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Ultimate Guide to the AP World History Exam

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The AP World History exam is one of the more popular AP exams among self-studiers and enrolled students alike. In 2019, over 300,000 students took the AP World History exam, making it the fifth most taken AP exam. If you are interested in taking the AP World History exam, read on for a breakdown of the test and CollegeVine’s advice for how to best prepare for it.

Note: beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, the College Board is changing the AP World History exam so that it no longer covers ancient history . The exams now formally called AP World History: Modern, with a new course covering ancient history in the works. AP World History: Modern will only involve history from the year 1200 to the present. This means that you should skip any practice questions involving history from before 1200 in any study materials, as that content will not be covered on the exam. 

When is the AP World History Exam?

The 2020 AP World History exam will take place on Thursday, May 14, at 8 am. For an up-to-date, comprehensive list of AP exam times, check out our blog 2020 AP Exam Schedule: Everything You Need to Know .

About the AP World History Exam

The AP World History course investigates significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in world history from 1200 to the present. In this class, you will develop your ability to analyze historical sources and develop historical arguments. You will do this by honing historical thinking skills, including:

• Developments and processes: Identifying and explaining historical developments and processes.
• Sourcing and situation: Analyzing primary and secondary sources.
• Claims and evidence in sources: Understanding arguments in primary and secondary sources.
• Contextualization: Seeing the bigger picture of historical events, developments, or processes.
• Making connections: Using comparison, causation, continuity, and change to analyze patterns and connections between historical developments and processes.
• Argumentation: Developing a sound argument and clear thesis based on sources and your outside knowledge.

In addition to developing historical thinking skills, you will also explore six primary themes: 

• Humans and the environment: The environment shapes human societies and societies shape their environments.
• Cultural developments and interactions: Ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrate a group’s self-perception, along with influencing political, social, and cultural life.
• Governance: The formation and decline of states and the workings of government.
• Economic systems: The manner in which societies produce, exchange, and consume goods and services.
• Social interactions and organization: Societal grouping and the influences that interactions between groups have on politics, economics, and cultural institutions.
• Technology and innovation: Intended and unintended consequences of human adaptation and innovation. 

AP World History Exam Course Content

The AP World History course is generally divided into nine units. Below is the common structure of the AP World History Course with the percentage of the exam each unit represents. 

AP World History Exam Content

The World History AP exam is one of the longer AP exams, clocking in at three hours and 15 minutes. It is comprised of three sections: multiple choice, short answer, and one final section for the document-based question (DBQ) and long essay. 

Section 1: Multiple Choice 

55 minutes | 55 questions | 40% of score

Section 1 takes 55 minutes, contains 55 multiple-choice questions, and accounts for 40% of your total score. Questions test your ability to analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence. Typically, questions come in sets of three to four which use the same primary and secondary sources. 

Section 2: Short-Answer Questions

40 minutes | 3 questions | 20% of score

Section two contains three short-answer questions, takes 40 minutes, and accounts for 20% of your total score. 

• The first short-answer question focuses on historical process and development between the years 1200 and 2001, and includes one secondary source.
• The second short-answer question’s attention is aimed at the same years (1200-2001), but includes a primary source.
• The third short answer gives students a choice to answer one of two questions. The first is focused on historical developments and processes from 1200-1750, the other is focused on historical developments and processes from 1750-2001. Students are not given sources for either question.

Section 3: Free Response 

1 hour 40 minutes | 2 questions | 40% of score

The final section consists of two long-answer responses: a document-based question and a long essay. The DBQ spans one hour (including 15 minutes of reading time) and accounts for 25% of your score. The long essay gives two choices of prompts, from which students must choose one and complete it in 40 minutes. The long essay accounts for 15% of your score. Students familiar with the AP U.S. History or AP European History exams will benefit from knowing that the exam format and scoring rubric are exactly the same.   

• Long Essay: For the long essay, students can choose to write about historical developments and processes from one of three time periods (1200 to 1750, 1450 to 1900, or 1750 to 2001) and must demonstrate historical thinking skills such as comparison, causation, or continuity and change.

AP European History Score Distribution, Average Score, and Passing Rate

The AP World History exam is a tough one to crack, largely because of the breadth of material covered in the exam. In 2019, 55.3% of students who took the AP World History exam received a score of 3 or higher. Only 8.6% of students received the top score of 5, while 15.8% scored a 1 on the exam. Only Physics I, English Literature, Italian Language, and Seminar had lower percentages of students scoring a 5.

Keep in mind, credit and advanced standing based on AP scores varies widely from college to college. Always check with the schools on your list for their AP policies.

A full course description that can help guide your studying and understanding of the knowledge required for the test can be found in the College Board course description .

Best Ways to Study for the AP World History Exam

Step 1: assess your skills.

The College Board AP World History website provides a number of sample test questions and exam tips. You’ll find an AP World History Practice exam from 2017 on the College Board’s website. An AP World History Practice exam from 2013 is also found on the College Board’s website; although the format of the 2013 exam is outdated, the core content remains the same, making it useful for identifying focal areas for studying. Practice tests are also found in many of the official study guides.   

Step 2: Study the Material

The AP World History course develops your understanding of the world’s history through the span of approximately 10,000 years. Obviously this covers an enormous amount of material, so you should allow plenty of time to prepare. Material for the course is divided into six themes: 

• Developments and Processes
• Sourcing and Situation
• Claims and Evidence in Sources
• Contextualization
• Making Connections
• Argumentation

Throughout the course, students use these themes to frame and connect historical developments in different times and places. You will need to learn significant events, people, developments, and processes from world history in four historical periods (1200 to 1450, 1450 to 1750, 1750 to 1900, and 1900 to present) and employ the thinking skills and methods used by historians to study the past. These include analyzing primary and secondary sources, making historical comparisons, chronological reasoning, and argumentation.    

Go to the Source: Unfortunately, there is no official practice test for the current AP World History exam, as the 2020 administration will be the very first iteration of the AP World History: Modern Exam. You’ll need to make do with the aforementioned 2017 AP World History exam ; just be sure to skip any questions from before the year 1200. The College Board does, however, provide an extensive collection of example free-response questions (with commentary) on its website along with some additional sample questions in its official course description . The College Board also recommends World History Connected: the e-Journal of Learning and Teaching as a free web resource for those who want to deepen their engagement and understanding of world history.

