Part III

About the AP European History Exam

THE STRUCTURE OF THE AP EUROPEAN HISTORY EXAM

The AP European History Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and broken up into two sections, each of which consists of two parts. Your performance on these four parts, outlined in the table below, is compiled and weighted to find your overall exam score.

	Question Type (#)	Time
Section I	Part A: Multiple Choice (55 questions)	55 minutes
Section I	Part B: Short Answer (3 questions)	40 minutes
Section II	Part A: Document-Based Question (1 question)	60 minutes (includes a reading period with a suggested time of 15 minutes)
Section II	Part B: Long Essay (1 question chosen among three different periods)	40 minutes

Here’s what to expect in each of these parts:

Multiple Choice: Questions will be grouped into sets of two to five and based on a primary or secondary source, including excerpts from historical documents or writings, images, graphs, maps, and so on. Each set of questions will be based on a different piece of source material. You’ll have 55 minutes to answer 55 multiple-choice questions. This section will test your ability to analyze and engage with the source materials while recalling what you already know about European history.
Short Answer: This section consists of three questions that will be based on a primary or secondary source. There will be two questions you must answer and then you can choose between two others. All questions will ask you to identify and analyze historical evidence. The time allotted for this section is 40 minutes, which means you’ll have a little over 13 minutes for each question. You must answer the first two questions and then you can choose between either question 3 or question 4.
Document-Based Question (DBQ): Here you’ll be presented with a variety of historical documents that are intended to show the complexity of a particular historical issue. You will need to develop a thesis that responds to the question prompt and to support that thesis with evidence from both the documents and your knowledge of European 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. The 60-minute time frame for this section includes a suggested 15-minute reading period so that you can familiarize yourself with the question and documents.
Long Essay: You’ll be given a choice of three essay options that cover three different periods of the course (1, 2-3, 3-4) and you must choose one. The long essay is similar to the DBQ in that you must develop a thesis and use historical evidence to support your thesis, but there will be not be any documents on which you must base your response. Instead, you will need to draw upon your own knowledge of topics you learned in your AP European History class. You’ll have 40 minutes to write this essay.

HOW THE AP EUROPEAN HISTORY EXAM IS SCORED

Each of the four parts is weighted differently to determine your overall score.

Test Section	Percentage of Overall Score
Multiple Choice	40%
Short Answer	20%
DBQ	25%
Long Essay	15%

As you can see, the writing portions of the exam count a little more heavily toward your total score (a combined total of 60 percent) than the multiple-choice section (40 percent). The DBQ and long essay are scored according to separate rubrics. You can earn a maximum of 7 points on the DBQ and 6 points on the long essay.

Here’s how those points are earned:

DBQ Scoring Rubric
Task	Points Possible	Description
Thesis/Claim	1	To earn this point, the thesis must make a claim that responds to the prompt rather than restating or rephrasing the prompt. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either in the introduction or the conclusion.
Contextualization	1	To earn this point, the response must relate the topic of the prompt to broader historical events, developments, or processes that occur before, during, or continue after the time frame of the question. This point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference.
Evidence	3 total	*Evidence from the Documents* To earn 1 point, the response must accurately describe—rather than simply quote—the content from at least 3 of the documents to address the topic of the prompt. To earn 2 points, the response must accurately describe—rather than simply quote—the content from at least 6 documents. In addition, the response must use the content of the documents to support an argument in response to the prompt.
		Evidence Beyond the Documents To earn 1 point, the response must describe, using more than a phrase of reference, at least 1 additional piece of specific historical evidence beyond that found in the documents. This additional evidence must be relevant to an argument about the prompt AND different from the evidence used to earn the point for contextualization.
Analysis and Reasoning	2 total	To earn 1 point, the response must explain how or why (rather than simply identifying) the document’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, or audience is relevant to an argument about the prompt for each of at least 3 documents sourced.
		To earn 1 point, a response must demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as: Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables Explaining both similarity and difference, or explaining both continuity and change, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both cause and effect Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple perspectives across themes Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence This understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.
Maximum Points: 7

