Virginia SOL World History and Geography (Virginia): complete guide to the two end-of-course tests, WHI to 1500 and WHII 1500 to the present, the reporting categories, item types, and scoring

Virginia measures high school world history with the Standards of Learning (SOL) End-of-Course (EOC) program, administered by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). World history is not one test but two: World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. (C.E.), known as WHI, and World History and Geography 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the Present, known as WHII. Both are built on the 2015 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Together they trace the human story from the first settlements to the present and assess the social science skills (mapping, chronology, sourcing, cause and effect, comparison) applied to that content. This page is the index for our World History content: a map of the two tests, the reporting categories, the item types, the scoring, and the study approach, with links to every dot point.

The two tests at a glance

World History and Geography splits the subject by date into two separate SOL tests, each taught in its own course and each reported on its own 0 to 600 scaled score.

• World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. (WHI). Built on standards WHI.1 to WHI.15. It covers prehistory and human origins, the river valley civilizations, classical Persia, India, China, Greece, and Rome, the origins and spread of the major world religions, the Byzantine Empire, Islamic civilization, the kingdoms of Africa, the civilizations of the Americas, East Asia, medieval Europe, the Crusades and the Black Death, and the Italian Renaissance, up to about 1500.
• World History and Geography 1500 A.D. to the Present (WHII). Built on standards WHII.1 to WHII.16. It covers the world in 1500, the Reformation, the Age of Exploration and the Columbian Exchange, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the absolutist and constitutional states, the American, French, and Latin American revolutions, nationalism and the unification of Italy and Germany, the Industrial Revolution, imperialism, World War I, the interwar period, World War II and the Holocaust, the Cold War, decolonization, and the contemporary world.

Both tests are delivered online and use multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items (TEI). Each test produces a scaled score, and 400 is the cut to pass.

Item types and stimulus

Neither test has an essay; every item is objectively scored against a key. There are two broad kinds.

• Multiple choice. A stem (a question or an unfinished sentence) with four answer choices, one correct. Many stems are stimulus-based: they pair a map, chart, graph, timeline, political cartoon, photograph, or short primary-source excerpt with the question, so you must read the source before you can answer.
• Technology-enhanced items (TEI). The common history formats are hot spot (click a place on a map, a region of an image, or a point on a timeline), drag-and-drop (place labels on a map, match events to periods, or put events in chronological order), and multiple-select (pick two or more correct answers, with the directions stating how many). TEIs test the same skills as multiple choice but with a richer response mode.

The skills standard for each test (WHI.1 and WHII.1) is woven through the whole paper. You will be asked to use maps and globes, read timelines, interpret primary and secondary sources, distinguish cause and effect, compare civilizations, and judge the reliability of a source. Treat the skills as the spine of your preparation, not an afterthought.

Reporting categories

VDOE reports each test by a small set of reporting categories (strands) so a school can see strengths and weaknesses by era and skill rather than by every single standard. The categories group the standards into broad blocks. For WHI the blocks run roughly: human origins and the river valley civilizations; classical civilizations (Persia, India, China, Greece, Rome); the postclassical world (world religions, Byzantium, Islam); and the regional civilizations and medieval Europe to 1500 (Africa, the Americas, East Asia, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance). For WHII the blocks run roughly: the early modern world (1500, the Reformation, exploration); revolutions and the Enlightenment; industrialization and imperialism; and the twentieth century to the present (the world wars, the Cold War, the contemporary world). The skills standard sits across all categories. Always check the current blueprint on the VDOE site for the exact item counts, because they can be adjusted.

Scoring

Each EOC test is reported on a scaled score from 0 to 600.

• Below 400: does not pass.
• 400 to 499: Proficient, a pass.
• 500 to 600: Advanced.

Your raw score (items correct) is converted to the scaled score with a conversion table specific to that test form, which is why two forms can map the same raw score to slightly different scaled scores. The state sets the cut scores, so confirm them against the current VDOE reports.

How to study World History and Geography

1. Learn the content as stories, not lists. For each civilization and era, fix the geography (where and why there), the chronology (the order and the key dates), the people and beliefs, and the lasting contributions. A story you can retell beats a list you have memorized.
2. Drill the social science skills. Practice reading a map or timeline, judging a primary source for point of view and reliability, and tracing cause and effect. These are the WHI.1 and WHII.1 skills, and they appear in nearly every item.
3. Think in comparisons and turning points. The standards reward comparing civilizations (Athens and Sparta, the major religions, the early modern empires) and identifying why an event mattered (the fall of Rome, 1492, 1914, 1945, 1991).
4. Master the TEI mechanics. Know how hot spot, drag-and-drop, and multiple-select work, and read the directions for how many answers a multiple-select wants, so the format never costs you a question you know.
5. Practice from the real materials. Use the VDOE curriculum framework, the test blueprint, and released items, and time yourself so the length of the test holds no surprises.

The modules, topic by topic

Each topic has a standards-level answer page with worked exam questions and cross-links, plus a deep-dive guide and a quiz. Browse the full set at /va-sol/world-history/syllabus.

Module 1: Ancient and classical civilizations (WHI.1 to WHI.6)

social science skills and geography, human origins and river valley civilizations, classical Persia, India, and China, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, republic and empire, the fall of Rome and its legacy.

Module 2: World religions and postclassical empires (WHI.6 to WHI.8)

Judaism and Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, Confucianism and Chinese philosophies, the origins and spread of Islam, the Byzantine Empire, Islamic civilization and its achievements.

Module 3: Regional civilizations and medieval Europe to 1500 (WHI.9 to WHI.15)

West African kingdoms, civilizations of the Americas, East Asia, China and Japan, medieval Europe and feudalism, the Crusades and the Black Death, trade routes and the Renaissance.

Module 4: Renaissance, Reformation, and exploration (WHII.2 to WHII.8)

the world in 1500, the Reformation, the Age of Exploration, the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, absolutism and the English revolutions, the American and French Revolutions.

Module 5: Revolutions, industry, and imperialism (WHII.9 to WHII.13)

Latin American independence, nationalism and unification, the Industrial Revolution, the age of imperialism, World War I, the Russian Revolution.

Module 6: The world wars, the Cold War, and the modern world (WHII.14 to WHII.16)

the interwar period and totalitarianism, World War II and the Holocaust, the Cold War, decolonization and independence movements, the end of the Cold War, the contemporary world.

For the official guidance

VDOE publishes the History and Social Science page, the 2015 Standards of Learning and curriculum frameworks for WHI and WHII, the test blueprints, and released test items with answer keys. Always study from the current VDOE materials, because the blueprint, the item counts, and the cut scores are set by the state and can change.