Ask an Expert: For a more specific idea of where to focus your studying, you should consider using an updated formal study guide. Both the Princeton Review’s Cracking the AP World History Exam, 2020 Edition and Barron’s AP World History: Modern are proven and reliable resources. Of these, Barron’s is regarded as the stronger option for long-term studying of the material, while the Princeton Review is often regarded as a better option for test practice (though some users say that its practice tests in the past have been more difficult than the actual AP exam). 

Task a Teacher: There are also a number of free study resources available online. Many AP teachers—such as Mrs. Gibson from East Aurora High School in New York—have posted complete study guides, review sheets, and test questions. Be careful when accessing these, as many will be from previous versions of the exam. 

Try a study app: Another convenient way to study is to use one of the recently-developed apps for AP exams. These can be free or cost a small fee, and they provide an easy way to quiz yourself. Make sure you read reviews before choosing one—their quality varies widely. Here’s a free AP World History app from Varsity Tutors , and another free AP World History app that’s highly-rated .

Step 3: Practice Multiple-Choice Questions

Once you have your theory down, give it a try by practicing multiple-choice questions. You can find these in most study guides or through online searches. You could also try taking the multiple-choice section of another practice exam.

The College Board Course Description includes many practice multiple-choice questions along with explanations of their answers. There are additional questions from the 2014 test available here . Again, be sure to skip any questions from before the year 1200, as those will not be on the updated exam. As you go through these, try to keep track of which areas are still tripping you up, and go back over this theory again. Focus on understanding what each question is asking and keep a running list of any concepts that are still unfamiliar.

Step 4: Practice Free-Response Questions

The AP World History exam is different from many AP exams in that it consists of five free-response questions of varying length and content. To be successful in these sections, you should know what to expect from each question. If you are already familiar with the free-response portions of the AP U.S. History or AP European History exams, you will find these similar in format.

Short-Answer Questions: The first three free-response questions are considered “short answer,” and you will be allowed 40 minutes to complete them all. These questions tend to have multiple parts, with each being very specific and limited in scope. In this section, you will have an opportunity to explain the historical examples you know best. You will probably be asked to interpret a graph or figure, compare and contrast the effects of different cultural approaches from specific time periods, or list distinct precipitating factors of significant historical events. You should be able to answer each part of these questions in a short, succinct paragraph.

Document-Based Question: To master the document-based question, you will need to carefully read the question, practice active reading skills while reviewing the documents, and make a strong outline before you begin to write. In this section, you will assess written, quantitative, or visual materials as historical evidence. Be sure to completely review the outline of requirements provided before the prompt, and check them off as you are outlining and writing your response. 

• Scoring: To properly formulate an answer to the document-based questions, it’s valuable to understand how the College Board scores your answer. The document-based question is graded on a scale of 0 to 7 with points awarded for: Thesis/Claim (0 to 1 point), Contextualization (0 to 1 point), Evidence (0 to 3 points), and Analysis and Reasoning (0 to 2 points). 

Long Essay: The long essay gives you the choice of three separate prompts, asking you to explain and analyze significant issues in world history and develop an argument supported by your analysis of historical evidence.  

• Scoring: As with the documentation-based question, understanding how the long essay is scored is beneficial to crafting a successful answer. The long essay is graded on a scale of 0 to 6 with points awarded for: Thesis Claim (0 to 1 point), Contextizalation (0 to 1 point), Evidence (0 to 2 points), and Analysis and Reasoning (0 to 2 points). 

Remember that you only need to answer one of them. As in the document-based question above, you will be provided with a rough outline of key considerations, including a strong thesis, application of your historical thinking skills, ability to support your argument with specific examples, and the synthesis of your response into a greater historical context. You will be asked to explain and analyze significant issues in world history and develop an argument supported by your analysis of historical evidence.

For more details about how the document-based section and long-essay section are scored, review the College Board’s AP World History exam scoring rubric . 

Step 5: Take Another Practice Test

Just like at the very beginning of your studying, take a practice test to assess your progress. You should see a steady progression of knowledge, and it’s likely that you will see patterns identifying which areas have improved the most and which areas still need improvement.

If you have time, repeat each of the steps above to incrementally increase your score.

Step 6: Exam Day Specifics

If you’re taking the AP course associated with this exam, your teacher will walk you through how to register. If you’re self-studying, check out our blog post How to Self-Register for AP Exams .

For information about what to bring to the exam, see our post What Should I Bring to My AP Exam (And What Should I Definitely Leave at Home)?

As a student of world history, you’ll know that the past is often predictive of the future. Getting into college isn’t all that different. Our free chancing engine uses past performances represented in metrics like GPA and standardized test scores, along with other criteria such as extracurricular activities, to take the guesswork out of college admissions and tell you your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

Interested in learning more about AP exams? Check out some of our other great posts: 

• 2020 AP Exam Schedule
• How Long is Each AP Exam?
• Easiest and Hardest AP Exams

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AP® World History

How to answer ap® world history saqs, dbqs, and leqs.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

If you’re taking AP® World History, you probably already know just how important the free response section can be for making or breaking your AP® score. This post will help give you the best tips and tricks for answering AP® World History free response questions including but not limited to short-answer questions, document-based questions, and long essays. 

We’ll go over things like must-know tips for how to write perfect score SAQs, DBQs, and LEQs, mistakes students often make on the AP® World exam, and how to use past AP® free response questions to start practicing for your upcoming exam. 

Read on to get the scoop on everything you need to make the most of your AP® World History: Modern exam review. 

What We Review

5 Steps on How to Write Effective AP® World History: Modern Free Responses

Regardless of whether you’re answering a SAQ, DBQ, or LEQ, there are a few key steps when it comes to putting your best foot forward in your AP® World free response section.

1. Knowing what you’re being asked and answering that specific question.

All too often, students enter the AP® World History: Modern exam suffering from two key weaknesses in their exam prep: not understanding the rubric or not answering the question asked. 

You need to know exactly how you earn your points. This way, you can write your response to directly address what you’re being asked. 

Here is a link for AP® World History past released exams

These past exams include scoring guidelines PDFs which outline how points were distributed for each respective question. 

Here’s a screenshot from the second question of the 2019 released exam:

Source: College Board

You can gather a lot from these scoring guidelines. In the example above, you can see that points are distributed based on the student’s ability to answer the prompt. One point was given for identification from data in a chart, another from identifying a similarity, and a final point for explaining how longer life expectations impacted society on a political, economic, or social level. 

