Based question, and a Comparative essay. Each response counts for one-third of the free-response portion of the exam or one-sixth of a student’s overall score.

Taking a Full-Course AP World History Practice Exam is a fantastic approach to assessing your comprehension as you begin your preparation. The thorough process allows you to measure your progress and grasp the whole spectrum of subjects covered in the course. Following each full AP World History Practice Exam, the results page contains the same insights as the results pages for concept-specific practice exams, such as thorough explanations and supplementary information on key ideas. The comprehensive AP World History Practice Exam has the added benefit of assisting you in tailoring your AP World History preparation by indicating the ideas you need to learn. After you’ve designed a study schedule that matches your needs, you may do an in-depth review using the other Learning Tools. Then, when you’re ready, take another Full-Length AP World History Practice Exam to see how far you’ve come.

You may complement your studies with the exact practice that you need and feel entirely secure before sitting down to take your AP World History test by taking advantage of the multitude of free AP World History material.

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2024 AP World History: Modern Exam Guide

12 min read • july 11, 2024

Your Guide to the 2024 AP World History: Modern Exam

We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP World History exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2024 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day.  Unlock Cram Mode  for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions. 

Format of the 2024 AP World History: Modern Exam

Going into test day, this is the exam format to expect:

Section IA: Multiple Choice

55 Questions | 55 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score

• Questions usually appear in sets of 3–4 questions with primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps.
• Students analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence. Section IB: Short Answer

3 Questions | 40 Minutes | 20% of Exam Score 

• Question 1 is required, includes 1 secondary source, and focuses on the years 1200-2001.
• Question 2 is required, includes 1 primary source, and focuses on the years 1200-2001.
• Students choose between Question 3 (which focuses on the years 1200-1750) and Question 4 (which focuses on the years 1750-2001). No sources are included for either Question 3 or Question 4. Section IIA: Document-Based Question

1 Question | 1 Hour (includes 15-minute reading period) | 25% of Exam Score

• Standard DBQ question with 7 documents that offer various perspectives on a historical development or process.
• The document-based question focuses on topics from 1450 to 2001. Section IIB: Long Essay

1 Question | 40 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score 

• Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.
• 3 prompts will be presented focusing primarily on historical developments and processes in different time periods—students will choose to write.

Scoring Rubric for the 2024 Exam

Multiple Choice: Earn a point for each correct answer. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.

Short Answer Question: 1 point is received for each correct piece of information. There are three parts labeled A-C and 1 point for each part, totaling a maximum of 3 points for each short answer question.

Document-Based Question:

Thesis = 1pt

Contextualization = 1 pt

Evidence = 3 pts

• 2 pts for evidence in documents
• 1 pt for evidence beyond documents Analysis and Reasoning = 2 pts
• 1 pt for sourcing
• 1 pt for complexity Long Essay Question:

Evidence = 2 pts

Analysis and Reasoning = 2 pts

📖 DBQ, LEQ, & SAQ Rubrics Points Explained

Check out our study plan below to find resources and tools to prepare for your AP World History: Modern exam.

When is the 2024 AP World Exam and How Do I Take It?

** The exam is on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 8:00 AM your local time—this will be a paper test at your school.  **

You will have 3 hours and 15 minutes to take the exam.  Unlock Cram Mode to get updates on the latest 2024 exam news. 

How Should I Prepare for the Exam?

• First, download the  AP World History Cheatsheet PDF - a single sheet that covers everything you need to know at a high level. Take note of your strengths and weaknesses!
• We've put together the study plan found below to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam. Pay special attention to the units that you need the most improvement in.
• Study, practice, and review for test day with other students during our live cram sessions via  Cram Mode . Cram live streams will teach, review, and practice important topics from AP courses, college admission tests, and college admission topics. These streams are hosted by experienced students who know what you need to succeed.

Pre-Work: Set Up Your Study Environment

Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.

🖥 Create a study space.

Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space. 

📚 Organize your study materials.

Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!

📅 Plan designated times for studying.

The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.

🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.

How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused.

AP World History: Modern 2024 study plan

🐎unit 1: the global tapestry, c. 1200 - c. 145, big takeaways.

Before 500 CE, many classical powers like Rome, Han China, and Gupta India dominated. However, between 500-1200, these powers fell and their regions became decentralized. By 1200, these regions are once again unifying. Europe, China, South Asia, and regional powers in Africa and the Americas are both buildings on their paths by infusing traditional religions and philosophies into their societies while also advancing economically and technologically. 

Definitely do this:

📚 Read these study guides:

Overview of Unit 1: The Global Tapestry

East Asia from 1200-1450

Dar al-Islam from 1200-1450

South and Southeast Asia from 1200-1450

The Americas from 1200 to 1450

Africa from 1200 to 1450

Europe from 1200 to 1450

Comparisons in the Period from 1200-1450 If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

🎥 Watch these videos:

Southeast Asia in the Global Middle Ages : SE Asian History is World History

Connections and Development in the Americas : Don’t forget the Western Hemisphere!

💎 Check out this interactive website,   Virtual Plasencia , and explore a city in Spain.

