AP World History STUDY GUIDE ADVICE http://blog.prepscholar.com/ap-world-history-study-guideTip 1: Don't Try to Memorize Everything

If you start your AP World History class with the expectation of memorizing the entirety of human history, think again. Although AP World History tests a wide span of time, you aren’t expected to learn every tiny little detail along the way. Rather, AP World History focuses on teaching major patterns, cultural and political developments, and technological developments throughout history. AP World History is organized into the following six time periods:

1. Technological and Environmental Transformations (to c. 600 BCE)2. Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE)3. Regional and Transregional Interactions (c. 600 CE to c. 1450)4. Global Interactions (c. 1450 to c. 1750)5. Industrialization and Global Integration (c. 1750 to c. 1900)6. Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (c. 1900 to the present)

Within each period, you should know the major world powers and forces driving economic development, politics, and social change (including technology). However, you don’t have to have every detail memorized to do well on the test. Instead, focus on understanding major patterns and developments, and be able to explain them with a few key examples.As an example, you don’t necessarily need to know that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, details of his voyages, or the particulars of his brutality. However, you should be able to explain why the European colonization of the Americas happened, the economic effects it had on Europe, Africa, and the Americas, and how colonization affected the lives of people on all three continents. 

Knowing a few concrete examples can bolster your essays and improve your ability to break down any multiple choice questions on the topic, but focus first on understanding the big picture before you memorize nitty-gritty details.If you’re coming from AP US History, this advice may seem odd. But unlike US History, which is more fine-grained, the AP World History exam writers do not expect you to know everything since they test a much larger topic. AP US History is essentially a test of 400 years of history in one location, so it’s fair to expect students to know many proper names and dates. But for World History, that same level of detail isn’t expected since it takes place over thousands of years all over the world. Instead, you should focus on understanding the general patterns of important topics through history. Not only will this save you time, but it will also keep you sane as your textbook hurls literally hundreds of names, places, and dates at you over the year. And speaking of your textbook…Tip 2: Keep Up With Your Reading!

AP World History is not a class where you can sleep through it all year, skim a prep book in April, and still get a perfect 5 on the AP exam. You are learning all of human history, after all! Trying to cram for this test late in the game would be stressful and inefficient because of the sheer volume of material. 

Instead, keep up with your reading and do well in your World History class to ensure you are building a strong foundation of knowledge throughout the year. This way, in the spring, you can focus on preparing for the AP test itself and the topics it’s likely to test, as opposed to frantically trying to learn all of human history in two months.To this end, if your teacher isn’t already requiring you to do something like this, make sure to keep notes throughout the year of your reading. This could be in the form of outlines, summaries, or anything else that is helpful to you. Taking notes will help you process the reading and remember it better. Your notes will also be an invaluable study tool in the spring.

As a last tip, check the website of whatever textbook your class uses. Many textbook websites have extra features including pre-made chapter outlines and summaries. These can also be excellent study resources for you throughout the year.Tip 3: Read a Prep Book (or Two) in the Spring

Even if you keep up with AP World History throughout the year, you’re probably going to be a bit hazy on topics you learned in September when you start studying for the test in March or April. This is why we recommend getting a prep book, which will provide a much more broad overview of world history, focusing especially on topics the AP exam will test.

If you’ve been learning well throughout the year, reading a prep book will trigger your background knowledge and help you review. Think of your prep book as your second, much quicker pass through World History.

And in case you’re wondering, no, the prep book will not fill you in on the necessary depth of knowledge for the entire test, so you can't replace reading your textbook throughout the year with reading a prep book in the spring. The AP World History multiple choice section, in particular, can ask some pretty specific questions, and you would definitely have blind spots if you just read a prep book and not a textbook. Furthermore, you wouldn't be able to explain examples in your essay in as much detail if you have only read a few paragraphs about major events.Tip 4: Get Ready to Move at 47 S.P.Q. (Seconds Per Question)

To prepare for the AP World History exam, knowing the material is just half the battle. You also need to be ready to tackle the test itself. The multiple choice section, in particular, is quite challenging.The AP World History multiple choice section asks 70 questions in 55 minutes and is 50% of your exam score. This gives you roughly 47 seconds per question, which means you have to move fast. To be ready for this breakneck pace, you need to practice.

To be prepared for this, it’s crucial to get a prep book with practice tests. Even if you have read your textbook diligently, taken notes, and reviewed the material, you still need to practice actual multiple choice sections to be ready for the test.

Most questions on AP World History are stand-alone with just a few two-part questions. This means you can move from question to question fairly quickly and feel free to skip and come back to tough questions (just keep on eye on the time!). Also, there may be some images, maps, charts, and passages to work through as well, so some questions will take longer than others.