There are commonly used directive words to be wary of when reviewing past AP® World History free response questions. We’ll cover what some of those are later. 

When it comes to the AP® World History DBQ, know where each of your points will come from. Most importantly, keep in mind how to use the documents to advance your argument and don’t just rehash what is already known from the documents provided. This means knowing for example that you’ll receive one point for successfully connecting documents to the prompt, knowing you have to argue with the documents to earn more points, or using at least six (if not seven) documents to support your thesis.

For now, just make sure you go over at least two years worth of released exam scoring guidelines so you understand how everything is weighted and distributed.

2. Flag every directive word or key phrase in the question prompt. 

Now that you know how points are earned, you need to start to develop a habit for mentally confirming you’re getting all of the points possible in each question. 

Let’s take a look at the first SAQ from the 2019 AP® World History exam:

What you can tell here is that oftentimes for SAQs, you will be asked to identify in part A (and sometimes B, as is the case here), followed by explain in part B and/or C. 

To properly identify , you must provide 1-2 sentences where you directly answer the question, within the proper time period.

When asked to explain , these responses often will be three sentences. One sentence to answer the question, and then two sentences to provide specific facts that support your answer. Teachers often refer to these questions as ones where you want to “show the why”. 

Take note of what we highlighted above. We not only flag for ourselves what the key directive word is, but we also mark how many things we need to identify or explain and the time period being asked of us. 

Students often make the mistake of bringing in historical examples that are outside the scope of the time period asked. If you do this, you will miss out on valuable AP® World History SAQ points. 

Here’s how we might flag the DBQ from that same 2019 AP® World History free response section:

When you’re flagging the key directives or phrases, the things to keep in mind are: 

• Typically when it comes to the DBQs or LEQs, you’ll be asked to compare, explore causes, discuss change or continuity over time.
• What’s the time period? 

To answer the first question, you must understand that AP® World History: Modern develops students to have these six historical thinking skills: 

The four core historical reasoning skills from the College Board are:

3. Plan out your response BEFORE you start writing.

Taking just a few minutes to map out your response to each AP® World History free response question can make a big difference in the cohesion of your responses. 

Too often, students jump right into answering questions and as a result either simply regurgitate what was already given to them, or fail to answer the question they’re being asked directly. 

To serve as a “compass”, always remember:

• What’s the historical reasoning skill being asked of me?
• What’s the time period? What do I know about this time period?

Then, when it comes to specifics to the DBQ, ask yourself questions such as:

• What type of DBQ is this? Is it asking me a social, political, or economic question? 
• How can the documents I’ve been provided be grouped together? 
• What is the sourcing of the document? 
• What’s my thesis? Can it be agreed with or disagreed with and have I put everything into historical context? 
• Have I planned to use at least six documents? 
• Is my intended outside evidence specific and relevant to the question and time period?
• Have I planned how I’ll introduce complexity? (We’ll give you tips on this final point later)

For the AP® World LEQ, be sure to ask:

• Do I have a defensible thesis? Is there a clear line of reasoning? 
• Is it clear how I’ll place things into historical context?
• Do I have specific evidence that is relevant to the question and time period?
• Have I planned how I’ll introduce complexity?

The College Board uses the free response section to test your ability to connect the dots between historical time periods and to be able to fluidly navigate historical time periods with accuracy. 

This means planning is essential. Really think hard on what the question is asking you and if you’re giving a direct answer to that question. 

AP® Readers often express frustration with not being able to give students points because students simply got distracted by a catch phrase from the text, or wrote about something not relevant to the question of the prompt.

4. Double check you’ve made explicit references to connections in your writing.

One of the common pitfalls of student responses for AP® World History: Modern FRQs is not using documents or evidence to advance an argument. 

It isn’t enough in your response to simply demonstrate you understand what the document is. You have to also show how that document serves as evidence to support your thesis. 

In the past, Chief Readers of the exam have expressed that students often understand historical content, but aren’t able to present the evidence in a way that will earn points for the response. 

The easiest way to check yourself here is to remember the word “therefore”. Make your argument, describe your evidence from what’s provided (or what you know), and then say “therefore” followed by the argument you are trying to make. 

In other AP® subjects, teachers tell their students that this is the equivalent of “showing the why” or “closing the loop”. 

Closing the loop in AP® World History can be made into more of a habit using words like “because” or “therefore” to help bridge two concepts together and solve for the “why” this matters. 

5. Practice, practice, and then practice some more

When you really think about what are the keys to AP® free response success, it boils down to mastering the rubrics and crafting responses to fit those rubrics. 

It’s not uncommon for students to walk into the exam and to have never seen an AP® World History: Modern SAQ, DBQ, or LEQ rubric. Don’t be that student. 

The College Board provides a plethora of past released exams to help you navigate the preparation process, so use them! 

Try one of the past released exams and then have a friend grade your responses with the scoring guidelines. See how you might have done without any deliberate practice. Then, review your mistakes, log them in a study journal, and keep working through the other prior years. 

After a while, you’ll develop your own internal checklist of questions for yourself such as:

• Do I have a thesis? Does it include evidence and a clear line of reasoning?
• Have I explained what happened before this time period to earn the contextualization point?
• Is the evidence I’ve used supporting my thesis? Have I included bridge words like “therefore” or “because” to demonstrate this alignment? Have I used at least six of the documents?
• Have I discussed sourcing? Is it clear who the documents were written for and how that might impact the author’s point of view? 
• Is there an attempt at earning the complexity point and evidence to support my complexity?

Return to the Table of Contents

37 AP® World History and Politics FRQ Tips to Scoring a 4 or 5

Alright! Now that we’ve reviewed a 5-step process for writing grade ‘A’ worthy AP® World History: Modern free responses, we can review some test taking tips and strategies to keep in mind. 

We recommend you read through a few of these every time you start and end your AP® World FRQ practice. Then, in the days leading up to your exam, read the entire list so they stay fresh in your mind. 