🐫 Unit 2: Networks of Exchange

Before 1200, trade networks were largely local, usually between civilizations bordering each other. However, with more technological inventions allowing merchants to travel farther more efficiently, and the growing demand for goods in growing empires, trade routes began to rapidly expand.

As the routes (such as the Silk Roads) began to spread, they carried new goods and ideas with them, such as Buddhism and the development of diasporic communities where merchants settled down in different states other than their own. Knowledge began to travel faster than ever before.

Overview of Unit 2: Networks of Exchange

2.1 Silk Roads

2.2 The Mongols

2.3 Indian Ocean Trade Routes

2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

2.5 Cultural Effects of Trade

2.6 Environmental Effects of Trade

2.7 Comparison in Trade from 1200-1450 If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💎 Check out this interactive website on the   history of humans in the Indian Ocean

🗺 Can you identify the countries of the world?   Play this game!

• You won’t be asked to label maps on the exam, but it’s useful to know where countries are located so you can draw conclusions from their region.

🕌 Unit 3: Land-Based Empires, c. 1450 - c. 1750 CE

While the Columbian Exchange and Columbus’s Voyages captured most of the attention between 1450-1750, at the same time, around the world a number of land empires centralized. These Land Empires are meant to be a topic to compare and contrast with each other and with the Maritime Empires of Unit 4. 

Gunpowder technology was getting better, making it easier to use guns en masse. Intensification of trade routes also occurred on land, meaning that the new empires would have access to a larger pool of resources than their predecessors. 

These empires were different, but a few continuities remained. Religion and cultural ideas continued to play a role, and even spread within empires. Empires continued to be absolute, with most maintaining strict political and economic control over their domains.

• Overview of Unit 3: Land-Based Empires
• Governments of Land-Based Empires
• Belief Systems of Land-Based Empires
• Comparison in Land-Based Empires If you have more time or want to dig deeper:
• Imperial Art and Architecture  includes lots of great images of art and buildings that can be used as evidence when writing about these empires
• Changing Religions in the Early Modern World  discusses the religious dimensions of this time period
• 📰 [object Object] looks at the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb differently, and more thoughtfully than your textbook probably does.
• 💎 Check out this podcast episode on   [object Object]

🍕 Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections, c. 1450 - c. 1750 CE

Before 1450, regional trade was all the rage as the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean network, and Trans-Saharan routes exploded with more merchants and goods flowing. By 1450, Europeans were set on finding a faster route to Asia. Relying on overland trade was too slow and you couldn’t bring all that many goods with you on a camel’s back. Maritime trade would prove to be far more economically efficient.

• Overview of Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections
• New Technologies from 1450-1750
• Exploration from 1450-1750
• Columbian Exchange
• Maritime Empires Established
• Expansion of Maritime Empires
• Continuity and Change from 1450 to 1750

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

• Maritime Empires : Explains the growth of European overseas empires
• Technological Innovations in the Early Modern World provides lots examples that can be used as evidence
• 📰   Graphic History of Queen Nzinga Mbanda who resisted Portuguese expansion
• 💎 Read or listen to “ Cruel Ships of Prosperity ” on the hardships aboard the Manila Galleons

✊🏽Unit 5: Revolutions, c. 1750 - c. 1900 CE

Some historians and textbooks consider this as one transformation: a dual revolution in industry and in politics. The political revolutions of this time period included many common people taking action against elites, along with competition among elites. Students should be familiar with three political revolutions--American, French, and Haitian--and the Latin American Wars of Independence. These revolutions produced new states. At the same time as these political revolutions in the Atlantic World, the Industrial Revolution began in Britain and spread to Western Europe, the United States, Japan. This change in a production led to enormous social and cultural changes.

📚 Read these Fiveable study guides:

• Overview of Unit 5: Revolutions
• The Enlightenment
• Revolutions from 1750-1900
• Industrialization Begins
• Spread of Industrialization
• Technology in the Industrial Age
• State-Led Industrialization
• Economic Effects of Industrialization
• Social Effects of Industrialization__
• Continuity and Change in the Industrial Age
• Industrialization in World History : Explains this important development that provided context for much of the history at the time and after
• Egalite for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution tells part of the amazing story of the Haitian Revolution
• Throwing Off Asia is a collection of woodblock prints from Japan that show its transformation in the late Nineteenth Century who resisted Portuguese expansion
• “ Letter from Jamaica ,” Simón Bolívar (1815) is an important document that expresses some of the reasons that prominent creoles in colonial Latin America desired independence from Spain

🚂 Unit 6: Consequence of Industrialization, c. 1750 - c. 1900 CE

Students will begin to learn about how Britain, France, the British and Dutch East India Companies, Portugal, and Spain all began this period with colonial possessions in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Industrial developments allowed states to expand their power through imperialism. Native peoples in these colonies resisted imperialist expansion into their countries in a variety of ways. Unit 6 also includes global migrations. 

