WH
History & Social Studies
AP World History
60 questions · 195 minutes on the real exam
Practice
Learn
Exam structure
Total time: 3 hours 15 minutes
MCQSection I Part A: Multiple Choice
55 Qs·55 min·40%
4 answer choices. Stimulus-based sets (3–4 questions per stimulus: text, image, chart, map).
FRQSection I Part B: Short Answer
3 Qs·40 min·20%
3 SAQs (2 required + choose 1 of 2). Each has 3 parts (a, b, c).
FRQSection II: Long Essay
2 Qs·100 min·40%
1 DBQ (60 min, 7 documents) + 1 LEQ (40 min, choose 1 of 3 prompts).
Scoring
Scored 1–5. MCQ = 40%, SAQ = 20%, DBQ + LEQ = 40%.
Tips
- 1 minute per MCQ
- DBQ: use at least 4 of 7 documents
- LEQ: thesis + contextualization + evidence
- Periods: 1200–1450, 1450–1750, 1750–1900, 1900–present
What's on this exam
Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200–1450)
9%- States and Empires
- Belief Systems
Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200–1450)
9%- Trade Networks
- Cultural and Technological Diffusion
Unit 3: Land-Based Empires (1450–1750)
14%- Empires and Administration
- Government and Legitimacy
Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450–1750)
14%- Maritime Empires and Trade
- Columbian Exchange and Its Effects
Unit 5: Revolutions (1750–1900)
14%- Enlightenment Ideas
- Political Revolutions
Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization (1750–1900)
14%- Industrialization
- Imperialism
Unit 7: Global Conflict (1900–present)
9%- World War I
- World War II
Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization (1900–present)
9%- Cold War
- Decolonization
Unit 9: Globalization (1900–present)
9%- Globalization
- Technology and the Environment