5 Steps to a 5TM AP European History

What You Need to Know About the AP European History Exam (^) ‹ 5
of college and high school teachers who meet at a central location in early June to evaluate
and score exams that were completed by students the previous month.
What Is on the Exam?
Beginning in May 2016, the AP European History Exam adopted a new format. The new
format of the AP European History exam is shown in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1 AP European History Exam Format as of May 2016
SECTION TEST ITEMS TIME LIMIT
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL GRADE
I. Multiple-Choice 55 questions 55 minutes 40%
II. Short-Answer 3 questions 40 minutes 20%
III. Document-Based 1 question 60 minutes 25%
IV. Long-Essay 1 question 40 minutes 15%
Each section of the exam has a set of objectives that fit into the overall scheme of the exam.
We will discuss strategies for doing well on the multiple-choice section in Chapter 4, the
short-answer questions in Chapter 5, the document-based question in Chapter 6, and the
long-essay question in Chapter 7.
How Is the Exam Evaluated and Scored?
The multiple-choice section is scored by computer. The other sections are all scored by
“readers” (the college and high school teachers who are hired to do the job), who have been
trained to score the responses in accordance with a set of guidelines. The scoring guidelines
for each question are drawn up by a team of the most experienced readers. (We will discuss
what kinds of things the guidelines tell the readers to look for in Chapters 5 through 7.)
Evaluation and scoring are monitored by the Chief Reader, Question Leaders, and Table
Leaders, and scoring is periodically analyzed for consistency.
The scores from all sections are combined into a composite score on the AP five-point
scale:
• 5 is the highest possible grade; it indicates that you are extremely well qualified to receive
college credit.
• 4 indicates that you are well qualified to receive college credit.
• 3 indicates that you are qualified to receive college credit.
• 2 indicates that you are possibly qualified to receive college credit.
• 1 indicates that you are not qualified to receive college credit.
How Do I Register?
Whether you are enrolled in a high school AP course or preparing for the test on your
own, the best thing to do is see your guidance counselor. He or she will direct you to the
AP Coordinator for your school. You will need to contact the coordinator because it is this
person who will collect your money and give you information about the exact location and
date of the test. If for some reason your school does not have an AP Coordinator, you can
test through another school. To find out which schools in your area offer the test and to
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