• Overview of Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization
• Rationales for Imperialism
• Expansion of Imperialism
• Indigenous Responses to Imperialism
• Global Economic Development from 1750 to 1900
• Economic Imperialism
• Causes of Migration from 1750 to 1900
• Effects of Migration from 1750 to 1900
• Causation in the Imperial Age

Causes and Effects of Migration in the 19th Century : Explains the second most important topic in this unit

The   Magnificent African Cake is a classic documentary on European imperialism in Africa 📰 Read these articles:

“ Rani of Jhansi, India’s Warrior Queen Who Fought the British ” from   The New York Times’s “Overlooked No More” series of obituaries for people whose deaths were not reported in the paper when they occurred. Queen Laxmibai, aka the Rani of Jhansi, led some of her subjects in battle against British imperialism.

  Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and the Women’s Union of Abeokuta : a graphic history of Nigerian woman who resisted British imperialism

💣 Unit 7: Global Conflict

The Global Conflict Unit is the first time that we see alliances forming and when we see new interconnections of the globalized world! Make sure to look for causes and effects from all of the major conflicts and see if you can find other similar causations in contemporary world history!

Overview of Unit 7

Shifting Power After 1900

Causes of World War I

Conducting World War I

The Economy in the Interwar Period

Unresolved Tensions After World War I

Causes of World War II

Conducting World War II

Mass Atrocities After 1900

Causation in Global Conflict If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

🎥Watch: WHAP -   World Wars in World History

🏆Trivia -   World Wars in World History

🎥Watch: WHAP -   Unit 7 Review: Causation in Global Conflict

🏆Trivia -   Causation in Global Conflict

🥶 Unit 8 (1900-Present) - Cold War & Decolonization

As you probably already know, WWI was caused by a bunch of nationalism in the warring countries, increased military power due to the Industrial revolution, imperialism, and alliances. It was largely unsuccessful in solving disputes and 21 years later there was WWII. 

Both of these wars resulted in a ton of death and destruction, and most importantly, a bunch of colonies started to think for themselves. They fought in the war, after all-- why shouldn’t they be independent? 

After the war, the Soviet Union and the United States were left largely undamaged by the war, whereas Western Europe was totally destroyed. This left both of them primed to become world powers.

• Overview of Unit 8
• Setting the Stage for the Cold War and Decolonization
• The Cold War
• Effects of the Cold War
• Spread of Communism After 1900
• Decolonization After 1900
• Newly Independent States
• Global Resistance to Established Order After 1900
• End of Cold War
• Causation in the Age of the Cold War and Decolonization
• 🎥Watch: Crash Course -   Cold War
• 🎥Watch: Crash Course -   Decolonization
• 📝Read: Freemanpedia -   Notes
• 📝Read: Freemanpedia -   Cold War
• 📝Read: Freemanpedia -   Decolonization

✈️ Unit 9 (1900-Present) - Globalization

According to the College Board, in the last unit of the course, you'll continue your study of period c. 1900–present by investigating the causes and effects of the unprecedented connectivity of the modern world. 

Unit 9 Overview: Globalization

9.1 Advances in Technology and Exchange after 1900

9.2 Technological Advances and Limitations after 1900: Disease

9.3 Technological Advances: Debates about the Environment after 1900

9.4 Economics in the Global Age

9.5 Calls for Reform and Responses after 1900

9.6 Globalized Culture after 1900

9.7 Resistance to Globalization after 1900

9.8 Institutions Developing in a Globalized World

9.9 Continuity and Change in a Globalized World 📚 Review the following resources:

Global Movements - Slides

AP World History Unit 9 Playlist

Global Movements

AP World History Unit 9: Globalization Flashcards

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How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the ap language argument essay, tips for writing the ap language argument essay, ap english language argument essay examples, how will ap scores impact my college chances.

In 2023, over 550,148 students across the U.S. took the AP English Language and Composition Exam, and 65.2% scored higher than a 3. The AP English Language Exam tests your ability to analyze a piece of writing, synthesize information, write a rhetorical essay, and create a cohesive argument. In this post, we’ll be discussing the best way to approach the argumentative essay section of the test, and we’ll give you tips and tricks so you can write a great essay.

The AP English Language Exam as of 2023 is structured as follows:

Section 1: 45 multiple choice questions to be completed in an hour. This portion counts for 45% of your score. This section requires students to analyze a piece of literature. The questions ask about its content and/or what could be edited within the passage.

Section 2: Three free response questions to be completed in the remaining two hours and 15 minutes. This section counts for 55% of your score. These essay questions include the synthesis essay, the rhetorical essay, and the argumentative essay.

• Synthesis essay: Read 6-7 sources and create an argument using at least three of the sources.
• Rhetorical analysis essay: Describe how a piece of writing evokes meaning and symbolism.
• Argumentative essay: Pick a side of a debate and create an argument based on evidence. In this essay, you should develop a logical argument in support of or against the given statement and provide ample evidence that supports your conclusion. Typically, a five paragraph format is great for this type of writing. This essay is scored holistically from 1 to 9 points.

Do you want more information on the structure of the full exam? Take a look at our in-depth overview of the AP Language and Composition Exam .

Although the AP Language Argument may seem daunting at first, once you understand how the essay should be structured, it will be a lot easier to create cohesive arguments.

