Hello! This guide will go over five key steps that you can take to help you get a 5 in AP US History. Of course, there is a lot more to the course than these five steps, but these are some key skills that helped us on APUSH.

The single most important thing you can do to improve your score on the essays for APUSH is to know the rubrics so your essays can be as effective as possible. We have included the rubrics for each essay below, but check out our 

 guide if you want more information on them.

Quickly Understanding Primary Sources 🖼️

First off, you might be wondering what on earth a primary source is, and that's OK. AP History courses have a lot of weird terminologies, so it's completely understandable!

A primary source describes or depicts events firsthand, such as a photo, a diary entry/letter, a speech, etc. 📜 We are concerned about the analysis of these first-hand accounts, or of history itself.

We often are already exposed to analyses of primary sources. These are often categorized as secondary sources and include those books or articles about history, including textbooks, that your teacher might have you read to actually learn the history, rather than learning exclusively from original sources. 📚

The attribution is a good place to begin when reading any document in APUSH. This is because it will usually give a good idea of what the excerpt is about without having to read ALL of the confusing language that most excerpts typically use. 🧐

This will save you lots of time reading in the future.

When you first start APUSH, you might be overwhelmed by all the dates it seems you have to memorize, and, although it is true that APUSH is the most date-heavy of the histories, what needs to be memorized falls into only a few key categories.

You should know the order of, and the approximate dates of, the presidents from Washington - Jackson, Lincoln - Hayes, McKinley, T. Roosevelt, and FDR - present.

Know the dates of, and general facts about:

Doing Multiple Choice Questions Efficiently ✔️

The Stimulus-Based Multiple Choice Questions make up 40% of the weighting for the total exam grade. This means that doing effectively on them is a key step to improving your score. There are some more detailed instructions in our 

, but here's a sample process from that guide to get you started.

Not Getting Caught Up in the Details 📚

One of the keys to APUSH is to always remember the big picture and processes. Although it may seem easy to get stuck in the weeds of history, try to remember that the APUSH exam is all about thinking big picture, making connections about historical events and processes, and analyzing broader historical trends. So don't worry the day before the exam if you can't remember what Franklin Pierce did in office (it wasn't much, anyway). Doing well on the APUSH exam isn't just about knowing all the information, it's about connecting it and applying it, as well as demonstrating through questions and essays that you can show it.

AP US History Exam

2021 APUSH Exam Resources, Reviews & Study Guides | Fiveable

AP US History

Tom Richey

Free Reviews 2020

Thematic Guides

Document Based Questions (DBQ)

Unit 1: 1491-1607

Unit 2: 1607-1754

Unit 3: 1754-1800

Unit 4: 1800-1848

Unit 5: 1844-1877

Unit 6: 1865-1898

Unit 7: 1890-1945

Unit 8: 1945-1980

Unit 9: 1980-Present

Course Introductions

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Short Answer Questions (SAQ)

Long Essay Questions (LEQ)

Blogs

Q & A sessions

Big Reviews: Finals & Exam Prep

Previous Years Periods 1-5

Exam Skills (MC, SAQ, LEQ, DBQ)

Regional Guides

Live Cram Sessions 2020

How to Get a 5 in AP US History

. Trying to decide whether to self-study APUSH? This guide will try to help you make the right decision 

Hello, and welcome! If you've stumbled across this guide, you are probably trying to decide if you should self-study AP® US History or are considering studying it as a homeschooler. Don't worry if you're having trouble making a decision! This guide will not only help you make the right choice, but it will also provide you with resources and tips to help the studying process along the way 📓

Pros and Cons of Self-Studying APUSH ⚖️

The Course And Exam Description (CED) 😱

For every AP course, the College Board publishes a comprehensive guide of the course called the Course and Exam Description (CED), which outlines the course content and the exam. The course content section of t

 (fall 2020 edition) organized by the 9 periods of the course, which are each broken down into topics (7-15 per unit). These are outlined in the Course at a Glance, located on p. 24 (PDF p. 31) of the CED, which is a good place to look if you want an overview of the course.

 In APUSH, the Periods and the Units are synonymous—Period 1 and Unit 1 are equivalent. This is different from classes like AP World History, where there are multiple units per period.

Other helpful information in the CED includes a detailed breakdown of the content in each topic, as well as information on the format of the exam (p. 241, PDF p. 248).

Unfortunately, for APUSH, you pretty much have to learn it all—even if you won't be tested on all of it. However, some periods have more content on the exam than others, so it is important to realize which periods should be studied more than others:

One of the best ways to stay on track while self-studying an AP course is to create a self-schedule. In terms of APUSH, the best way to create a schedule is to split your course material into chunks, then divide the time you have until you would like to be ready for the exam by the number of chunks you have.

Because you are self-studying, you get the advantage of learning however you want. Here are some possible ways that you could self-study APUSH:

 Don't be afraid to try a bunch of these out, especially if they are free, to see what works best for you. Because you don't have to worry about grades or your GPA, do what truly makes you learn best!