Your teacher should be giving you multiple-choice quizzes or tests throughout the year to help you prepare. If they aren’t, it will, unfortunately, be up to you to find multiple choice practice questions from prep books and online resources (look out for our upcoming post on practice tests).

You need to create your own multiple-choice strategy as you study, including using process of elimination, being ready to read and analyze pictures and charts, and being constantly aware of your time. We recommend wearing a watch when you practice so you can keep an eye on how long you spend on each question. In short, make sure you practice AP World History multiple choice so that when you sit down to take the exam in May, you're confident and ready to move fast through a challenging multiple choice section.Tip 5: Speed Writing —   The AP World History Free Response Section

The AP World History exam has three essay questions that together are worth 50% of your score (each essay question is weighted equally). You get 50 minutes for the Document-Based Question (DBQ), including a 10-minute reading period. Then you get 40 minutes each for the Change Over Time question and the Comparative Essay.

For each essay, you need to be able to brainstorm quickly and write an essay that answers the prompt, is well-organized, and has a thesis. A thesis is a one-sentence summary of your main argument. For the sake of AP essays, it's best to put your thesis at the end of the introductory paragraph so the grader can find it quickly. To keep your essay organized, have each paragraph explain one part of the argument, with a topic sentence (basically a mini thesis) at the beginning of each paragraph that explains exactly what you're going to say. 

For the DBQ, you need to bring all or most the provided documents into your argument in addition to your background knowledge of the period being tested. For example, in the recent DBQ about effects of Spanish Influenza during World War I, you needed to demonstrate your knowledge of WWI as well as your ability to use the documents in your argument.

For the Change Over Time and Comparative essays, it’s up to you to provide the specific historical examples and show your broad understanding of historical trends. (Again, this is why doing your reading is so important, since you have to provide and explain your own historical examples!)

Throughout the year, your teacher should be having you do writing assignments, including in-class essays, to teach you how to write good essays quickly. Since you'll be writing your essays by hand for the real exam, you should ideally be writing your practice essays by hand as well. If you really struggle with writing by hand quickly, you can build up your writing fluency (your ability to quickly translate thoughts to words) by writing additional practice essays on your own.

If you need to work on writing fluency, it's best to practice with easier writing topics. So first, find a journal prompt to write about (this website has hundreds). Next, set a timer. Between ten and fifteen minutes is best. Finally, write as much as you can on the prompt, as fast as possible, without making big mistakes in spelling or grammar. When time is up, count how many words you wrote. If you do this a few times a week, you will build up your writing speed, and your word counts will grow. Once you've built up this skill, it will be much easier to tackle the AP World History free response.

You can also practice on your own with old AP World History free response questions (available here). Especially if you aren't getting free response practice in class, you should use these questions to practice on your own. Also, read over past sample responses and reader commentary (also available at the link) to read real student essays and see how they were scored.Tip 6: Take Practice Exams and Set a Target Score

In the spring, you should take at least one full practice exam – ideally in late March or early April – once you’ve learned most of the World History material. By a full practice exam we mean the entire test – time yourself and take the test in one sitting, giving yourself a 15-minute break in between the multiple choice and the essays.

Why should you do this? It will give you a chance to experience what it’s like to take a full AP World History exam before the real thing. This helps you build stamina and perfect your timing. All the practice in the world won't help you if you run out of steam on your last essay question and can barely think.

Also, set a target score for each section: multiple choice and free response.  Good news: you don’t need to be aiming for 100% on the Multiple choice and 9/9 on every essay for a 5 (the highest possible score). Far from it.

A high multiple choice score (55/70) and an average free response score (6/9 for each essay) can net a 5. In contrast, an average multiple choice score (35/70) with an incredible free response score (8/9 for each essay) would also get a 5, according to this calculator. (Read more about AP Scoring calculators and their limitations.)Based on your personal strengths, set realistic score targets. For example, a really good writing student might go the average multiple choice/strong essay route, but a strong test-taker might go the other way around. You could also be somewhere in between. Also, don't be intimidated if your target score is much higher than your current scores. You're practicing so that you can meet your target!

Once you have your target score, practice, practice, practice! Use old exams and the practice exams included in prep books. Use the free response questions I linked to above. You can even ask your teacher for old tests and essay questions. The more you practice before the test, the more likely you are to meet -- or exceed! -- your score goal.

Bottom LineAlthough AP World History is challenging, if you follow the advice in this AP World History study guide and

prepare correctly throughout the year, you can definitely pass, or even be one of the few students who gets a 5!Make sure to keep up with your reading, read a prep book in the spring, and practice specifically for the multiple choice and the free response sections. With clear target scores for each section and plenty of practice under your belt, you will have the strongest chance of getting a 5.