Below are some tips to help you as you write the essay.

1. Organize your essay before writing

Instead of jumping right into your essay, plan out what you will say beforehand. It’s easiest to make a list of your arguments and write out what facts or evidence you will use to support each argument. In your outline, you can determine the best order for your arguments, especially if they build on each other or are chronological. Having a well-organized essay is crucial for success.

2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side

When you write the essay, it’s best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the arguments of the other side has. This can make the essay a bit more nuanced and show that you did consider both sides before determining which one was better. Often, acknowledging another viewpoint then refuting it can make your essay stronger.

3. Provide evidence to support your claims

The AP readers will be looking for examples and evidence to support your argument. This doesn’t mean that you need to memorize a bunch of random facts before the exam. This just means that you should be able to provide concrete examples in support of your argument.

For example, if the essay topic is about whether the role of the media in society has been detrimental or not, and you argue that it has been, you may talk about the phenomenon of “fake news” during the 2016 presidential election.

AP readers are not looking for perfect examples, but they are looking to see if you can provide enough evidence to back your claim and make it easily understood.

4. Create a strong thesis statement

The thesis statement will set up your entire essay, so it’s important that it is focused and specific, and that it allows for the reader to understand your body paragraphs. Make sure your thesis statement is the very last sentence of your introductory paragraph. In this sentence, list out the key points you will be making in the essay in the same order that you will be writing them. Each new point you mention in your thesis should start a paragraph in your essay.

Below is a prompt and sample student essay from the May 2019 exam . We’ll look at what the student did well in their writing and where they could improve.

Prompt: “The term “overrated” is often used to diminish concepts, places, roles, etc. that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a “vastly overrated city,” and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has asserted that “[b]eing queen is overrated.”

Select a concept, place, role, etc. to which you believe that the term “overrated” should be applied. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.

Sample Student Essay #1:

[1] Competition is “overrated.” The notion of motivation between peers has evolved into a source of unnecessary stress and even lack of morals. Whether it be in an academic environment or in the industry, this new idea of competition is harmful to those competing and those around them.

[2] Back in elementary school, competition was rather friendly. It could have been who could do the most pushups or who could get the most imaginary points in a classroom for a prize. If you couldn’t do the most pushups or win that smelly sticker, you would go home and improve yourself – there would be no strong feelings towards anyone, you would just focus on making yourself a better version of yourself. Then as high school rolled around, suddenly applying for college doesn’t seem so far away –GPA seems to be that one stat that defines you – extracurriculars seem to shape you – test scores seem to categorize you. Sleepless nights, studying for the next day’s exam, seem to become more and more frequent. Floating duck syndrome seems to surround you (FDS is where a competitive student pretends to not work hard but is furiously studying beneath the surface just like how a duck furiously kicks to stay afloat). All of your competitors appear to hope you fail – but in the end what do you and your competitor’s gain? Getting one extra point on the test? Does that self-satisfaction compensate for the tremendous amounts of acquired stress? This new type of “competition” is overrated – it serves nothing except a never-ending source of anxiety and seeks to weaken friendships and solidarity as a whole in the school setting.

[3] A similar idea of “competition” can be applied to business. On the most fundamental level, competition serves to be a beneficial regulator of prices and business models for both the business themselves and consumers. However, as businesses grew increasingly greedy and desperate, companies resorted to immoral tactics that only hurt their reputations and consumers as a whole. Whether it be McDonald’s coupons that force you to buy more food or tech companies like Apple intentionally slowing down your iPhone after 3 years to force you to upgrade to the newest device, consumers suffer and in turn speak down upon these companies. Similar to the evolved form of competition in school, this overrated form causes pain for all parties and has since diverged from the encouraging nature that the principle of competition was “founded” on.

The AP score for this essay was a 4/6, meaning that it captured the main purpose of the essay but there were still substantial parts missing. In this essay, the writer did a good job organizing the sections and making sure that their writing was in order according to the thesis statement. The essay first discusses how competition is harmful in elementary school and then discusses this topic in the context of business. This follows the chronological order of somebody’s life and flows nicely.

The arguments in this essay are problematic, as they do not provide enough examples of how exactly competition is overrated. The essay discusses the context in which competition is overrated but does not go far enough in explaining how this connects to the prompt.

In the first example, school stress is used to explain how competition manifests. This is a good starting point, but it does not talk about why competition is overrated; it simply mentions that competition can be unhealthy. The last sentence of that paragraph is the main point of the argument and should be expanded to discuss how the anxiety of school is overrated later on in life. 

In the second example, the writer discusses how competition can lead to harmful business practices, but again, this doesn’t reflect the reason this would be overrated. Is competition really overrated because Apple and McDonald’s force you to buy new products? This example could’ve been taken one step farther. Instead of explaining why business structures—such as monopolies—harm competition, the author should discuss how those particular structures are overrated.

Additionally, the examples the writer used lack detail. A stronger essay would’ve provided more in-depth examples. This essay seemed to mention examples only in passing without using them to defend the argument.