11 AP® World History SAQ Tips and Test Taking Strategies

• Be smart about how you review your textbook for your FRQs. There is so much content that it can often be more practical to look over your outlines and notes from when you were in class, or to find online teacher notes that are free to build notes on top of. 
• Prioritize chronology and periodization over dates. You should have a strong sense of the overall timelines but not have to rely on specific dates to position your responses. Students often force specific dates to memory without more broadly understanding what happened during that time period. 
• Focus on understanding how the AP® World History themes intersect with one another. This directly relates to the ability to discuss and explain continuity and change over time. 
• Answer the question.
• Cite your supporting evidence.
• Explain how your evidence proves your point. 
• Familiarize yourself with the common categories of analysis: economic, demographic, political, cultural, and social developments are commonly assessed not just in the SAQ, but in all the AP® World FRQs. 
• Readers have often mentioned that students struggle with periodization. As a result, they make mistakes mentioning things that are outside the scope of the time period given. 
• Student struggles with periodization are often exacerbated when the test asks you about two different time periods. Be prepared for this scenario — it happened as recently as 2019 and led to many students writing outside the specified time period. 
• Be wary of what the College Board calls “catch phrases” in the text. These are popular terms like “checks and balances” or “serial murderers”. These phrases have led students to write about topics not relevant to the question in the past such as the death penalty, school shootings, or the criminal justice system. 
• Practice your ability to link secondary sources to course content. This is a skill that students often struggle with and the premise of doing well on a number of the SAQs.
• Focus much of your prep time on the E in ACE . Students often are not effective at earning the point for explaining because they simply restate a fact and fail to show how that fact supports comparison, causation, or continuity and change over time. 
• To help you score points in demonstrating your historical reasoning skills, use words like whereas, in contrast to, or likewise when drawing comparisons. 

22 AP® World History DBQ Tips and Test Taking Strategies

• Before you start planning out your DBQ, double check the time period. 20th century means anything that happened between 1901 and 2000, 18th century means anything between 1701 and 1800, etc. You’d be surprised that students sometimes write about the wrong time period just due to test day stress. 
• For the AP® World History DBQ, understand that you’ll only earn a point for your thesis if there is a historically defensible thesis that establishes a line of reasoning. In other words, you cannot just restate or reword the prompt.
• X is your counterargument or counterpoint
• ABC are your strongest supporting points for your argument.
• And Y is your argument. 
• If you don’t like the above formula, another common way to form a thesis is to remember to include the word “because” — the claims you make after you state “because” will be your argument. 
• Gut check your thesis by asking yourself, “Is this something someone can or cannot agree to? If so, then it’s a good enough thesis because it needs to be defended.
• Some AP® World History teachers recommend placing context in your opening paragraph. This way you don’t forget about it later. 
• Historical Context
• Point of View
• Remember that you only get one point to describe how at least three documents from the documents provided relate to the prompt. Don’t spend your entire DBQ simply describing documents. 
• The other points when it comes to the evidence section of the DBQ come from arguing with the documents. In other words, remember to use the documents as evidence to support your thesis. 
• If you use six documents to support the argument of your thesis, you can earn the second point for the evidence section. If you’re unsure about how you interpreted one document, try to use all seven to give yourself a backup. Past Chief Readers of the exams have even given this tip as a good tip for responding to DBQs. 
• XYZ, therefore ABC
• XYZ is the description of the document
• ABC is the implication and support of how what you described relates to your thesis. 
• To earn the final point for evidence, the contextualization point, you need to bring in at least one piece of specific historical evidence from what you know that is relevant to the prompt and your thesis . The last part is very important. 
• An easy way to earn your contextualization point is to explain what happened immediately before the time period being tested. 
• In document 1, XYZ
• In document 2, XYZ
• Refer to the authors of the documents and not just the document numbers — this can serve as a helpful reminder to remember the HAPP acronym. 
• Make sure your DBQ supporting paragraphs have topic sentences. Doing so helps build a cohesive argument instead of just jumping your reader from one document or one group of documents to the next.
• To earn the sourcing point in analysis and reasoning, ask yourself, “Who was this document written for? What’s their intent or what might this document have accomplished? Why did the writer say what he said in the way he said it?” Then, link what you’ve considered to your thesis. 
• You must demonstrate sourcing for at least three documents to earn the point. Try to do more than the minimum of three.
• Do not ask for additional documents. This is an outdated tip that AP® World History teachers have continued sharing with students over the years that no longer is applicable. As recently as 2018, 15-20% of essays requested more documents when this hasn’t been part of the rubric. 
• The College Board rubric describes this as “explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods” 
• The College Board describes this as “explaining both similarity and difference”
• If you’re writing about causation, discuss the effects. 
• If you want another way to earn this point, you can earn it by applying your argument to another time period and drawing a connection. If you do this, keep in mind you must apply your entire argument to another time period. 
• When aiming to score your complexity point, remember it needs to be integrated into your argument and not just a brief phrase or reference. Always explain why you’re including something in your response. 
• A series of possible stems to signal to your grader you are attempting complexity is to say use one of the following phrases: another time, another view, or another way.

4 AP® World History LEQ Tips and Test Taking Strategies

• Understand and be comfortable with all forms of the LEQ: causation, comparison, or change and continuity over time questions.
• One point comes from having a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of reasoning (see above tips for how to make sure this is covered).
• One point is awarded for contextualization. The easiest way to do this is to start with specificity on what was happening two to five decades before the time period you’re writing about. Be specific as you do not earn points for just citing a phrase or reference.
• Two points are given for evidence. One is earned for just naming two pieces of evidence that are relevant to the prompt. The second is given when you use those pieces of evidence to support your argument in response to the prompt. 
• Finally, two points are given for analysis and reasoning. One point is given for doing what is asked in the prompt (i.e. comparing, evaluating causation, exploring change and continuity over time). The second point is earned by having complexity in your response. See the above tip #31 from the DBQ section for the easiest ways to earn this point. 
• When practicing your LEQs, try writing your response. Then, give yourself a dedicated time to reference your class notes and resources and add in specific facts that could have helped support your LEQ. This will help you gain confidence in being specific in your supporting evidence. 
• If you’re often forgetting to bring in contextualization, try going through the last five years of LEQs and just answering how you would have tried to earn the contextualization point. 

Wrapping Things Up: How to Write AP® World History and Politics FRQs

We’ve reviewed so much in this AP® World History study guide. At this point, you should feel pretty confident when it comes to answering either your short answer questions, document-based questions, or long-essay questions. 

