AP United States History (APUSH): complete guide to the exam, units and skills
A complete guide to AP United States History (APUSH). Explains the College Board exam format (multiple choice, SAQ, DBQ, LEQ), the nine chronological units and three reasoning skills, the themes that run through the course, and how to study for a 5, with links to the Period 1 and Period 2 dot points.
AP United States History (APUSH) is a College Board course that surveys US history from 1491 to the present across nine chronological units. This page is the index for our APUSH content: below is a map of the exam, the units and reasoning skills, and the study approach, with links to the dot-point pages we have published.
The exam at a glance
The APUSH exam is scored 1 to 5 and has two sections:
- Section I. 55 stimulus-based multiple choice questions (55 minutes) and 3 Short Answer Questions (SAQs) (40 minutes). This section is 60 percent of the score.
- Section II. One Document Based Question (DBQ) (60 minutes, including a 15-minute reading period) and one Long Essay Question (LEQ) (40 minutes). This section is 40 percent of the score.
The four question types
Each type is marked differently, so practice them separately.
- Stimulus-based multiple choice. Read a source (text, image, map, or chart) and answer questions analyzing it.
- Short Answer Question (SAQ). Three short, specific responses (parts A, B, and C). No thesis is required; markers reward concrete, accurate evidence.
- Document Based Question (DBQ). Build an argument using seven provided documents plus your own outside evidence, scored on a 7-point rubric (thesis, contextualization, evidence, analysis, and complexity).
- Long Essay Question (LEQ). Build an argument from your own knowledge, scored on a 6-point rubric.
The nine units
APUSH runs chronologically through nine units (periods):
- Unit 1 (Period 1): 1491 to 1607, Native America and European contact.
- Unit 2 (Period 2): 1607 to 1754, colonial America.
- Unit 3: 1754 to 1800, revolution and a new nation.
- Unit 4: 1800 to 1848, the early republic and reform.
- Unit 5: 1844 to 1877, expansion, Civil War, and Reconstruction.
- Unit 6: 1865 to 1898, the Gilded Age.
- Unit 7: 1890 to 1945, modern America and the world wars.
- Unit 8: 1945 to 1980, the Cold War and civil rights.
- Unit 9: 1980 to the present.
The three reasoning skills
Every essay rewards one or more of the historical reasoning skills:
- Causation. Explaining causes and effects and weighing their importance (see Period 1 Topic 1.7).
- Comparison. Explaining similarities and differences and the reasons for them (see Period 2 Topic 2.8).
- Continuity and change over time. Explaining what changed and what stayed the same.
How to study APUSH
- Learn each unit as a story anchored to the Course and Exam Description topics.
- Layer in specific evidence: names, dates, events, and laws turn a vague answer into a top-band one.
- Drill the four question types separately against their rubrics.
- Automate the rubric moves: thesis, contextualization, and a complexity statement.
- Use released exams from AP Central to practice timing and wording.
Period 1 (1491 to 1607): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 1, one page per College Board topic:
- Contextualizing Period 1
- Native American Societies Before European Contact
- European Exploration in the Americas
- Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest
- Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System
- Cultural Interactions in Period 1
- Causation in Period 1
Period 2 (1607 to 1754): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 2, one page per College Board topic:
- Contextualizing Period 2
- European Colonization
- The Regions of British Colonies
- Transatlantic Trade
- Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans
- Slavery in the British Colonies
- Colonial Society and Culture
- Comparison in Period 2
Period 3 (1754 to 1800): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 3, one page per College Board topic:
- Contextualizing Period 3
- The Seven Years' War
- Taxation Without Representation
- Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution
- The American Revolution
- The Influence of Revolutionary Ideals
- The Articles of Confederation
- The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification
- The Constitution
- Shaping a New Republic
- Developing an American Identity
- Movement in the Early Republic
- Continuity and Change in Period 3
Period 4 (1800 to 1848): the dot points
Our complete coverage of Unit 4, one page per College Board topic:
- Contextualizing Period 4
- The Rise of Political Parties and the Era of Jefferson
- Politics and Regional Interests
- America on the World Stage
- Market Revolution: Industrialization
- Market Revolution: Society and Culture
- Expanding Democracy
- Jackson and Federal Power
- The Development of an American Culture
- The Second Great Awakening
- An Age of Reform
- African Americans in the Early Republic
- The Society of the South in the Early Republic
- Continuity and Change in Period 4
Deep-dive guides
- How to write the APUSH DBQ and LEQ, a full walkthrough of the essay rubrics.
For the official Course and Exam Description
The College Board publishes the full APUSH Course and Exam Description, past free-response questions, and scoring guidelines at AP Central. Always study from the current CED and the College Board's own released exams, because the units, topics, and rubrics are set by the board.
US History guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
- AP US History Period 6 (1865 to 1898): the Gilded Age unit guide
A complete unit guide to AP US History Period 6 (1865 to 1898), the Gilded Age. Maps the College Board Key Concepts 6.1 to 6.3, walks through industrial capitalism, the settlement of the West, immigration and the cities, labor, and Populism, and links to the dot points and the paired quiz.
16 min readRead → - AP US History Period 7 (1890 to 1945): the emergence of modern America unit guide
A complete unit guide to AP US History Period 7 (1890 to 1945), the emergence of modern America. Maps the College Board Key Concepts 7.1 to 7.3, walks through Progressivism, imperialism, the world wars, the 1920s, and the Great Depression and New Deal, and links to the dot points and the paired quiz.
16 min readRead → - AP US History Period 8 (1945 to 1980): the Cold War and civil rights unit guide
A complete unit guide to AP US History Period 8 (1945 to 1980), the era of the Cold War and civil rights. Maps the College Board Key Concepts 8.1 to 8.3, walks through containment, the Red Scare, civil rights, the Great Society, Vietnam, and the social movements, and links to the dot points and the paired quiz.
16 min readRead → - AP US History Period 9 (1980 to the present): entering a new era unit guide
A complete unit guide to AP US History Period 9 (1980 to the present), entering a new era. Maps the College Board Key Concepts 9.1 to 9.3, walks through the conservative resurgence, the end of the Cold War, globalization, and the challenges of the new century, and links to the dot points and the paired quiz.
15 min readRead → - How to write the APUSH DBQ and LEQ: a complete guide to the essay rubrics
A complete guide to the AP US History free-response essays. Breaks down the DBQ 7-point rubric and the LEQ 6-point rubric point by point (thesis, contextualization, evidence, document analysis, and complexity), explains the SAQ, and gives timing and a worked plan for writing a top-band answer.
18 min readRead →
US History practice quizzes
Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.
- How to write the APUSH DBQ and LEQ: exam skills quiz12 questionsStart →
- AP US History Period 6 (1865 to 1898): the Gilded Age quiz12 questionsStart →
- AP US History Period 7 (1890 to 1945): the emergence of modern America quiz12 questionsStart →
- AP US History Period 8 (1945 to 1980): the Cold War and civil rights quiz12 questionsStart →
- AP US History Period 9 (1980 to the present): entering a new era quiz12 questionsStart →
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