It should also be noted that the structure of the essay is incomplete. The introduction only has a thesis statement and no additional context. Also, there is no conclusion paragraph that sums up the essay. These missing components result in a 4/6.

Now let’s go through the prompt for a sample essay from the May 2022 exam . The prompt is as follows:

Colin Powell, a four-star general and former United States Secretary of State, wrote in his 1995 autobiography: “[W]e do not have the luxury of collecting information indefinitely. At some point, before we can have every possible fact in hand, we have to decide. The key is not to make quick decisions, but to make timely decisions.”

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Powell’s claim about making decisions is valid. 

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position. 
• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning. 
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning. 
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Sample Student Essay #2:

Colin Powell, who was a four star general and a former United States Secretary of State. He wrote an autobiography and had made a claim about making decisions. In my personal opinion, Powell’s claim is true to full extent and shows an extremely valuable piece of advice that we do not consider when we make decisions.

Powell stated, “before we can have every possible fact in hand we have to decide…. but to make it a timely decision” (1995). With this statement Powell is telling the audience of his autobiography that it does not necessarily matter how many facts you have, and how many things you know. Being able to have access to everything possible takes a great amount of time and we don’t always have all of the time in the world. A decision has to be made with what you know, waiting for something else to come in while trying to make a decision whether that other fact is good or bad you already have a good amount of things that you know. Everyone’s time is valuable, including yours. At the end of the day the decision will have to be made and that is why it should be made in a “timely” manner.

This response was graded for a score of 2/6. Let’s break down the score to smaller points that signify where the student fell short.

The thesis in this essay is clearly outlined at the end of the first paragraph. The student states their agreement with Powell’s claim and frames the rest of their essay around this stance. The success in scoring here lies in the clear communication of the thesis and the direction the argument will take. It’s important to make the thesis statement concise, specific, and arguable, which the student has successfully done.

While the student did attempt to provide evidence to support their thesis, it’s clear that their explanation lacks specific detail and substance. They referenced Powell’s statement, but did not delve into how this statement has proven true in specific instances, and did not provide examples that could bring the argument to life.

Commentary is an essential part of this section’s score. It means explaining the significance of the evidence and connecting it back to the thesis. Unfortunately, the student’s commentary here is too vague and does not effectively elaborate on how the evidence supports their argument.

To improve, the student could use more concrete examples to demonstrate their point and discuss how each piece of evidence supports their thesis. For instance, they could discuss specific moments in Powell’s career where making a timely decision was more valuable than waiting for all possible facts. This would help illustrate the argument in a more engaging, understandable way.

A high score in the “sophistication” category of the grading rubric is given for demonstrating a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, context, etc.), making effective rhetorical choices, or establishing a line of reasoning. Here, the student’s response lacks complexity and sophistication. They’ve simply agreed with Powell’s claim and made a few general statements without providing a deeper analysis or effectively considering the rhetorical situation.

To increase sophistication, the student could explore possible counterarguments or complexities within Powell’s claim. They could discuss potential drawbacks of making decisions without all possible facts, or examine situations where timely decisions might not yield the best results. By acknowledging and refuting these potential counterarguments, they could add more depth to their analysis and showcase their understanding of the complexities involved in decision-making.

The student could also analyze why Powell, given his background and experiences, might have come to such a conclusion, thus providing more context and showing an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

Remember, sophistication in argumentation isn’t about using fancy words or complicated sentences. It’s about showing that you understand the complexity of the issue at hand and that you’re able to make thoughtful, nuanced arguments. Sophistication shows that you can think critically about the topic and make connections that aren’t immediately obvious.

Now that you’ve looked at an example essay and some tips for the argumentative essay, you know how to better prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

While your AP scores don’t usually impact your admissions chances , colleges do care a lot about your course rigor. So, taking as many APs as you can will certainly boost your chances! AP scores can be a way for high-performing students to set themselves apart, particularly when applying to prestigious universities. Through the process of self-reporting scores , you can show your hard work and intelligence to admissions counselors.

That said, the main benefit of scoring high on AP exams comes once you land at your dream school, as high scores can allow you to “test out” of entry-level requirements, often called GE requirements or distribution requirements. This will save you time and money.

To understand how your course rigor stacks up, check out CollegeVine’s free chancing engine . This resource takes your course rigor, test scores, extracurriculars, and more, to determine your chances of getting into over 1600 colleges across the country!

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Expert's Guide to the AP Literature Exam

Advanced Placement (AP)

If you're planning to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you'll need to get familiar with what to expect on the test. Whether the 2023 test date of Wednesday, May 3, is near or far, I'm here to help you get serious about preparing for the exam.

In this guide, I'll go over the test's format and question types, how it's graded, best practices for preparation, and test-day tips. You'll be on your way to AP English Lit success in no time!

AP English Literature: Exam Format and Question Types

The AP Literature Exam is a three-hour exam that contains two sections in this order:

• An hour-long, 55-question multiple-choice section
• A two-hour, three-question free-response section

The exam tests your ability to analyze works and excerpts of literature and cogently communicate that analysis in essay form.

Read on for a breakdown of the two different sections and their question types.