Long Essay Scoring Rubric
Task	Points Possible	Description
Thesis/Claim	1	To earn this point, the thesis must make a claim that responds to the prompt (rather than restating or rephrasing the prompt) with a historically defensible thesis/claim that establishes a line of reasoning. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either in the introduction or the conclusion.
Contextualization	1	To earn this point, the response must relate the topic of the prompt to broader historical events, developments, or processes that occur before, during, or continue after the time frame of the question. This point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference.
Evidence	2 total	To earn 1 point, the response must identify specific historical examples of evidence relevant to the topic of the prompt. To earn 2 points, the response must use specific and relevant examples of historical evidence to support an argument in response to the prompt.
Analysis and Reasoning	2 total	To earn the first point, the response must demonstrate the use of historical reasoning (e.g., comparison, causation, and change and/or continuity over time) to frame or structure an argument, although the reasoning might be uneven or imbalanced. To earn the second point, a response must demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence. This can be accomplished in in a variety of ways, such as: Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables Explaining both similarity and difference, or explaining both continuity and change, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both cause and effect Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple perspectives across themes Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence This standing must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.
Maximum Points: 6

OVERVIEW OF CONTENT TOPICS

The AP European History course is broken down into four key time periods:

Period 1: c. 1450 to c. 1648

Period 2: c. 1648 to c. 1815

Period 3: c. 1815 to c. 1914

Period 4: c. 1914 to present

We’ve organized the chapters in this book to reflect this periodization. Beginning with the 2019–2020 academic year, the course will include 9 units aligned to the four historical periods above. They are:

Period 1:

1. Renaissance and Exploration

2. Age of Reformation

Period 2:

3. Absolutism and Constitutionalism

4. Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments

5. Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late Eighteenth Century

Period 3:

6. Industrialization and Its Effects

7. Nineteenth-Century Perspectives and Political Developments

Period 4:

8. Twentieth-Century Global Conflicts

9. Cold War and Contemporary Europe

NOTE: Although this book is not divided into these specific units, they are in fact discussed in each period content chapter!

Course Updates

The College Board released a revised course description for AP European history beginning with the 2019–2020 academic year. Because of the coronavirus, however, the testing format was abridged for May 2020. The next administration of the full-length test is now planned for May 2021, so please refer to your free online Student Tools for any breaking updates.

In addition, the course focuses on seven major themes:

interaction of Europe and the world
poverty and prosperity
objective knowledge and subjective visions
states and other institutions of power
the individual and society
national and European identity
technological and scientific innovation (new for the 2019–2020 course year)

The goal of the course is to get you to think conceptually about European history and understand how these themes are manifested throughout history. The questions on the exam will also be rooted in these seven themes. While there is no rigid set of topics that fall into each of these theme categories, the following table highlights some topics that will likely be addressed. NOTE: Please keep in mind that this list is not in chronological order, nor is it a comprehensive list. This is just a small sampling of the kinds of topics that fall under these thematic umbrellas. There are many, many more topics!

Theme	Relevant Course Topics
1. Interaction of Europe and the World	commercial and religious motivations to interact with the world competition for trade commercial rivalries Christianity social Darwinism mercantilism; slave-labor system; expansion of slave trade slave revolt and Haitian independence national self-determination extreme nationalist political parties increased immigration into Europe, anti-immigrant policies Woodrow Wilson’s political /diplomatic idealism causes of World War I Columbian exchange Marshall Plan 1929 stock market crash Cold War outside Europe responses to imperialism diplomacy and colonial wars
2. Poverty and Prosperity	industrialization; Second Industrial Revolution French Revolution Russian reform and modernization world monetary and trade systems European economic and political integration baby boom the putting-out system Agricultural Revolution and population growth mechanization; the factory system migration from rural to urban areas critiques of capitalism evolution of socialist ideology Russian Revolution Lenin’s New Economic Policy; Stalin’s economic modernization fascism the Great Depression green parties; revolts of 1968 labor laws and reform programs
3. Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions	revival of classical texts invention of the printing press Renaissance art scientific method rational thought theories of Locke and Rousseau humanism romanticism fascist nationalism
4. States and Other Institutions of Power	English Civil War French Revolution wars of Napoleon Enlightenment principles Congress of Vienna social contract post-1815 revolutions nation-building industrialization Russian Revolution constitutionalism rise of the Nazis mass media and propaganda total war post-1945 nationalist/separatist movements genocide imperialism colonial independence movements League of Nations collapse of communism
5. Individual and Society	gender roles and marriage patterns hierarchy and social status urban expansion; rise of commercial and professional groups family economy Napoleon and meritocracy industrialization and class destructive effects of technology religious minorities social Darwinism
6. National and European Identity	new class identities ethnic cleansing national self-determination transnational identities European integration conflict between religious groups continued influence of local identities separatist movements decolonization radical political thought rise of Zionism mass politics worker movements
7. Technological and Scientific Innovation (NEW)	Golden Age of Dutch advances: telescope, microscope, etc. 1st Industrial Revolution (18th century): spinning jenny, steam engine, steamboat, etc. 2nd Industrial Revolution (19th century) Electric motors, electric railways, telegraph Internal combustion engine, automobile Medical technology such as scalpel, stethoscope, aspirin, anesthesia, smallpox vaccine, Louis Pasteur’s germ theory of disease 20th century Less European innovation as America increased in power Einstein and the theory of relativity Color photography by the Lumière brothers Warfare technology used in WWI: mustard gas, barbed wire, tanks, fighter planes Media: radio, television Medical: Penicillin, antibiotics, electron microscope