As we wrap up, here are a few things to remember:

• Good AP® World History free response scores are only achieved when you know how you’re being assessed. Understand the point breakdowns for the SAQ, DBQ, and LEQs.
• Form a mental checklist for yourself for each type of AP® World FRQ — for example, for SAQs, remember ACE: answer the question, cite your evidence, and explain how your evidence proves your point. 
• Always take note of what time period is being asked of you. Students miss so many points by simply writing about something outside of the time period asked. 
• Be specific in your responses. It is not enough to simply describe what’s going on in documents for example. You need to use the documents to support your thesis. Close the loop or “show the why” to your reader. 
• Focus the bulk of your time on commonly tested AP® World History time periods. See the curriculum and exam description for the period breakdowns. Units 3-6 are typically weighted more than other time periods (12-15% respectively).  
• Make sure your thesis includes a clear line of reasoning. Remember the model: Although X, ABC, therefore Y.
• Put an attempt at contextualization in your introduction and then another when wrapping up your evidence to support your thesis. Explain what happened immediately before the time period being tested. 
• Make sure to source at least three documents in your DBQ. Address HAPP (historical context, audience, purpose and point of view).
• The easiest way to earn complexity is to do the opposite historical reasoning skill of what’s being asked of you. See tip #31 for how to do this. 

We hope you’ve taken away a lot from this AP® World review guide.

If you’re looking for more free response questions or multiple choice questions, check out our website! Albert has tons of original standards-aligned practice questions for you with detailed explanations to help you learn by doing and score that 4 or 5.

If you found this post helpful, you may also like our AP® World History tips here or our AP® World History score calculator here .

We also have an AP® World History review guide here .

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How to Write Good Essays in AP World History

Last Updated: September 1, 2021

This article was co-authored by Carrie Adkins, PhD . Carrie Adkins is the cofounder of NursingClio, an open access, peer-reviewed, collaborative blog that connects historical scholarship to current issues in gender and medicine. She completed her PhD in American History at the University of Oregon in 2013. While completing her PhD, she earned numerous competitive research grants, teaching fellowships, and writing awards. This article has been viewed 41,452 times.

AP World History is an exciting course to take. You can learn about how civilizations have grown and interacted with one another from the time of 600 B.C.E. to the present day. For your course and AP exam, you will need to write three kinds of essays: document-based, continuity and change-over-time, and comparative. [1] X Research source Each has a slightly different format so be aware of the differences.

Writing a Document-Based Essay

• Making historical arguments from evidence and practicing historical argumentation
• Chronological reasoning, determining causation, continuity, and change-over-time
• Comparison and contextualization
• Historical interpretation and synthesis [2] X Research source

• Look for commonalities or contrasts in the documents’ tone, authorship, purpose or intent, and dating. [4] X Research source
• Draw a table that lists your group headings, e.g. "gender" or "trade pacts." List the numbers of the documents that fit in each group. For each group, make sure you have minimally two documents. [5] X Research source
• Themes might include a particular time period like World War II, technological movements like the Industrial Revolution, or social movements like civil rights.

• You must use all or all but one of the documents. [7] X Research source For this essay, rely on the evidence in front of you first. Then, if you have any examples that will help your point, you can incorporate them into your argument.
• You might be asked what other documents could be beneficial to your grouping or argument. Think about what could make your arguments stronger. Try to mention an additional needed document at the end of every body paragraph. [8] X Research source
• For tips on writing an essay, see Write an Essay.
• For advice on developing your thesis statement, see Focus an Essay. Your thesis statement should mention evidence you gathered from the documents. It should clearly and concisely answer the prompt. Do not take on a thesis that you cannot prove in the allotted time. A framework for a thesis could be: "Docs. 1-3 demonstrate how due to the invention of the water mill, landowners with water rights were able to extract income from a basic natural resource. This widened the income gap between landowners and farmers."

• For examples of sample questions and documents for this essay and the other types of essays, see http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-world-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf

Penning a Change-Over-Time Essay

• How did environmental conditions shift, for example, during the Industrial Revolution? What were the connections to technological development? Look for changes over time and things that remained the same or were continuous.
• Include dates when relevant. [11] X Research source
• When forming your thesis statement, make sure it answers the prompt and mentions both change and continuity. For example, "Although Christianity spread through colonialism, its impact in China was relatively small in comparison to other countries (e.g. X, Y, Z). In China, Buddhism remained as a mainstay because of missionaries' inability to connect with the local people in (location M, N, etc.)."

• For example, if you are writing about the Crusades, drawing parallels to the Mongols and spirituality's influence on their wars is an interesting side-point. Unless you were asked to compare the role of religion in war, however, the point is probably not necessary to mention!

• Good essays tie change and continuity together. For example, an important agricultural change could lead to a technological innovation that becomes a continuity.

Mastering a Comparative Essay

• You might be able to choose from a number of examples for analysis. [13] X Research source

• Assess or evaluate
• Describe [14] X Research source

• For example, if the prompt asks you to compare the role of religion in war between two societies, you could pick the Ancient Hebrews and early Muslims. If, however, you know more about the Christian Crusaders and the spiritualist Mongols, go for that comparison. As long as you can support your points with thorough examples and your examples answer the question at hand, use what you know best.

• Can develop a solid thesis
• Answer every part of the question
• Provide evidence to back up your thesis
• Make minimally one (preferably more) direct comparisons between regions or societies
• Examine one reason for the difference between regions

Expert Q&A

• Use an active voice (versus passive) and simple past verbs. [15] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you have time, always review your essay after you’ve written it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• To ensure good essay writing, be sure to study enough beforehand. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-world-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf
• ↑ http://glencoe.mheducation.com/sites/dl/free/0024122010/899891/AP_World_History_Essay_Writers_HB.pdf
• ↑ http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/hi216/write.htm

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AP World Document Analysis HIPP/HAPPY Practice & Feedback

11 min read • january 2, 2021

Eric Beckman

Practicing using the HIPP/HAPPY strategy is a great way to prep for the AP exam! Review practice student responses for a document analysis prompt from Content Intern Jed Quiaoit and corresponding feedback from Fiveable teachers Melissa Longnecker and Evan Liddle.

The Document Analysis Practice Prompt

One of the skills AP World History: Modern holds you accountable for is  document analysis  - the ability not to only introduce a document but to deconstruct and break it down to smaller components to explore separately.

Recap: We use the  HIPP strategy.  You might also know it as  HAPPY  but worry not, it has pretty much the same idea.

H: Historical Context - what was going on at this time period?

