Exam Overview

AP WORLD HISTORY EXAM: 3 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES

The AP World History Exam questions measure students' knowledge of world history and their ability to think historically. Questions are based on key and supporting concepts, course themes, and historical thinking skills. Exam questions represent various geographical regions, with no more than 20 percent of the multiple-choice questions focusing solely on Europe.

Format of Assessment

Section I:
Part A: Multiple Choice: 55 Questions | 55 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score

  • Sets of items with 2-5 questions per set that ask students to respond to stimulus material
  • This stimulus material might include:  a primary or secondary source, including texts, images, charts, maps, etc.

Part B: Short Answer Questions (SAQ)--4 questions | 50 Minutes | 20% of Exam Score

Section II: 
Part A:  Document-Based Question (DBQ) --1 question  | 55 Minutes--includes suggested reading time of 15 minutes | 25% of Exam Score

Part B:  Long Essay Question (LEQ)--1 question (chose from pair)  | 35 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score