Section I: Multiple Choice

The multiple-choice section, or Section I of the AP Literature exam, is 60 minutes long and has 55 questions. It counts for 45% of your overall exam grade .

You can expect to see five excerpts of prose and poetry. You will always get at least two prose passages (fiction or drama) and two poetry passages. In general, you will not be given the author, date, or title for these works, though occasionally the title of a poem will be given. Unusual words are also sometimes defined for you.

The date ranges of these works could fall from the 16th to the 21st century. Most works will be originally written in English, but you might occasionally see a passage in translation.

There are, generally speaking, eight kinds of questions you can expect to see on the AP English Literature and Composition exam. I'll break each of them down here and give you tips on how to identify and approach them.

"Pretty flowers carried by ladies" is not one of the question types.

The 8 Multiple-Choice Question Types on the AP Literature Exam

Without further delay, here are the eight question types you can expect to see on the AP Lit exam. All questions are taken from the sample questions on the AP Course and Exam Description .

#1: Reading Comprehension

These questions test your ability to understand what the passage is saying on a pretty basic level . They don't require you to do a lot of interpretation—you just need to know what's going on.

You can identify this question type from words and phrases such as "according to," "mentioned," "asserting," and so on. You'll succeed on these questions as long as you carefully read the text . Note that you might have to go back and reread parts to make sure you understand what the passage is saying.

#2: Inference

These questions ask you to infer something—a character or narrator's opinion, an author's intention, etc.—based on what is said in the passage . It will be something that isn't stated directly or concretely but that you can assume based on what's clearly written in the passage. You can identify these questions from words such as "infer" and "imply."

The key to these questions is to not get tripped up by the fact that you are making an inference—there will be a best answer, and it will be the choice that is best supported by what is actually found in the passage .

In many ways, inference questions are like second-level reading comprehension questions: you need to know not just what a passage says, but also what it means.

#3: Identifying and Interpreting Figurative Language

These are questions for which you have to either identify what word or phrase is figurative language or provide the meaning of a figurative phrase . You can identify these as they will either explicitly mention figurative language (or a figurative device, such as a simile or metaphor ) or include a figurative phrase in the question itself.

The meaning of figurative phrases can normally be determined by that phrase's context in the passage—what is said around it? What is the phrase referring to?

Example 1: Identifying

Example 2: Interpreting

#4: Literary Technique

These questions involve identifying why an author does what they do , from using a particular phrase to repeating certain words. Basically, what techniques is the author using to construct the passage/poem, and to what effect?

You can identify these questions by words/phrases such as "serves chiefly to," "effect," "evoke," and "in order to." A good way to approach these questions is to ask yourself: so what? Why did the author use these particular words or this particular structure?

#5: Character Analysis

These questions ask you to describe something about a character . You can spot them because they will refer directly to characters' attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or relationships with other characters .

This is, in many ways, a special kind of inference question , since you are inferring the broader personality of the character based on the evidence in a passage. Also, these crop up much more commonly for prose passages than they do for poetry ones.

#6: Overall Passage Questions

Some questions ask you to identify or describe something about the passage or poem as a whole : its purpose, tone, genre, etc. You can identify these by phrases such as "in the passage" and "as a whole."

To answer these questions, you need to think about the excerpt with a bird's-eye view . What is the overall picture created by all the tiny details?

#7: Structure

Some AP Lit questions will ask you about specific structural elements of the passage: a shift in tone, a digression, the specific form of a poem, etc . Often these questions will specify a part of the passage/poem and ask you to identify what that part is accomplishing.

Being able to identify and understand the significance of any shifts —structural, tonal, in genre, and so on—will be of key importance for these questions.

#8: Grammar/Nuts & Bolts

Very occasionally you will be asked a specific grammar question , such as what word an adjective is modifying. I'd also include in this category super-specific questions such as those that ask about the meter of a poem (e.g., iambic pentameter).

These questions are less about literary artistry and more about the fairly dry technique involved in having a fluent command of the English language .

That covers the eight question types on the multiple-choice section. Now, let's take a look at the free-response section of the AP Literature exam.

Keep track of the nuts and bolts of grammar.

Section II: Free Response

The AP Literature Free Response section is two hours long and involves three free-response essay questions , so you'll have about 40 minutes per essay. That's not a lot of time considering this section of the test counts for 55% of your overall exam grade !

Note, though, that no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay, so you can theoretically divide up the time however you want. Just be sure to leave enough time for each essay! Skipping an essay, or running out of time so you have to rush through one, can really impact your final test score.

The first two essays are literary analysis essays of specific passages, with one poem and one prose excerpt. The final essay is an analysis of a given theme in a work selected by you , the student.

Essays 1 & 2: Literary Passage Analysis

For the first two essays, you'll be presented with an excerpt and directed to analyze the excerpt for a given theme, device, or development . One of the passages will be poetry, and one will be prose. You will be provided with the author of the work, the approximate date, and some orienting information (i.e., the plot context of an excerpt from a novel).

Below are some sample questions from the 2022 Free Response Questions .