I: Intended Audience - who/whom is the document meant for?

P: POV - who/what is the document representing?

P: Purpose - why is the document created?

This prompt here is a good one for practicing all of the HIPP/HAPPy categories, but you won’t need to be this thorough on the exam. Just pick one characteristic for each document you are sourcing, describe it briefly, and explain why it is relevant to understanding the document and/or your argument. That way, you can fit sourcing for multiple documents in your 45 minutes of writing time!

Here are four documents from the Modern period, c. 1750 to 1900. With your historical knowledge of Unit 5 (revolution and industrialization), try to analyze at least 3 out of 4 documents. The more documents you practice analyzing, the more confident you’ll be in doing so in a timed fashion!

Document Analysis Samples and Feedback

Student sample 1.

Document 1: Document 1 was compiled during a time of Enlightenment thought in the 17th century. People began to use a source of reason behind their thoughts and believed that nature, humanity, and god were all intertwined towards better society not just one. Enlightenment thinkers believed they could help create better societies and better people. Joh Locke’s Audience was the people of the time in Europe and beyond who were subjugated to rulers who justified their rule using the theory of divine right. His purpose was to ensure that people had three basic rights to their lives, the right to life, liberty, and property. It was the job of the government to protect these rights and the people had the last say in whether or not these rights were being protected in the correct manner.

Document 2: The document was written during a time of Female led uprisings towards patriarchy and male dominance in life. Women around the world led protests and fought for social changes and believed women deserved the same privileges as men. The audience of the document are the millions of women who wished to have power like the men in their societies and wanted to be more than a household item and uneducated human being. Mary Wollstonecraft likely wrote the Vindication to stirrup the feelings of those subjugated women and have them lift up their voices towards the injustice they were facing. One women alone wasn’t enough to end the injustice, but if every women stood up for their rights they could possibly achieve something.

Document 4: This document was written during period of Industrialization in England in which the working class experienced staggering amounts of manual labor and worked restless hours in the mills or coal mines. The audience of this document is the government of England who didn’t take much action to protect the working class men and women, so Engels wishes to push more action to be taken to protect the endangered lives of these people who are pale and prone to disease. This is significant because he may exaggerate the extent to which the appearance fo these workers looks unhealthy and dull just to persuade his readers that something needs to be done.

Teacher feedback:

Great job with this HIPP/HAPPy practice! You have a good understanding of each of these categories, and you’ve done a great job applying them to each of the documents. I notice that you’re also going beyond describing the characteristic into explaining why that matters, which is the key to this skill on the DBQ. Keep up the good work!

Student Sample 2

Doc 1] Locke’s point of view as an Enlightenment thinker makes him more likely to value reason and practical thought, such as that established earlier by Francis Bacon’s empiricism, and therefore illustrates the new perspectives taken on state development as a result of these intellectual developments. This is clearly evident in Locke’s establishment of natural rights and the social contract, and therefore, the author’s point of view helps to illustrate that new methods of thinking are translating to new governmental applications; these new developments in government furthermore directly influence the revolutions that succeed them, and therefore the changes not only in governmental philosophy, but in the governments themselves come about as a result of this point of view.

Doc 2] The context of the Enlightenment, the development of practical thought, and the developments of Locke’s natural rights and the overall context of political and social change succeeding the Enlightenment makes Wollstonecraft more likely to express these ideals for social change in gender structures, and furthermore makes her more likely to apply a value on practical thinking that challenges tradition. This point of view therefore leads into an example of the Enlightenment’s value of practical thought, and especially in how that practical thought  caused  the social and political changes of this time.

Doc 3] The historical context of this painting emphasizes the idea and the effects of Enlightenment thinking in governance, and how the emphasis on social change as apparent in the surrounding crowd (presumably members of the Third Estate in France) was a result of this Enlightenment thought. Specifically, ideals such as Locke’s natural rights and empiricist thinking emphasizing practical ideals makes the members of the Third Estate more likely to enact this form of political and social change, and therefore illustrates that the advances in intellectualism, especially their effects on social groups as emphasized in the document, are what incited the political and social upheavals of processes such as the French Revolution.

Doc 4] Though Engels’s purpose in emphasizing the ideal of socialism (as developed through the context of the Industrial Revolution’s aftermath on the health and safety of workers) possibly compels him to exaggerate the conditions of the workers as he describes in Manchester, it is apparent that Engels produces a direct resistance to capitalist thought and the industrial demand placed onto workers. Therefore, although the purpose in opposition to capitalism causes Engels to over exaggerate its negative effects in spite of its positive effects on living conditions, the purpose itself emphasizes the resistances to and the intellectual limits placed on the industrialization of Europe, as well as the Industrial Revolution’s limitations in its positive effects. Developments such as the bicycle and their increases in quality of living contrast Engels’s viewpoint, however existence of tenements and slums, living spaces created by owner classes because of the need for labor by factories, supports Engels’s viewpoint as emphasizing the negative effects of industrialization.

Furthermore, Engels’s point of view (when combined with the situation of post-Enlightenment Europe) makes Engels more likely to apply these observations to the purpose of producing an alternative economical structure opposing the capitalistic processes in the Industrial Revolution. This point of view provides a stronger resistance to industrialization as a whole, and, though intellectual effects of the Enlightenment are prominent in  promoting  the industrialization of Europe such as that of Adam Smith and laissez-faire economics, Engels’s point of view illustrates the more prominent resistances from Enlightenment thought and therefore the limitations in the Industrial Revolution because of practical and empiricist thinking.

This is a really thoughtful and thorough analysis of each of these documents. You have a good grasp on the detailed content for this time period - way to go! I notice you’ve incorporated outside evidence into your analysis, which is a really interesting way to do it. One note about doing that: the AP readers can only give you credit for sourcing OR outside evidence at a time, so be sure that you finish your sourcing analysis before moving on to additional evidence so that you don’t miss out on points you deserve.

Student Sample 3

Document 1: The document was written in the Early Enlightenment era and in this era, people like John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were debating about the relationship between people and the government or the social contract. This explains the topic of discussion in this passage and Locke talks about how in order to govern, a government must provide the people with natural rights. This was Locke’s definition of the social contract and his point of view differed from that of Hobbes who thought that government should take away people’s rights. Locke’s purpose in writing this document was to get the majority of governments in Europe to give its citizens natural rights and not be oppressive. Locke’s ideas went on to cause revolutions against unjust governments.