One of the most important parts of APUSH is taking practice tests. Unfortunately, the College Board only releases multiple-choice questions to teachers, but past FRQ prompts are 

 If your school has an APUSH teacher, try reaching out to see if you can have access to the multiple-choice questions (you will have to destroy them after you use them for confidentiality purposes, though).

Most prep books and textbooks also contain practice multiple choice in addition to the official multiple choice practice in the CED linked above.

Once you find some practice materials, whether they are official College Board or from a book, complete them while simulating the conditions of an actual test—the more you prepare like the test, the more comfortable you will be for the actual exam.

Broadly speaking, taking the test will fall into one of two categories: either your school offers the exam, or it doesn't. If your school offers the exam, speak with your counselor, and see how you can register for the exam without being in the class.

If you cannot take the APUSH exam at your school, research nearby schools and contact them to see if you can the exam there.

APUSH isn't an easy class. It may seem like you just can't learn it all in time, and that's completely okay; it's okay to be worried. Just take a deep breath, step away for a moment, and you'll get through it.

AP US History Self-Study and Homeschool

Hello, and welcome! 👋 This guide will help you figure out what textbooks and prep books are best for your learning and preparation for the exam, as well as provide links to updated versions.

Generally, if you are self-studying (which is probably why you're looking for a textbook), textbooks are typically not the best option, especially if your school does not offer APUSH, and you don't have access to a textbook. There are a couple of reasons for this:

 on the College Board website that are specifically approved for APUSH. One important one to note on this list is 

by OpenStax, which is available for free, completely legitimately, from the publisher. If you understand the caveats and would still like a textbook, try asking a history teacher at your school to see if they have a US History textbook, and check to see if it is AP aligned.

 You may see that there are websites that have pirated copies of textbooks. We would recommend you stay away from those for multiple reasons: frequently, there are malware risks, it is illegal and unethical to pirate material, and it quite frankly isn't worth it to be shady when there are plenty of legitimate resources out there for free or little cost!

 This book is relatively inexpensive, contains multiple practice exams, and is available on multiple platforms if that kind of learning helps you. If you would like to use the digital resources, it might be worth purchasing a new copy so that you can have guaranteed access to the online resources. Although it may not have as much depth as some other books, it contains concise, helpful review materials.

: Although ASAP does not have any test review prep, it is one of the best for content review, thanks to its digestible style as well as a variety of charts and other more visual methods for quick learning or review of content and lists. This book is definitely the go-to if you want to learn all of the content easily, although you will need some supplemental test-prep review if you want to feel confident for the exam.

 If you are the kind of person who wants a thorough review of everything you need to know for APUSH, then Barron's book is for you. It contains an in-depth explanation of all of the content that you will need to know (although it may be too in-depth for you), as well as 5 practice tests, of which three are online. This could be a drawback as it is not a perfect preparation for the real paper exam. However, if you want a comprehensive guide, Barron's is the go-to pick.

The AMSCO book is unique in that it is somewhere between a textbook and a prep book. Instead of a general overview of content, like a prep book might have, the information goes more in-depth, but still remains digestible and concise for the reader. Thus, we would recommend it for the best of both worlds. It is much easier to read than a textbook, but it is quick and to the point like a prep book.

Although it does not contain a full practice exam, it contains practice questions and is centered around the APUSH themes, and is designed to help you learn skills that you will need on the exam, such as analyzing secondary sources. If you are unsure of what book to get, we would highly recommend you make the jump to the slightly higher price for AMSCO and begin learning there - you can add one of the prep books mentioned above if you feel AMSCO isn't sufficient.

I hope this guide has provided you with some information to help you make the right choice about which book to use, and you can make the right decision to help you get the score on the exam you want!

Thanks to Fiveable team members Charly Castillo, Harrison Burnside, and Samantha Himegarner for their insight and reviews of some of the resources in this article.

All prices are current as of writing Summer 2020 and are subject to change.

Best AP US History Textbooks and Prep Books

Hello! If you're here, you're probably wondering whether or not you should take AP US History. Don't worry! We're here to help. In this guide, we'll go over how hard APUSH is, what other AP classes might help you succeed, and whether APUSH is worth taking as a class. Plus, we have linked some helpful articles and replays that may help with you

The simple, but unhelpful answer, is that it depends. This is because history classes like APUSH have vastly different styles depending on your teacher. So, a good way to figure out if APUSH will be hard is to ask some people who have taken APUSH at your school. Be sure to ask what kinds of work the class required. 

Some teachers emphasize learning how to write the essays for the exam, which requires a lot of writing work, whereas others focus more purely on the historical content, which leans toward doing tons of reading and responses/comprehension questions 📝

In terms of studying for the exam, APUSH, and other AP history courses, can be pretty intensive in terms of workload, as both the content and the exam format can require substantial review and practice. The APUSH exam has four types of questions, including three different types of free-response questions. Be prepared to do a considerable amount of format learning!

