<p>To whoever asked, yes, the exam is 80 MCQs long. Also, one DBQ and two FRQs. </p>
<p>As someone who didn’t take AP World (really should’ve–I regret that), I can’t stack the two against each other, but I’ve heard testimonies that some of the sheer depth and memory involved with APUSH makes it substantially harder than World. Difficulty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. </p>
<p>I do consider it to be one of the harder AP classes, though. </p>
<p>
Nope, not anymore. The curriculum and test were redesigned. Too lazy to look up specifics, but I know it’s not as many MC questions because there will be short answer questions. </p>
<p>I have no idea what the new version of the course will be like, but my general advice is to read the textbook, use review books, and study. You will do well in the class if you utilize your resources. You might have done well in other history classes without studying much, if at all, but APUSH is a lot different. I never studied for a history class before this one, but did have to work fairly hard to maintain an A and (hopefully) do well on the exam. No one in my class got above a low B if they didn’t put forth the effort. </p>
<p>I don’t really have any advice for those who are planning on self-studying, because I took the class.</p>
<p>Good luck with the new version.</p>
<p>So I was curious about the changes so I skimmed over something CB put out:</p>
<p>Something about giving more flexibility to the teachers in the curriculum
36MC questions for a time limit of 35 miniutes (please tell me I’m not the only one surprised)
4 Short Answer questions for 50 minutes + 1 DBQ for 60 minutes + 1 Long Essay for 35 Minutes</p>
<p>Everyone buy Essential Content: APUSH! I’m taking the class this year though reading it over summer has helped me with the textbook outlines.</p>
<p>I thought AP World was much easier than AP US for the mc, because the questions were less in depth, but the essays for AP US were way easier just because we’ve been learning basic American history since elementary school so if you really were at a loss, you could at least throw in a name or two.
I’m not sure about specifics on the new test, but I heard there’s more graphs to interpret and what not.</p>
<p>That’s strange they would choose now to change it. I JUST took the APUSH exam this past May, and that was the format it followed–though with the new essay types and such on the Psychology and English Lang. exams, I guess changes are all over the place now. </p>
<p>I think AP Trevor mentioned that the AP World mc results were really good this year. </p>
<p>Ugh. Not excited about APUSH next year.</p>
<p>I know the course is going to be redesigned, but for review I strongly suggest REA’s Crash Course. They have great tips of what people often miss in their studying and seriously almost all the tips were on the test. It definitely contributed to my 5 on the test this year. Also, throughout the year watch John Green’s Crash Course US History videos to help you study and drill in the info…he’s so fun to listen to and they helped me as a visual learner. I also like the Princeton Review APUSH review book by the way! Big but helpful. </p>
<p>Overall, APUSH is a ton of info, but if you have any background knowledge/interest it’ll be right up your alley. If you aren’t into history, it could be dry but still manageable. Just put in the work and it’ll be worth it. 
Because of that class, I am applying to colleges as a history major. Good luck everyone! I believe in you!</p>
<p>After taking APUSH 2 years back, I found that replacing the textbook with coursenotes and review books don’t do as good as a job as they do in AP World (depth over broadness).
One of the things that probably hurt my score the most between APUSH and AP World was how the essays were subjectively graded. With AP World it was easier to game the point system on the essays and consistently score at least 6 while in APUSH I would always get 2-4s. Now it looks like APUSH was redesigned to look more like AP World’s grading and the short answers make it easier than developing a full on essay.
