-Papillion-La Vista South High School-
Mr. Stenger
A.P. U.S. History Exam
Exam Format​- 3 hours and 15 minutes. The AP Exam questions measure students' knowledge of U.S. History and their ability to think historically. Questions are based on learning objectives, key concepts, course themes, and AP history disciplinary practices and reasoning skills.
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Section 1A: Multiple Choice
55 Questions | 55 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score
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Questions usually appear in sets of 3–4 questions.
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Students analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence.
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Primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps are included.
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Stimulus Based Multiple Choice Resources
-How to answer the Stimulus Based MC questions video?
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Section 1B: Short Answer
3 Questions | 40 Minutes | 20% of Exam Score
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Students analyze historians’ interpretations, historical sources, and propositions about history.
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Questions provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know best.
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Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps.
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Students choose between 2 options for the final required short-answer question, each one focusing on a different time period:
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Question 1 is required, includes 1–2 secondary sources, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1754 and 1980.
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Question 2 is required, includes 1 primary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1754 and 1980.
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Students choose between Question 3 (which focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1491 and 1877) and Question 4 (which focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1865 and 2001) for the last question. No sources are included for either Question 3 or Question 4.
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Short Answer Resources
-How to write the Short Answer questions video?
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Section 2A: Document-Based Question
1 Question | 1 Hour (includes 15-minute reading period) | 25% of Exam Score
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Students are presented with 7 documents offering various perspectives on a historical development or process.
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Students assess these written, quantitative, or visual materials as historical evidence.
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Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.
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The document-based question focuses on topics from 1754–1980.
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DBQ Resources
-How to write the DBQ video?
-Instruction/Point handout
-DBQ Plan of Action
-Power words for writing
-DBQ Rubric
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Section 2B: Long Essay
1 Question | 40 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score
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Students explain and analyze significant issues in U.S. history.
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Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.
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The question choices focus on the same skills and the same reasoning process (e.g., comparison, causation, or continuity and change), but students choose from 3 options, each focusing on historical developments and processes from a different range of time periods—either 1491–1800 (option 1), 1800–1898 (option 2), or 1890–2001 (option 3).
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Long Essay Resources