Also, knowing history doesn't always translate to doing well on the exam. You must connect different historical events and recognize big historical patterns.

However, if you have taken other history AP classes, APUSH becomes significantly easier. The exam format is exactly the same as AP World History: Modern 🌍 and AP European History 🇪🇺 With recent modifications to the curriculum, the focus of APUSH is after settlement by Europeans.

AP Comparative Government 🗳️, another class that may help, can provide context for the countries you are comparing, or even AP Human Geography 🚜, to connect the history to present world events and the way people are in the world right now.

 Hopefully, this guide will help you make the right decision about whether APUSH is worth it! Image Courtesy of 

Again, it depends (so straightforward, I know). There are a few things that would make APUSH worth taking for you:

We hope this guide has helped answer your question, and that you can make the best decision for you about whether to take APUSH. You got this 🎉

Is AP US History Hard? Is AP US History Worth Taking? 

👋 Worried about the FRQs on an upcoming APUSH exam or the actual AP exam? Don't worry! We're here to help you with a quick overview of what to expect on the Document-Based Question (DBQ) and the Long Essay Question (LEQ), as well as provide some advice from students who have done well on the APUSH exam.


 Writing the essays for AP US History takes an immense amount of practice and discipline. 

The APUSH FRQ section consists of two essays: the DBQ and the LEQ. The DBQ is an essay in which you have to answer a given prompt using seven documents that interpret the historical event. The LEQ is an essay with a variety of prompts where you have to create an argument without any stimuli.

The biggest advice for doing well on the APUSH essays is planning. Take this student's advice:

"It was much faster to write once I had all of the information planned based on the rubric requirements" - Arthi

It may seem like a waste of time to plan out your essay when you have less than an hour to write, but it makes a difference! You can plan however you plan best: a mental outline, a bulleted list, a more fancy outline, or any other method that works for you.

The DBQ is the longer/more involved of the two essays for APUSH. You are given 60 minutes to write it, of which the first 15 are a planning/reading period.

You don't have a choice on the DBQ prompt, but it will only cover a topic from 1754 - 1980 (periods 3-8). The DBQ also includes seven documents that will interpret the events described in the prompt. The first step is to categorize those documents into 2-4 groups based on their common elements/views on the prompt.

You can increase your score just by knowing what to do. Simply writing a strong essay may not score as well if you don't know how to get all the points. Each one of these will score one point unless stated otherwise. Here's a quick, easy-to-read summary of the DBQ rubric:

One of the easiest ways to get all of these points is to write it all down in a checklist next to your planning and tick them off as you go through.

"When I write essays, I like to have a checklist with me so I can keep count of what points I am confident I have earned" - Anna

Here's an outline that will help you write a concise, great essay!

 Hopefully this guide can serve as your map to success!

The LEQ is the shorter of the two essays—you only have 45 minutes to write it. However, you have a choice between three prompts based on the periods: 1491 - 1800, 1800 - 1898, and 1898 - 2001. All three prompts will be about similar themes, so pick the one you can write about the most!

Like the DBQ, knowing the rubric is crucial! Each one of these will score one point unless stated otherwise.

Replay of a Live LEQ Scoring stream with someone who has been an AP Reader!

Complete Review of APUSH Content with Possible Essay Topics by Period!

Throughout your review, remember these simple words: you will do fantastic! If you're reading this guide, it means you are taking steps to prepare for your exam. By following some of the advice we have given, you will become a much better writer and allow you to nail those essays!

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Thematic Guides

Document Based Questions (DBQ)

Unit 1: 1491-1607

Unit 2: 1607-1754

Unit 3: 1754-1800

Unit 4: 1800-1848

Unit 5: 1844-1877

Unit 6: 1865-1898

Unit 7: 1890-1945

Unit 8: 1945-1980

Unit 9: 1980-Present

Course Introductions

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Free Reviews 2020﻿

Thematic Guides﻿

Document Based Questions (DBQ)﻿

Unit 1: 1491-1607﻿

Unit 2: 1607-1754﻿

Unit 3: 1754-1800﻿

Unit 4: 1800-1848﻿

Unit 5: 1844-1877﻿

Unit 6: 1865-1898﻿

Unit 7: 1890-1945﻿

Unit 8: 1945-1980﻿

Unit 9: 1980-Present﻿

Course Introductions﻿

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)﻿

Short Answer Questions (SAQ)﻿

Long Essay Questions (LEQ)﻿

Blogs﻿

Join Our Discord

Free Reviews 2020

Thematic Guides

Document Based Questions (DBQ)

Unit 1: 1491-1607

Unit 2: 1607-1754

Unit 3: 1754-1800

Unit 4: 1800-1848

Unit 5: 1844-1877

Unit 6: 1865-1898

Unit 7: 1890-1945

Unit 8: 1945-1980

Unit 9: 1980-Present

Course Introductions

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Short Answer Questions (SAQ)

Long Essay Questions (LEQ)

Blogs