I got a 5 in AP World and a 4 in US and wonder how I’d do on the new exam.</p>
<p>Hey guys check out my blog for information on APUSH and free chapter outlines for American Pageant!</p>
<p><a href=“http://apushamericanpageantchapternotes.blogspot.com”>http://apushamericanpageantchapternotes.blogspot.com</a></p>
<p>Hey guys check out my blog for information on APUSH and free chapter outlines for American Pageant!</p>
<p><a href=“http://apushamericanpageantchapternotes.blogspot.com”>http://apushamericanpageantchapternotes.blogspot.com</a></p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more with z0e101. REA’s Crash Course also helped immensely for preparing for the exam. I read it multiple times before taking the AP exam and feel like it’s why I received such a high score. </p>
<p>Hey guys! I just got my 5 back from this class (taken as a sophmore) and I can tell you guys what I know about the redesign because our teacher started throwing some of that into our coursework. The multiple choice will look more like the AP world multiple choice by having most (if not all) questions contain an artifact (ie. Quote, text, graph, etc.). I believe this is also shortening the amount of questions. Can’t quite remember what the deal will be with FRQ’s, but I’m pretty sure there’s still a DBQ that they will give you MORE time to complete than on the old test.</p>
<p>However, the big switch up will be the short answer section. Students will be given a document that they have to identify around 4 things about (I believe they are historical context, purpose, POV, and audience) and connect to other documents/situations. These look like they might throw people off, as my classmates averaged VERY low scores on these despite pulling 7-8-9 caliber FRQ’s from an official AP reader as a teacher.</p>
<p>z0e101’s got it straight. I got a 4 on it having taken it as a junior last year.</p>
<p>Between the multitude of lectures, readings, and writings, you might have the urge to “drop” the class. DON’T DO IT. Even for someone like me who likes history, it took a mental toll and I saw many people in my class quit. It pays off in the end!</p>
<p>So form a study group, get flashcards or whatever, John Green is helpful, there’s an APUSH website, a twitter page that you can relate to with your struggles. Histnotes will help too, but don’t bank on it. </p>
<p>Try lots of DBQs and FRQs; you can never do enough. MC’s important but straightfoward.</p>
<p>Oh, and always trust in the almighty ALAN BRINKLEY! He knows no wrong. If you don’t know who he is, you might become familiar with him. If not, you can google him or whatever I think he’s gained notoriety in society for being the “textbook guy”</p>
<p>Anyways, good luck.</p>
<p>Just going to copy + paste what I posted in the 2014 thread.</p>
<p>If you’re taking APUSH in 2015, here’s a few basic guidelines.</p>
<ol>
<li>This is a hilariously easy course. I barely consider it an AP. If you’re decently intelligent you WILL get a 4/5 on the exam WITHOUT any out-of-class studying.</li>
<li>Your teacher will either be good (lenient, doesn’t assign too much work for this easy class), or horrible (weekly DBQs + chapter outlines)</li>
<li>If you’re content with a 4, and you’re not stupid, you don’t need to study. At all.</li>
<li>If your school ends in July, you’re going to be screwed out of a couple questions simply because you haven’t even touched the subject yet.</li>
</ol>
<p>I got a 4 on the AP exam without studying and simply paying attention in class. I missed like 5-10 of the outlines too. </p>
<p>Have fun guys…economics for me</p>
<p>I feel like difficulty of this class is based on the teacher. I think I had a totally tops APUSH teacher. I never read the textbook once all year, just took notes on his lectures. I ended up using crash course for a couple hours the day before the test, but that was the extent of my studying. I got a 5. </p>
<p>Texas is funny that way: <a href=“http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20140718-common-core-influenced-history-class-critics-say.ece”>http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20140718-common-core-influenced-history-class-critics-say.ece</a></p>
<p>Optional: I love other parts of America…</p>
<p>WOO! Taking this next year, actually interested in the history of the US also with a phenomenal teacher hopefully. Good luck everyone and have fun!</p>
<p>Test Prep: As of last year I was a AP Student of World History and Psychology, sophomore. As a typical freshie in AP, I checked out a bunch of test prep books from the library (Barron’s, Princeton, Kaplan, & 5 Steps to a 5). I’ll try my best to evaluate each book now.
Barron’s: Too darn extensive and long…Barron’s is really a textbook that sums it up barely. This test prep book was so bad for me, it bored me out, ESPECIALLY with World. I would only recommend using Barron’s for self-study purposes, to be completely honest with you (Psychology was good though).
Princeton: This test prep book is intriguing and motivates me to keep reading and reviewing, the authors almost seem as if they were talking to me in person. Its fast-prep review and this is a perfect prep book if you buy/borrow it for a month. Both were great.
Kaplan: Ehh. Its between Barron’s and Princeton, still too extensive but sums it up quicker. This is more like a quick reference book, its alright, the World History one is phenomenal, Psychology not so much.
5 Steps to a 5: Ahh. This is the procrastinator book. Both were awesome and gets straight to the point. </p>
<p>Princeton > 5Sta5 > Kaplan > Barron’s - I will be using Kaplan and Princeton probably. 5Sta5 if I don’t feel confident yet.</p>
<p>Textbook: “Faragher, John Mack, Mari Jo Buhle, Daniel Czitrom & Susan Armitage. Out of Many, Combined Volume, 7th edition. Pearson Education, 2011.” (College Board, <a href=“AP United States History Course Audit – AP Central | College Board”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools).</p>
<p>Prepare: Get crackin’ on those prep books with some friends a month before once each week at Barnes & Nobles.</p>
<p>APUSH Related Books: Nothing on the top of my mind…movies however there is Argo, Killing Kennedy, and America (which is in theaters NOW). </p>
<p>Enjoy: Yes, probably. </p>
<p>Option on America: For the most part yes, although we do have some pathetic problems now (I’d say we are in the 10’s of top countries).</p>
<p>:)</p>