Additionally, the AP European History course emphasizes key historical thinking skills, which will also be tested on the exam in how you grasp the source material presented throughout the test, as well as how demonstrate your ability to make historical connections in writing for the DBQ and long essay. The historical thinking skills that you develop in the course and will be tested upon are grouped into SIX areas:

Developments and processes
Sourcing and situations
Claims and evidence in sources
Contextualization
Making connections
Argumentation

These skills are tested across all units.

HOW AP EXAMS ARE USED

Different colleges use AP Exams in different ways, so it is important that you go to a particular college’s website to determine how it uses AP Exams. The three items below represent the main ways in which AP Exam scores can be used:

College Credit. Some colleges will give you college credit if you score well on an AP Exam. These credits count toward your graduation requirements, meaning that you can take fewer courses while in college. For those who pay for college per credit or course, rather than per semester or year, this could be quite a benefit, indeed.
Satisfy Requirements. Some colleges will allow you to “place out” of certain requirements if you do well on an AP Exam, even if they do not give you actual college credits. For example, you might not need to take an introductory-level course, or perhaps you might not need to take a class in a certain discipline at all.
Admissions Plus. Even if your AP Exam will not result in college credit or even allow you to place out of certain courses, most colleges will respect your decision to push yourself by taking an AP course or even an AP Exam outside of a course. A high score on an AP Exam shows mastery of more difficult content than is taught in many high school courses, and colleges may take that into account during the admissions process.

OTHER RESOURCES

There are many resources available to help you improve your score on the AP European History Exam, not the least of which are your teachers. If you are taking an AP class, you may be able to get extra attention from your teacher, such as obtaining feedback on your essays. If you are not in an AP course, reach out to a teacher who teaches European history and ask if the teacher will review your essays or otherwise help you with content.

Another wonderful resource is AP Students, the official site of the AP Exams. The most recent updates of the following items can be found at AP Students:

course description, which includes details on what content is covered and sample questions
essay prompts from previous years
AP European History Exam tips
up-to-date information about any anticipated changes to the exam format

The AP Students home page for the AP European History Exam can be found here: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-european-history.

NOTE: Late breaking updates to the course and exam can be released after the publication of this book, so we highly recommend visiting their website often!

Finally, The Princeton Review offers tutoring for the AP European History Exam. Our expert instructors can help you refine your strategic approach and add to your content knowledge. For more information, call 1-800-2REVIEW.

DESIGNING YOUR STUDY PLAN

As part of the Introduction, you identified some areas of potential improvement. Let’s now delve further into your performance on Practice Test 1, with the goal of developing a study plan appropriate to your needs and time commitment.

Read the answers and explanations associated with the multiple-choice questions (starting at this page). After you have done so, think about the following items:

Review the Overview of Content Topics and decide which areas you feel confident about and which you need to further review.
How many days/weeks/months away is your AP European History Exam?
What time of day is your best, most focused study time?
How much time per day/week/month will you devote to preparing for your AP European History Exam?
When will you do this preparation? (Be as specific as possible: Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M., for example.)
Based on the answers above, will you focus on strategy (Part IV), content (Part V), or both?
What are your overall goals in using this book?

Prep Like a Pro

Need some help devising a plan of action for your studying? Check out our free AP European History Exam study guide on your AP Student Tools. See the “Get More (Free) Content” page for details about accessing your online tools.