AP World History

Multiple Choice Exam

General Facts

• The Advanced Placement World History exam consists of two equally weighted sections.

• Section one is the Multiple Choice section with 70 questions that must be completed in 55 minutes.

• Section Two is a Free Response or essay section consisting of three essays that must be written in 120 minutes after a 10 minute reading period.– There is one Document Based Question (DBQ), one

Change over Time (COT) and one Comparative essay (COMP).

Facts

• Multiple choice is 50% of the total score• 70 questions in 55 minutes• There is no penalty for guessing• Each year the College Board uses a sliding

scale and changes the number of correct questions and overall score needed to make each of the 5 broad marks.

• Set a goal to get at least 35 questions correct– This will probably get you a 3 or higher

Coverage

• The multiple choice questions will cover the curriculum as outlined in the course description– Unit 1&2 Foundations (8000 BCE – 600 CE) (19-20%)– Unit 3 Regional Interactions (600 – 1450) (22%)– Unit 4 Global Interactions (1450 – 1750) (19-20%)– Unit 5 Industrialization and Integration (1750 – 1900) (19-20%)– Unit 6 Global Realignment (1900 – Present) (19-20%)

• Questions will go in chronological order from 1 – 35, then repeat for 36-70.

• Many questions will be also be cross period and compare different civilizations, or how they changed over time.

Read the Question Carefully

• Rephrase the question in your own words • What are they asking?

– What time period are you in?– Who is involved?– What is going on?

• Do this before you look at the answers– Call up any relevant history that you know– If you know a lot, focus on correct answer– If not, still try and get rid of wrong answers

• Sometimes other questions can help you find the answer on another question.

Strategies

• In order to receive a score high enough to earn college credit, you do not have to answer all the questions correctly.

• Some questions are designed for most students to miss. They range from 10 – 90% correct

• Many students don’t show what they know because they don’t know how to work the questions– Get rid of bad answers– Find correct answer in short period of time.

How to Show What you Know

• Remember– Do not spend to much time on any one question.– 4 out of 5 answers you read are wrong.– Usually one or two answers are obviously wrong, try

to find those.– If you do not know the answer right away, or if the

question looks too difficult, skip it and come back to it later.

Four out of Five are Bad

• AP Exam writers first formulate the question, then craft the correct answer.

• Still must come up with 4 incorrect answers• They try to come up with distracters

– Closely related facts, partly correct

• Usually one or two wrong answers are obviously wrong.• Usually one or two answers are close, but incorrect. • If you don’t recognize the correct answer quickly,

assume each answer is wrong and try to cross it off, use the process of elimination.

• Then you can make a better guess!

Guessing

• There is no penalty for guessing!

• Smart guesses can increase your score

• Try to eliminate at least two incorrect answers.

• Each wrong answer you can eliminate improves your odds.

• A good score means intelligent guessing.

Skipping

• Skipping saves you time– 70 questions in 55 minutes

• Use the whole time, more time for harder questions

• Look for the easy questions first– Don’t spend too long deliberating

• Don’t answer harder questions first time through– Skip to get to the questions you know– Come back later to make a good guess on the more difficult

questions.• If you have extra time, don’t take a nap! Go back and

work the hard questions to see if you can eliminate wrong answers.

• Use the entire 55 minutes.

Finishing

• Find the pace you work efficiently without sacrificing accuracy– Don’t dawdle or zip through

• You set the pace– 70 questions in 55 minutes is a good pace if you can

maintain accuracy.• Remember you will go back to check the questions

you skip later.• Many top students go through the questions 3 or 4

times.• Question 70 might be the easiest question on the test!

Make sure you get to it.