How do I prepare for APUSH?

Start by reviewing the course materials provided by your teacher. Make sure you understand the key concepts and themes of each unit. Use study guides and practice tests to help you identify areas where you need more practice. Take detailed notes on the important events and figures in American history.

What is the best way to study for APUSH?

How hard is it to pass APUSH?

In addition to the difficulty of the course itself, the AP U.S. History exam is also tough. It has the third-lowest average pass rate among all AP exams. It consists of 55 multiple-choice questions, three short-answer questions, and two free-response questions, all under a tight time limit.

What do I need to know before APUSH?

The College Board suggests studying themes such as: American diversity, American identity, culture, demographic changes, economic transformations, environment, globalization, politics and citizenship, reform, religion, slavery and its legacies in North America and war and diplomacy.

How do I ace the APUSH exam?

You need to learn to attack questions methodically and to plan your answers before putting pencil to paper. Carefully analyze the question, thinking through what is being asked, and identify the elements that must be addressed in the response. Each AP Exam asks different types of questions about each subject.

FOUR Tips on STUDYING For Your AP Exams (AP World, APUSH)

Is APUSH the hardest test?

Additionally, only 11% of AP U.S. History students pass the exam with a perfect score, compared to 17% of students on average across all AP exams. That said, while most advanced placement courses challenge students, the AP U.S. History course is among the more difficult of the AP subjects.

Is it OK to fail APUSH?

If you fail or your score on the AP® US History exam is not high enough to receive college credit at the institution of your choice, it is important not to panic! You can retake the AP® US History exam as many times as you choose to achieve a higher score. The exam is given once a year in May.

What is the hardest part of the APUSH exam?

DBQ stands for Document Based Question and is arguably the most difficult component of the APUSH exam. The DBQ is in the essay-writing section of the exam, where students are expected to write a clear and concise essay that revolves around ten to twelve primary-source documents.

What grade should you take APUSH?

Most people take APUSH their junior year. Also, it is recommended to take more AP's your junior year than senior year since you can have a "last minute" gpa boost and colleges tend to look at your sophomore and junior year grades more. Senior year grades are just to see if you are still keeping up that rigor.

Do colleges want to see APUSH?

Whether you should include your APUSH score depends on the colleges you are sending the scores to. Some colleges give credits for a score of 3, whereas some don't. I would say do your research before selecting the colleges to send your scores to.

Is APUSH a memorization?

For history, we synthesize by telling general, thematic stories about the past. As you study for the AP History exam, don't just memorize facts. For each fact you review, ask yourself: what other facts does it relate to? What story does it fit into?

What's the easiest AP class?

Should I take APUSH as a sophomore?

Will it be too hard/stressful to take APUSH and AP Chemistry in the sophomore year? The curricula of most high schools have students take US History their junior year. For students who are ready and able to handle college-level work, it makes sense to substitute APUSH, and quite a few students do so.

Is APUSH really worth it?

APUSH pushes you to think critically and memorize many events in history. It's worth it if you have a decent teacher that will actually teach you history.

What is the hardest AP class?

Calculus AB

This college-level calculus course is considered the hardest AP class by many students. You'll study differential equations, integral calculus, and mathematical theorems in AP Calculus AB. The exam consists of 45 MCQs and six free-response questions.

When should I start studying for APUSH?

The best way to study for the APUSH exam is to begin early, so you aren't overwhelmed by the material and strategies you need to know for test day. Ideally, you'll have been studying for the APUSH exam throughout the year and begin your final review a month or two before you sit for the exam in May.

Do colleges accept APUSH?

United States History is the second most popular Advanced Placement topic (after English Language), and over half a million students take the exam every year. With the exception of a few elite schools, most colleges and universities will award college credit for a score of 4 or 5 on the AP U.S. History exam.

Do colleges accept a 3 on APUSH?

Institutions generally acknowledge a 4 or a 5 on the AP exam, but some may even grant credit and/or placement for a 3.

Why is APUSH so popular?

For students, the intensity of the course inspired a sort of camaraderie with each other and with their teachers, many of whom did not have a strong background in historical research and were learning alongside them. This intensity increased the sense among APUSH students that they were truly “doing” history.

What is the most failed AP exam?

1. Physics 1: AP Physics 1 is the hardest AP class with the least passing rate of 51.6. It means almost half of the students fail this exam.

Is a 3 on APUSH bad?

The College Board designates a 3 to be “qualified”. That means that you understood and executed the material to the point that you could pass the college class. While you did not receive the highest grade in the class, you did pass. Because of this, many state colleges will accept a 3.

Why is APUSH pass rate so low?

This boils down to the amount of material the AP course covers and how advanced that material is. Some courses have high 5 and pass rates because their content is extremely challenging and only very driven students will take them—not because they're easy classes.

Is a C+ in APUSH bad?

No, not really. Some schools would consider it in the B range in a regular class. Some AP teachers will tell you that they can usually predict the test results of the AP test based on the grade: an A is a 5 on the test, a B is 4, a C is 3 and so on.

Does it look bad if I don't take APUSH?

There's no reason for you to take U.S. History. No one at the college level cares whether you take it, and they DO care if you take it and do poorly. You'll be far better off taking a course you like and doing well in it.

Do colleges care if you fail AP exam?

Now, to address your concerns: Failing an AP exam isn't ideal, but it's not necessarily a deal-breaker for college admissions. Colleges generally care more about the rigor of your coursework and your grades than your AP exam scores.