Document 2: Document 2 was written by Mary Wollstonecraft a feminist in the Enlightenment era to argue for women’s rights. The author wrote this passage to get people to give women more rights and argue that women are not weak. The author wants women to also be educated like men and wants equality and that is why she argues about how women are useful to society in this document. As she has the point of view of a woman, she will know more about the capabilities of a woman than a male philosopher. In the Enlightenment era or Age of “Isms” feminism was one of the movements going on and feminists like Wollstonecraft wrote other documents like “The Declarations of Rights of Women and Citizen” in response to the French not including women in “The Deceleration of Rights of Man and Citizen”. They also held conventions like the Seneca Falls Convention to try to get women to have equal rights. The author’s opinion was shared by many other people of the time period.

Document 3: The document shows many French soldiers assembling under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte and in this time period, the French Revolution was ending. This meant the end of the Reign of Terror going which went on in France where radical revolutionaries like Robespierre started executing many nobles. In this time period, a military leader named Napoleon rose to power and put an end to the instability in France. This explains why people and soldiers depicted in the painting are seen to be submissive to Napoleon who has taken charge. The artist has the point of view of someone who was not actually there when this scene took place and this is just a rendition so the artist will have gotten some facts wrong for certain. The purpose of this document would be to inform others in that time about the End of the French Revolution and the Rise of Napoleon.

Your responses here show that you have a good grasp on each category in HIPP/HAPPy, and you’re well on your way to developing some great sourcing analysis in your DBQ.

Student Sample 4

Document 1: At the time this document was written was the Age of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was when people began to focus on individualism and reason rather than tradition. John Locke played a significant role in the Enlightenment as he fought for peoples’ natural rights and for people to have freedom, equality, and independence, which influenced peoples’ everyday lives and freedom.

Document 2: Wollstonecraft fervently demands her purpose to fight for womens’ rights and equality to men as she explains how Russeau’s statements are meaningless. At the time this document was written was the Age of the Enlightenment, which inspired people such as Wollstonecraft to fight for a change and have more freedom and rights. Wollstonecraft demands that women should have more education and better societal views to have equality.

Document 3: The artist’s purpose is to address that the Third Estate rose to power after the Third Estate as the artist portrays Third Estate members elevated to the army and in control. However, the artist her/himself could be a member of the Third Estate, which could cause her/him to portray the Third Estate as superior.

Document 4: Engles angrily denounces his point of view that the working class underwent horrific conditions by being exposed to diseases, looking pale, and seeming like they underwent brutal conditions. However, Engels aligned with Karl Max’s communistic views and could be over exaggerating the brutal conditions that workers underwent to motivate people to give the working class better treatment.

For document 2, if you wish to do historical context then focusing on the Enlightenment would be a good way to go as you show.

For Document 3, Purpose is never to “show something” or “inform someone” it is always to bring about a desired action or result. To make something happen. However your Point of View, the artist being a member of the Third Estate is a possibility, and you could develop that further.

Document 4, “denounce” should not be in that part of the sentence it makes it seem like you are saying Engles did not say those things. However as a point of view it okay.

Student Sample 5

Doc#1- Because John Locke is a philosopher and believes in reform, he wrote this document looking to see change in the society. He did not agree with the system of rule in France which was an absolute monarchy, but he believed that everyone is born with natural rights and it is the government’s responsibility to protect those rights.

Doc#2- Because Mary Wollstonecraft is a woman, she believes in women having equal rights as men. During that time though, women had little rights and were perceived as being owned by the man and were mostly honored by their femininity. Wollstonecraft was looking to change these ways, which was why she wrote this document.

Doc#3-The artist created the image to inform the general public about the aftermath of the French Revolution. In the middle of the area is a large guillotine which was used to chop people’s heads off, predicting that the author was warning and alerting the people of France. The aftermath, as shown by the image, looked to be dangerous and negative.

Doc#4- Fredrich Engels wrote this to alert and warn the people of England of the brutal and dangerous working conditions that the working class had to work in. Writing this, he seems to want to see change in England. During this time though, the conditions were of the following: dangerous working conditions, little pay, and children were also working many hours a day. Fortunately, not much after this was written, Britain passed the Factory Act of 1883 limiting work hours, prohibiting children working, and the working conditions improved. Ultimately, Engels may be exaggerating the working conditions in order to make reform for the country.

For document 3, if that is an attempt at purpose then this would not get the reasoning point. Purpose as a reasoning point is an objective or desired action. Simply telling or informing or celebrating is not a desired action. Consider perhaps that the purpose of this painting was to convince other nations of Europe to overthrow their monarchs by demonstrating the power of the people to execute their own king.

If document 4 is meant to be purpose, then you would need to specify what Engles wanted to do. Again purpose is always an objective or a desired action. However, as historical context it is fine.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, ap world history review: 5-step study plan.

Advanced Placement (AP)

It's difficult to know where to start when studying for the AP World History test. The few months you have to study for the exam are dwarfed by the nearly 1,000 years of history covered by the curriculum. The good news is that this AP exam mainly asks you to look at long-term trends rather than minute details, so it's not as daunting to review for as you might think .

In this guide, we'll give you a brief overview of the test content, lay out a template for a successful AP World History review plan, and introduce some essential study strategies for making the most of your prep time.

What's on the AP World History Exam?

The AP World History test has undergone some big changes for 2019-20 , so it's important that you know what to expect on test day. Previously, the AP exam covered thousands of years of human history and development; now, however, it only covers about 800 years (1200 CE to the present). Due to these changes, the course and test have been renamed AP World History: Modern (an AP World History: Ancient test is currently in development).

Note that the overall format and structure of the exam itself hasn't changed since 2018, just the content .

So what's on the new AP World History exam? This test covers six themes and nine units . For links to notes that go through all the content, you can check out our AP World History study guide .

AP World History Themes

• Theme 1: Humans and the Environment
• Theme 2: Cultural Developments and Interactions
• Theme 3: Governance
• Theme 4: Economic Systems
• Theme 5: Social Interactions and Organization
• Theme 6: Technology and Innovation

AP World History Units

The following chart shows how much each unit will show up on the World History exam:

Source: AP World History Course and Exam Description, 2019-20

There's a lot of information packed in here! So how can you actually start reviewing for the World History test? In the next section, I'll give you some advice on how to create a study plan that'll get you the best score possible .