Essay 3: Thematic Analysis

For the third and final essay, you'll be asked to discuss a particular theme in a work that you select . You will be provided with a list of notable works that address the given theme below the prompt, but you can also choose to discuss any "work of literary merit."

So while you do have the power to choose which work you wish to write an essay about , the key words here are "literary merit." That means no genre fiction! Stick to safe bets like authors in the list on pages 10-11 of the old 2014 AP Lit Course Description .

(I know, I know—lots of genre fiction works do have literary merit and Shakespeare actually began as low culture, and so on and so forth. Indeed, you might find academic designations of "literary merit" elitist and problematic, but the time to rage against the literary establishment is not your AP Lit test! Save it for a really, really good college admissions essay instead .)

Here's a sample question from 2022:

As you can see, the list of works provided spans many time periods and countries : there are ancient Greek plays ( Antigone ), modern literary works (such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ), Shakespeare plays ( The Tempest ), 19th-century English plays ( The Importance of Being Earnest ), etc. So you have a lot to work with!

Also note that you can choose a work of "comparable literary merit." That means you can select a work not on this list as long as it's as difficult and meaningful as the example titles you've been given. So for example, Jane Eyre or East of Eden would be great choices, but Twilight or The Hunger Games would not.

Our advice? If you're not sure what a work of "comparable literary merit" is, stick to the titles on the provided list .

You might even see something by this guy.

How Is the AP Literature Test Graded?

The multiple-choice section of the exam comprises 45% of your total exam score; the three essays, or free-response section, comprise the other 55%. Each essay, then, is worth about 18% of your grade.

As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a score from 1-5 . You don't have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means. In 2022, 16.9% of students received 5s on the AP English Literature test, the 14th highest 5 score out of the 38 different AP exams.

So, how do you calculate your raw scores?

Multiple-Choice Scoring

For the multiple-choice section, you receive 1 point for each question you answer correctly . There's no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question—but guess only after you're able to eliminate any answer you know is wrong to up your chances of choosing the right one.

Free-Response Scoring

Scoring for multiple choice is pretty straightforward; however, essay scoring is a little more complicated.

Each of your essays will receive a score from 0 to 6 based on the College Board rubric , which also includes question-specific rubrics. All the rubrics are very similar, with only minor differences between them.

Each essay rubric has three elements you'll be graded on:

• Thesis (0-1 points)
• Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)
• Sophistication (0-1 points)

We'll be looking at the current rubric for the AP Lit exam , which was released in September 2019, and what every score means for each of the three elements above:

To get a high-scoring essay in the 5-6 point range, you'll need to not only come up with an original and intriguing argument that you thoroughly support with textual evidence, but you’ll also need to stay focused, organized, and clear. And all in just 40 minutes per essay!

If getting a high score on this section sounds like a tall order, that's because it is.

Practice makes perfect!

Skill-Building for Success on the AP Literature Exam

There are several things you can do to hone your skills and best prepare for the AP Lit exam.

Read Some Books, Maybe More Than Once

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for the AP Literature and Composition exam is to read a lot and read well . You'll be reading a wide variety of notable literary works in your AP English Literature course, but additional reading will help you further develop your analytical reading skills .

I suggest checking out this list of notable authors in the 2014 AP Lit Course Description (pages 10-11).

In addition to reading broadly, you'll want to become especially familiar with the details of four to five books with different themes so you'll be prepared to write a strong student-choice essay. You should know the plot, themes, characters, and structural details of these books inside and out.

See my AP English Literature Reading List for more guidance.

Read (and Interpret) Poetry

One thing students might not do very much on their own time but that will help a lot with AP Lit exam prep is to read poetry. Try to read poems from a lot of eras and authors to get familiar with the language.

We know that poetry can be intimidating. That's why we've put together a bunch of guides to help you crack the poetry code (so to speak). You can learn more about poetic devices —like imagery and i ambic pentameter —in our comprehensive guide. Then you can see those analytical skills in action in our expert analysis of " Do not go gentle into that good night " by Dylan Thomas.

When you think you have a grip on basic comprehension, you can then move on to close reading (see below).

Hone Your Close Reading and Analysis Skills

Your AP class will likely focus heavily on close reading and analysis of prose and poetry, but extra practice won't hurt you. Close reading is the ability to identify which techniques the author is using and why. You'll need to be able to do this both to gather evidence for original arguments on the free-response questions and to answer analytical multiple-choice questions.

Here are some helpful close reading resources for prose :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's guide to close reading
• Harvard College Writing Center's close reading guide
• Purdue OWL's article on steering clear of close reading "pitfalls"

And here are some for poetry :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison's poetry-reading guide
• This guide to reading poetry at Poets.org (complete with two poetry close readings)
• Our own expert analyses of famous poems, such as " Ozymandias ", and the 10 famous sonnets you should know

Learn Literary and Poetic Devices

You'll want to be familiar with literary terms so that any test questions that ask about them will make sense to you. Again, you'll probably learn most of these in class, but it doesn't hurt to brush up on them.

