Advanced Placement exams have been around for decades. While the format and content have changed over the years, the basic goal of the AP program remains the same: to give high school students a chance to earn college credit or advanced placement. To do this, a student needs to do two things:
The first part is easy because most colleges accept AP scores in some form or another. The second part requires a little more effort. If you have worked diligently all year in your course work, you’ve laid the groundwork. The next step is familiarizing yourself with the exam.
The main goal of the College Board (the makers of the AP World History exam) is to help students think like a historian. To that end, some skills and methods you'll be expected to demonstrate are:
The AP World History exam is broken down into six historical periods:
| Period | Period Title | Date Range | Weight |
| 1 | Technological and Environmental Transformations | to 600 B.C.E. | 5% |
| 2 | Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies | 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. |
15% |
| 3 | Regional and Interregional Interactions | 600 C.E. to 1450 C.E. |
20% |
| 4 | Global Interactions | 1450 C.E. to 1750 C.E. |
20% |
| 5 | Industrialization and Global Integration | 1750 C.E. to 1900 C.E. |
20% |
| 6 | Accelerating Global Change and Realignments | 1900 C.E. to the present |
20% |
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).
| Section | Part | Percentage of Exam | Timing |
| I | Part A: Multiple-Choice (55 Questions) | 40% | 55 minutes |
| Part B: Short-Answer (3 Questions) | 20% | 40 minutes | |
| II | Part A: Document Based (1 Question) | 25% | 100 minutes (includes a recommended 15-minute reading period) |
| Part B: Long Essay (1 Question) | 15% |
Let's take a brief look at what question types you'll see on the exam. In the following chapter, we'll go into even more detail about how to approach each question type in order to earn a high score.
The 55 multiple-choice questions will be divided into sets of two to five questions based on a primary or secondary source, which could be a text excerpt, image, graph, or map. These questions assess your ability to understand and analyze historical texts and interpretations, as well as your ability to make larger historical connections. Keep in mind that even if a question set is based on a specific historical period, the individual questions may require you to make connections to other periods and events.
The document-based question (DBQ) assesses your ability to develop an argument based on your assessment of historical evidence. The documents on which this essay is based can vary in length and format, including written, quantitative, or visual materials. You are expected to make sophisticated connections based on the given documents; therefore, it is essential to demonstrate your knowledge of larger historical themes (rather than just events, dates, and people) in order to earn the highest scores.
Like the document-based question, the long essay question (LEQ) also assesses your ability to develop an argument using historical evidence. This time, the emphasis is on explaining and analyzing significant issues in world history. In this section, you will answer one of three prompts, each of which focuses on different time periods. Make sure to choose the prompt that best showcases the extent of your knowledge.