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Introduction:
- The multiple choice test section of the AP United States History test contains 80 questions covering the time period from approximately 1600 to the present, and has to be completed in 55 minutes.

- The testquestions are broken down by era and by general subject matter as follows:

Breakdown by Era:

Breakdown by General Subject Matter:

- There is a decided bias toward the period between the ratification of the Constitution and the beginning of the First World War; it also emphasizes political and social activities while caring relatively little about economic and cultural trends. You will see very few questions – two or three – about the period following 1972.

- There are never questions about military history.

Cracking the Multiple Choice:
- There is no magic wand for being good at multiple choice questions. Some students (those who are generally math/science oriented) will immediately be successful, while others will toil endlessly over the multiple choice component. The most frustrating aspect of this situation is that the hard working student who has “done everything,” yet cannot succeed with the difficult fine line discrimination in multiple-choice questions. These students tend to be memorizers who have difficult thinking outside the box. They tend to fall for the attractive distracter far too often. Here are some steps to aid in their success:

- Understand the construction of a multiple choice question:

1. The stem of the question, or the question itself.
2. The keys of the question, or the choices. There are three types of keys:

a. throw away choices (usually two),
b. the distracters (usually two, one being the attractive distracter),
c. the right answer.

Note: Find the best key that completes the stem.

Example:
The navigation acts were part of the British policy known as (This is the Stem)

a. isolationism (throw away)
b. capitalism (throw away)
c. mercantilism (the right answer)
d. monopolism (distracter)
e. imperialism (attractive distracter)
(a-e are the five keys – find the key that best completes the stem)

- The majority of the questions are straightforward. Understand the different types of multiple choice and the attack skills needed: the reverse multiple choice (EXCEPT) – skip and do all them at the end of the test, the most correct, the least correct, the chronological question, all of the above, none of the above, reading comprehension, maps, graphs, charts, etc. Usually two of each.

- Attack Skills: How To Take a Multiple Choice Test

o CAREFULLY read the question (stem) and ALL of the choices (keys) before answering. There are no misplaced words in a question. Read the stem and the key as a complete sentence. If makes sense logically and grammatically, it is probably right. If not, it is wrong.
o DO NOT change your answer unless you are absolutely sure you misread the question. DO NOT second guess multiple choice.
o Choose the answer that immediately hits you as the right one. It probably is. Immediately move on to the next question.
o Skip more difficult or confusing questions and come back later for them. You have limited time, and cannot waste time trying to unravel a confusing question. Leave it and return when you have completed the others.
o Feel confident and powerful. Attack multiple choice questions and don’t look back. Never second guess yourself. Trust yourself – your brain is smarter than you think.
o Use 30–45 (41.25) seconds to answer a question. That translates into the needed pace for the examination: 80 questions in 55 minutes.
o You are penalized a quarter of a point for every wrong answer. For example, if you miss 8 questions then a total of 2 points would be taken from your final score. The purpose is to stop you from guessing.

- Guessing Policy: Guidelines for Guessing on the Exam

o If You Do Not Have a Clue (Leave Blank)
o If You Can Eliminate Two (Guess)
o If You Can Eliminate Three (Have to Guess)

- The easiest questions appear at the beginning of the test. Stay focused on about the first 30; at the end of the exam you will answer the “Delta” questions – harder questions to make the test valid.

- Questions are organized in groups of 8 to 12. Each group of questions will usually be presented in chronological order. Each time there is a significant chronological reordering, you have entered a more difficult section of the test.

- The AP exam is not merely about memorization. You should analyze the questions to determine exactly what the question is asking. Remember level II style questions. Eliminate wrong answers rather than looking for correct ones. The questions are designed to test the basic principles of U.S. History; therefore you should keep the big picture in mind as you take this exam. Use common sense and eliminate choices that are illogical.