AP US History: Secrets of the AP Exam

Or—what you need to know to get through the next 32 weeks and pass the exam.

Reasons to take the AP course and try really hard to pass the exam…

Colleges and universities see AP experience as a huge plus.

AP experience will give you the reading, writing and thinking skills so important to college success.

Passing the AP exam will give you college credit and save you money in the long run.

The National Pass Rate

Only 53% of students who take the AP exam pass with a score of 3 or better.

This is not to scare you, I don’t care about numbers, but to show you how much work WE have to do to make sure you ALL are one of the 53%!

How is the Exam Structured?

Part I—Multiple Choice-80 Questions (55 minutes) 50% of the final score

Part II—Writing Section – 1 DBQ & 2 Essays (130 minutes:60 & 70) 50% of the final score. Of that, the DBQ

counts for 45%(22.5% overall) and the 2 essays combined for 55%(27.5% overall).

How well do I need to do on the multiple choice section?

In order to score a 3 (or pass) on this section, you must have 48 points (60%).

Multiple Choice—BREAKDOWN BY ERA

ERA PERCENT OF QUESTIONS

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS

1600 TO 1789 20 16

1790 TO 1914 45 36

1915 TO PRESENT

35 28

BREAK DOWN BY GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER

SUBJECT PERCENT OFQUESTIONS

# OFQUESTIONS

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONSAND BEHAVIOR ANDPUBLIC POLICY

35 28

SOCIAL CHANGE 35 28

DIPLOMACY ANDINTERNATIONALRELATIONS

15 12

ECONOMIC CHANGE 10 8

CULTURAL ANDINTELLECTUALDEVELOPMENTS

5 4

EXPLANATION OF CHARTS A BIAS TOWARD THE CONSTITUTION

THROUGH WWI POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

EMPHASIZED LITTLE ABOUT ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL

TRENDS AT MOST FOUR OR FIVE QUESTIONS PAST

1975

NO MILITARY HISTORY AND TRIVIAL PURSUIT•THE APUSH EXAM DOESN’T ASK ABOUT MILITARY HISTORY

•WHEN IT ASKS ABOUT WAR, THE QUESTIONS CONCERNS THE POLITICAL OR SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF A WAR RATHER THAN THE DETAILS OF WARFARE

•APUSH QUESTIONS NEVER TEST ROTE MEMORIZATION ONLY. WHILE YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR FACTS TO DO WELL ON THIS TEST, THE QUESTIONS ALWAYS ASK FOR INFORMATION IN THE CONTEXT OF LARGER HISTORICAL TRENDS.

What about the DBQ?

An essay question that requires you to interpret primary source documents.

Documents might include the following:

Newspaper articles/editorialsLetters/diariesSpeechesLegislation Political cartoonsCharts and graphs

A Different DBQ The US History DBQ is different than

the World History DBQ. For the US exam, you have to not

only discuss the documents, but also include outside information to prove that you know more about the topic.

Without outside information, it is impossible to get more than a 4 out of 9 on your DBQ!

What Is the Free-Response Question?

Two part essay section Pre – 1870 (one prior to 1740) After – 1870 (one after 1950)

Two questions in each group – select one from each group

70 minutes to plan and write both essays

What Is the Free-Response Question?Continued

Yes and No Multiple arguments

All outside information Not as long or in-depth as DBQ Defensible thesis Information to support thesis Evidence, Evidence, Evidence

Study, Study, Study!

For review and other resources, go to my website:

www.caroddoapclasses.com

Class Discussion

What is difficult about each of the following areas of the course? What can we do as a class to better get through them?

1. Reading and understanding the text 2. Taking effective notes 3. Doing well on multiple choice 4. Doing well on DBQs 5. Doing well on essays

Goals for the Year

Take 5 minutes to come up with three SPECIFIC goals about what you hope to accomplish in this course.

Your goal should not be as big as “to pass the exam,” but something more specific like “take more effective Cornell Notes during discussion,” or, “be sure I study my notes for at least twenty minutes a night.”