AP U.S. History Exam
About the AP® Exam
May 9, 2022
The AP U.S. History Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and includes both a 105-minute multiple-choice/short-answer section and a 90-minute free-response section. Each section is divided into two parts, as described below. Your performance on these four parts will be compiled and weighed to determine your AP Exam score.
SECTION ONE
Part A: Multiple Choice Questions ................................... 55 minutes (40% of exam score)
55 questions organized in sets of 2-6
• Each set of questions asks students to respond to a primary or secondary
source, a historian’s argument, or a historical problem.
• Individual questions within each set may ask students to make connections to
thematically linked developments in other time periods.
• Questions stand independently. Students will not need to answer question #1
correctly before answering #2 correctly.
Part B: Short Answer Questions .......................................40 minutes (20% of exam score)
3 questions (3 parts to each question)
• Students should provide direct answers to the questions. Short-answer
questions do not require students to develop and support a thesis statement.
• Students must contain their answer within the box provided on the exam and
label each part of the answer as “a,” “b,” and “c.”
SECTION TWO
Part A: Document-Based Question...................................60 minutes (25% of exam score)
1 question (7 documents)
• Students analyze historical documents, develop a thesis, and then support
the thesis with relevant historical evidence taken from the documents.
Part B: Long Essay Question ............................................40 minutes (15% of exam score)
1 question (students choose between two questions)
• Students formulate a thesis and support it with historical evidence
May 9, 2022
The AP U.S. History Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and includes both a 105-minute multiple-choice/short-answer section and a 90-minute free-response section. Each section is divided into two parts, as described below. Your performance on these four parts will be compiled and weighed to determine your AP Exam score.
SECTION ONE
Part A: Multiple Choice Questions ................................... 55 minutes (40% of exam score)
55 questions organized in sets of 2-6
• Each set of questions asks students to respond to a primary or secondary
source, a historian’s argument, or a historical problem.
• Individual questions within each set may ask students to make connections to
thematically linked developments in other time periods.
• Questions stand independently. Students will not need to answer question #1
correctly before answering #2 correctly.
Part B: Short Answer Questions .......................................40 minutes (20% of exam score)
3 questions (3 parts to each question)
• Students should provide direct answers to the questions. Short-answer
questions do not require students to develop and support a thesis statement.
• Students must contain their answer within the box provided on the exam and
label each part of the answer as “a,” “b,” and “c.”
SECTION TWO
Part A: Document-Based Question...................................60 minutes (25% of exam score)
1 question (7 documents)
• Students analyze historical documents, develop a thesis, and then support
the thesis with relevant historical evidence taken from the documents.
Part B: Long Essay Question ............................................40 minutes (15% of exam score)
1 question (students choose between two questions)
• Students formulate a thesis and support it with historical evidence
The AP U.S. History Exam |