Here are some comprehensive lists of literary terms with definitions :

• The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know
• The 20 Poetic Devices You Must Know
• The 9 Literary Elements You'll Find In Every Story
• What Is Imagery?
• Understanding Assonance
• What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry?
• Simile vs Metaphor: The 1 Big Difference
• 10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More

Practice Writing Essays

The majority of your grade on the AP English Lit exam comes from essays, so it's critical that you practice your timed essay-writing skills . You of course should use the College Board's released free-response questions to practice writing complete timed essays of each type, but you can also practice quickly outlining thorough essays that are well supported with textual evidence.

Take Practice Tests

Taking practice tests is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you get familiar with the exam format and overall experience . You can get sample questions from the Course and Exam Description , the College Board website , and our guide to AP English Lit practice test resources .

Be aware that the released exams don't have complete slates of free-response questions, so you might need to supplement these with released free-response questions .

Since there are three complete released exams, you can take one toward the beginning of your prep time to get familiar with the exam and set a benchmark, and one toward the end to make sure the experience is fresh in your mind and to check your progress.

Don't wander like a lonely cloud through your AP Lit prep.

AP Literature: 6 Critical Test-Day Tips

Before we wrap up, here are my six top tips for AP Lit test day:

• #1: On the multiple-choice section, it's to your advantage to answer every question. If you eliminate all the answers you know are wrong before guessing, you'll raise your chances of guessing the correct one.
• #2: Don't rely on your memory of the passage when answering multiple-choice questions (or when writing essays, for that matter). Look back at the passage!
• #3: Interact with the text : circle, mark, underline, make notes—whatever floats your boat. This will help you retain information and actively engage with the passage.
• #4: This was mentioned above, but it's critical that you know four to five books well for the student-choice essay . You'll want to know all the characters, the plot, the themes, and any major devices or motifs the author uses throughout.
• #5: Be sure to plan out your essays! Organization and focus are critical for high-scoring AP Literature essays. An outline will take you a few minutes, but it will help your writing process go much faster.
• #6: Manage your time on essays closely. One strategy is to start with the essay you think will be the easiest to write. This way you'll be able to get through it while thinking about the other two essays.

And don't forget to eat breakfast! Apron optional.

AP Literature Exam: Key Takeaways

The AP Literature exam is a three-hour test that includes an hour-long multiple-choice section based on five prose and poetry passages and with 55 questions, and a two-hour free-response section with three essays : one analyzing a poetry passage, one analyzing a prose passage, and one analyzing a work chosen by you, the student.

The multiple-choice section is worth 45% of your total score , and the free-response section is worth 55% . The three essays are each scored on a rubric of 0-6, and raw scores are converted to a final scaled score from 1 to 5.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the exam:

• Read books and be particularly familiar with four to five works for the student-choice essays
• Read poetry
• Work on your close reading and analysis skills
• Learn common literary devices
• Practice writing essays
• Take practice tests!

On test day, be sure to really look closely at all the passages and really interact with them by marking the text in a way that makes sense to you. This will help on both multiple-choice questions and the free-response essays. You should also outline your essays before you write them.

With all this in mind, you're well on your way to AP Lit success!

What's Next?

If you're taking other AP exams this year, you might be interested in our other AP resources: from the Ultimate Guide to the US History Exam , to the Ultimate AP Chemistry Study Guide , to the Best AP Psychology Study Guide , we have tons of articles on AP courses and exams for you !

Looking for practice exams? Here are some tips on how to find the best AP practice tests . We've also got comprehensive lists of practice tests for AP Psychology , AP Biology , AP Chemistry , and AP US History .

Deciding which APs to take? Take a look through the complete list of AP courses and tests , read our analysis of which AP classes are the hardest and easiest , and learn how many AP classes you should take .

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Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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AP English Literature and Composition Exam Questions

Free-response questions and scoring information.

Download free-response questions from this year's exam and past exams along with scoring guidelines, sample responses from exam takers, and scoring distributions.

If you are using assistive technology and need help accessing these PDFs in another format, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 212-713-8333 or by email at [email protected] .

2024: Free-Response Questions

2023: Free-Response Questions

2022: Free-Response Questions

2021 Free-Response Questions

2020 Free-Response Questions

Note:  The table below features a selection of free-response questions and related scoring information from the 2020 exam. You can find all of the 2020 FRQs and corresponding scoring information in  AP Classroom question bank .

2019 Free-Response Questions

2018 Free-Response Questions

2017 Free-Response Questions

2016 Free-Response Questions

2015 Free-Response Questions

2014 Free-Response Questions

2013 Free-Response Questions

2012 Free-Response Questions

2011 Free-Response Questions

2011 Form B

2010: Free-Response Questions

2010: Form B

2009: Free-Response Questions

2009: Form B

2008 Free-Response Questions

2008: Form B

2007: Free-Response Questions

2007: Form B

2006: Free-Response Questions

2006: Form B

2005: Free-Response Questions

2005: Form B

2004: Free-Response Questions

2004: Form B

2003: Free-Response Questions

2003: Form B

2002: Free-Response Questions

2002: Form B

2001: Free-Response Questions

2000: Free-Response Questions

1999: Free-Response Questions