This represents your progression toward a 5 as you go through this AP World History review plan. Hopefully, you'll end up less arrogant than the dude on the tallest pillar, though. He needs to tone down the attitude.

Easy 5-Step AP World History Review Plan

Below, we give you a step-by-step review plan for the AP World History exam that will get you on the right track with your studying. Here's an estimate of the timeline for these five steps:

• Step 1: 3.5 hours
• Step 2: 1 hour
• Step 3: 2 hours
• Step 4: 2 hours
• Step 5: 3.5 hours

That's a total of around 12 hours for one cycle of this prep process. It's well worth your time to go through it at least once if you're dedicated to earning a great score!

Step 1: Take and Score a Diagnostic Test

The first step in your AP World History review should be to take a full-length practice test to see where you're scoring . Based on your scores, you can set a goal for yourself and make study plans that fit with the amount of work you need to do to improve.

When you take this practice test, be sure to adhere to the official time limits :

It's a challenge to write this fast, so try to get used to these time restrictions as soon as possible. In addition, be sure to answer every question, as there's no penalty for incorrect answers . It's a good idea to circle any multiple-choice questions for which you weren't entirely sure of the answer. Even if you get them right, you should still review the content later in your studying.

Step 2: Analyze Your Mistakes

After you take and score your practice test, go through your mistakes and detect any issues you had with the material . Try to categorize your mistakes by unit or time period so that you can get a better idea of what you need to study.

Note any patterns that occurred. Were you especially rusty in a certain geographic area? Did questions dealing with particular themes give you the most trouble? Take this step very seriously because it will get you on the right track with your AP World History studying going forward!

Step 3: Study Relevant Content Areas

Now that you've gone through your mistakes, it's time to dive back into your notes and review whatever you forgot . Work your way through all the gaps in your memory that manifested themselves on the test.

Make sure that you're absorbing the information and not just reading it over. Follow the tips in the previous section on looking for larger themes, and check in with yourself after each section of notes to make sure what you learned didn't fall out of your brain immediately.

Step 4: Do a Dress Rehearsal for the Essays

The next step before taking another practice test is to do a little essay rehearsal. I'll reemphasize the importance of practicing essay-writing skills in the upcoming strategy section, but I also think they warrant their own step in the study process.

Just knowing the information won't guarantee you a high score if you write too slowly or aren't prepared to connect specific examples with trends and themes.

Take a look back at your first World History practice test, and note the strengths and weaknesses of your DBQ and Long Essay. Try to write new essays (or essay outlines) that improve on your original essays and would score higher based on the current scoring guidelines .

Step 5: Take Another Practice Test

Finally, take another World History practice test to see whether all that studying paid off! If you find that you're happy with your new score, you can take a break and just do a few light review sessions before the test. If you're still unsatisfied, though, you can repeat this study process again using the results of this test.

If you find that you haven't improved from your first test, you need to reexamine your study methods and your analysis of incorrect answers. You might have been distracted during part of the process or read through your notes too quickly without understanding them on a deeper level. Attention to detail is key if you want to see big improvements!

AP World History Review: 3 Essential Tips

Here are three of the most important strategies to keep in your back pocket as you work through your AP World History review. You can also check out this in-depth guide for additional study tips for AP World History !

#1: Don't Try to Memorize Everything

The main thing you should know about AP World History, before you start reviewing, is that you're not expected to memorize tons of specific dates or the names of every major event or figure in modern history . Don't fill up valuable space in your memory with tiny details that most likely won't come up on the test!

Instead, you should have a good idea of how major events have progressed chronologically in each region throughout history , but there's no need to get into the nitty-gritty of less prominent names and places.

Study the same way you might read Lord of the Rings (I assume you've done this if you're truly a nerd): skim over the insane names of minor characters and places that are peripheral to the main story line, but hold onto key details that will allow you to make logical sense of the plot as you progress through the book.

#2: Look for the Themes

A strong understanding of the six AP World History themes and the ability to connect them to events throughout history is the key to doing well on this test. As you study content, think back to how these themes might play into the reasons for shifts in political dynamics, cultural developments, and other trends.

This can help you come up with supporting examples to use in your free-response essays, which will ask you to explain changes over time and compare different societies. The course themes are great jumping-off points for your essays that will help you explain how events are connected and why societies have adopted different values or political systems.

#3: Practice Your Essay-Writing Skills

I want to doubly emphasize the fact that the free-response section (i.e., the DBQ and Long Essay) is your most challenging obstacle to a high score on AP World History. Two essays in an hour and 40 minutes is no easy task, even for the best writers! That's why it's critical that you practice plenty of essays before you sit down to take the real test .

If you're short on time, you don't have to practice full essays; however, you should at least write a thesis and then outline how you would support it with specific examples.

For the DBQ, which many students find to be the most challenging question on the test, look at questions and sample responses from past exams and think about how you would weave together your analysis of all the documents .

Our article provides more information on the DBQ and what you'll need to include in your answer to get a high score.

Conclusion: Your Best AP World History Review

Reviewing for AP World History doesn't have to be a super stressful experience. Despite the fact that the exam covers a huge amount of content, it's also pretty forgiving if you happen to forget some of the minor historical players. Themes and long-term trends are the focus of both the course and the exam.

To recap, this is the process I recommend for conducting your AP World History review:

• Step 1: Take and score a diagnostic test
• Step 2: Analyze your mistakes
• Step 3: Study relevant content areas
• Step 4: Do a dress rehearsal for the essays
• Step 5: Take another practice test

As you go through these steps, here are some strategies to keep in mind :

• Don't try to memorize every little detail
• Look for the themes
• Practice your essay-writing skills regularly

As you practice more and start to get used to the format and content of the AP World History test, you'll see that a 5 is definitely within reach if you put in a strong effort !

What's Next?

If you're taking AP World History as an underclassman, you're probably still planning out the rest of your high school schedule. Read this article for advice on which AP classes you should take based on your school's offerings and your goals for college.

Bummed that your high school doesn't offer an AP class that you're interested in taking? Learn more about AP self-studying so you can decide whether it's the right choice for you.

You might end up taking SAT Subject Tests in addition to AP tests if you're applying to some very competitive colleges. Get the inside scoop on which test is more important for your college applications .

Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. In high school, she earned a 2400 on the SAT, 5's on all seven of her AP tests, and was named a National Merit Scholar.

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