INTRODUCTION: THE 5-STEP PROGRAM
Introducing the 5-Step Preparation Program
This book is organized as a 5-step program to prepare you for success on the exam. These steps are
designed to provide you with vital skills and strategies and the practice that can lead you to that
perfect 5. Here are the 5 steps.
Step 1: Set Up Your Study Program
In this step you’ll read a brief overview of the AP World History exam, including an outline of topics
and the approximate percentage of the exam that will test knowledge of each topic. You’ll learn:
• Background information about the AP exam
• Reasons for taking the exam
• What to bring to the exam
• Other tips to prepare you for the exam
• How to choose the preparation plan that’s right for you
• Calendars for three suggested plans
Step 2: Determine Your Test Readiness
In this step you’ll take a diagnostic exam in AP World History. This pretest should give you an idea of
how prepared you are before beginning your study program.
• Go through the diagnostic exam step-by-step and question-by-question to build your confidence
level.
• Review the correct answers and explanations so that you see what you do and do not yet fully
understand.
Step 3: Develop Strategies for Success
In this step you’ll learn strategies that will help you do your best on the exam. These strategies cover
all four question types: multiple choice, document-based, continuity and change- over-time, and
comparative. This part of your preparation program will help you to learn:
• How to read multiple-choice questions
• How to answer multiple-choice questions, including whether or not to guess
• How to analyze primary documents, including texts, photographs, political cartoons, maps, and
charts
• How to write essays for the document-based and free-response questions.