<p>Ugh, its like... impossible!</p>
<p>Every one or 2 weeks, we get a prompt and write in class. Usually I make 60s or 70s (3s and 4s).</p>
<p>Then the other day, I did super well. I made a 92% but the teacher said I would only get a 7 on the actual AP test!</p>
<p>Is it impossible to make a 9? No one in my class has been able to make a 9! What do you have to do? O_o</p>
<p>Hmm, I don't know, honestly. We only practiced DBQs once in class and I still pulled a 5 on the AP exam. Take into account that the DBQ is only part of the test. There are two other essays and the multiple choice section. Plus, the DBQ last year was super insanely easy.</p>
<p>Well I'm going to assume that the History is graded the same way as the English, and to get a 9 on the English your essay pretty much has to be publishable. But yeah the DBQ last year was super easy, so I wouldn't worry too much about it, a 7 or 8 will get you the 5.</p>
<p>Yeah... I'm talking about the essays as well.... DBQs may be easy but ... I'm talking about essays as well!</p>
<p>APUSH is really hard. D:</p>
<p>It really isn't necessary to get a 9 to get a 5 on the AP. A 7 will do just fine, assuming you are scoring pretty well on the mc. I have some tips for the DBQ, so pm me.</p>
<p>You can get away with much worse than a 7, I think. I really bombed the DBQ last year because I completely ran out of time, so I only answered about half of the question and used about half of the documents. I still pulled a 5. When it comes to the AP, you're not really trying to get all of the MC right and get 9's on all three essays. So the DBQ is tough, but not as tough as it might first appear. </p>
<p>*On a side note: Does anyone realize how ridiculously easy the APUSH DBQ is compared to World? There's a major disparity.</p>
<p>Yeah I didn't think the DBQ was that hard, for some reason though I hated the MC.</p>
<p>I hate the essays! With the DBQs and the MC there are at least some facts in front of you...on the MC one of the choices has to be right and on the DBQ you can write a decent essay using minimal outside knowledge. However, on the essays, you are alone!</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend REA's prep book for APUSH. It is superb.</p>
<p>I never got higher than a 7 on any test in my apush class but I got a 5 on the real thing. During the test I had to write my last free response in 10 minutes, though! Good thing my teacher happened to put the same prompt on a test we only had couple weeks before (it had to do with the 60s and 70s....), that was kind of stressful though. anyway just practice and you'll do fine.</p>
<p>A lot of it probably depends on your teacher, too. AP History essays aren't necessarily like AP English essays. For AP History essays, fairly objective qualifications need only to be met, whereas AP English essays are a little more subjective.</p>
<p>Some teachers grade harder than the actual AP graders do, which might not be to your benefit in terms of a grade, but will most likely be when you take the AP test. I doubt your teacher expects you to be getting 8s and 9s at this point. However, you'll improve with each essay you write, especially as you'll be able to make connections to past topics.</p>
<p>From my experience with taking APs its good to have 2 dynamite essays under your belt, then you can BS your last one and still get a 5. I've taken World HIst., APUSH, and Euro and scored 5s on all of them by doing only 2 of the essays. I typically run out of time on the last essay and get about a paragraph in. My advice is aim for the facts, jam as much germane info in as you can, you can even cram some non-germane stuff for kicks AP graders look for the figures.....</p>
<p>Yes. I'm in IB US History and our teacher actually grades AP USH exams so I really respect how she grades us and the advice she gives. But ... It still blows my mind that even when I make an A, my higest equivalence is a 7. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. And I need help with DBQs. I can get politcal cartoons down and things that have the date and author on there for you. But when it comes to those ones with nothing but text... yeah... I blow.</p>
<p>If I could make a 5 on the APUSH exam, that means I'd make a 100 for the IB semester exam. That means my GPA goes way up! :D</p>
<p>Just in case any of you are freaking out about not getting above a 7, you can get 5's on all the essays, do good on MC and still pull a 5. The AP tests are graded surprisingly liberal.</p>
<p>My APUSH teacher was a grader and he basically gave me 9's all year...the key to DBQs IMO is to use a good amount of outside info, and tie the documents into that, but don't base the essay around the documents. Also, a rigid 5 paragraph structure is worthless, literary references are great, and make sure to use plenty of transitions.</p>
<p>Getting a 9 is not impossible, you will learn to write what they want as the year goes on and your scores will increase trust.</p>
<p>Yeah...I don't think that your teacher's grades for you are an accurate prediction for your actual scores. Depending on the school and the difficulty of the course, your teacher may be over-preping you...which, as annoying as it may be for your grades, in the long wrong will help a lot.</p>