If you are a high school student or are going to be one, you probably get quite stressed when hearing about the many exams you might face, whether it’s ACT, SAT, PSAT, or AP. But apart from just studying days and nights to show the best results, you need to know the fundamentals of each test and its sections. Today is the time to talk about the AP World History Modern exam. We’ve collected the most common and essential AP World History FAQs you need to succeed. Let’s get rolling.
What Is the AP World History Exam?
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If you consider taking the AP World History Modern test, you are in the right place. Let’s review all the essential questions step by step.
Who Needs to Take It?
AP World History exam is a college-level examination. It is offered to American high school students through the College Board’s AP program.
It covers key historical events, themes, and concepts from various regions worldwide. Students take the exam to prove their knowledge of world history and earn college credit. You can take it after finishing the corresponding AP course. But it isn’t required to take a course before taking an exam.
What Structure Does It Have?
The AP World History exam consists of two sections, and the first one has two parts. They are:
- Section I Part A. It contains 55 multiple-choice questions and takes 40% of the exam score.
- Section I Part B. It has only 3 short-answer questions and covers 20% of the final exam score.
- Section II. It consists of 2 free-response questions (aka essays). The first one is document-based and takes 25% of your score. The second question is a long essay on one of the several topics. It takes 15% of exam weighting.
How Long Does It Take?
The exam lasts 3 hours and 15 minutes. How is this time distributed?
- Section I Part A. Multiple-choice questions – 55 minutes.
- Section I Part B. Short-answer questions – 40 minutes.
- Section II. Document-based question – 60 minutes (including 15 minutes to read all the documents).
- Section II. Long essay – 40 minutes.
What Do You Need to Know Before Taking the AP World History Exam?
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If you want to take the AP World History exam, you probably ask yourself – How? When? Where? How much? And dozens of other questions. Let’s find answers to those:
When Can I Take the Test?
Usually, it occurs by the end of the spring, most commonly in May. This year is no exception, and it is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, at 8 a.m. local time. You can always find this information on the College Board’s official website, or you can ask your AP coordinator about it.
Where Does the Test Take Place?
Typically AP tests take place at schools that offer AP courses. So, you might be able to take your AP exam at your own school if they offer it.
What Should I Do if My School Does Not Provide the Exam?
If your school doesn’t offer the exam you need, you can ask your AP coordinator to help you find the nearest local school to take the exam. Alternatively, you can arrange it yourself.
First, go to the AP Course Ledger (official list of schools that have passed the AP Course Audit). Find the nearest school that offers the course you are interested in (World History: Modern, in our case). Then find that school’s phone number and reach out to them as early as you can to see whether they allow students from other schools to test.
How Can I Register for the Exam if I’m Homeschooled?
Students who are homeschooled can also take the AP exams (like PSAT and other standardized tests).
The first thing you need to look for is the AP Course Ledger. This is an official comprehensive list of schools that have passed the AP Course Audit. Choose the appropriate school for you and contact this school’s AP coordinator.
Inform them that you would like to take the AP exam in their school. They will provide you with all the necessary information for that.
How Can I Register for the Exam?
You can register with your College Board account. To do so, you need to sign in to My AP. After joining your class sections, you will see a Register button in the Class Sections view in My AP. After you click this button, your AP coordinator will know you plan to take the exam and will take it from there.
If you do not see this button, it means you have already been automatically registered for the exam. Once you have chosen to register, the exam date and time will appear on your course card in My AP.
How Do I Know if I Am Eligible for Accommodations?
You may be eligible for accommodations only if you have a documented disability that limits your ability to participate in the College Board examinations. Here are some examples of such disabilities:
- full blindness and visual impairments;
- learning disabilities;
- physical and medical disabilities (cerebral palsy or diabetes);
- motor impairments.
This is not the complete list. You can find more information in the accommodations policy on the College Board website or ask your AP coordinator. Anyway, if you have some disabilities, it’s important to mention them before the exam as soon as possible. Still, remember that this does not affect your test results, and in the end, you will get an independent exam results report, just like other participants.
Can I Take the Test if I Have Not Taken an AP World History Course?
Yes, you can. The College Board recommends taking the AP course before the exam. But if you can’t or don’t want to do it, you can still take the AP test without completing the course. You can prepare for the exam by yourself using different sources, including classes with tutors.
Do I Have to Take an AP Exam After an AP Course?
The College Board does not require it. Thus, if you do not want to proceed with the exam after the AP course, you can skip it. But keep in mind that some schools require students to take the exam after completing an AP course. If you aren’t sure whether it’s the case for you, talk to your AP coordinator or teacher.
How Much Does the AP Exam Cost?
Here are the exam fees you can expect:
Source: The College Board
Note: You can’t pay these fees on the College Board website. Thus, you should ask your AP coordinator about the fee payment procedure. Besides, you should keep in mind that the school where you are going to take the AP exam may charge slightly higher fees. They may need to cover their administrative costs.
Can I Take the AP Test for Free?
The College Board can reduce the fee per exam by $36 for eligible students with special financial needs. If you want to use this option, you need to provide all the necessary information to your AP coordinator by April 30, 2024.
Meanwhile, many states use federal and state funding to provide additional fee reductions. To find this information, you can check the Federal and State Assistance page.
What Can I Take to the Exam?
Here is the list of things you need to take to the test:
- HB or No. 2 pencils for answering multiple-choice questions;
- Pens with black or dark blue ink for the free response questions;
- Current government- or school-issued ID;
- The College Board SSD Accommodations letter (in case you are going to take an exam with the approved testing accommodations);
- A watch without Internet access;
- A testing device only for the Digital AP exam (in that case, it needs to meet AP testing criteria).
What Is Prohibited to Bring to the Exam?
Now, let’s check the things you can not bring with you on the test day:
- Any electronic devices (smartphones, ear plugs, smartwatches, cameras, other digital recording devices, etc);
- Any published or written materials (notes, books, guides, etc.);
- Any devices that beep and make any other noises;
- Computers and calculators that are not approved;
- Scratch paper;
- Clipboards;
- Any clothing, shoes, and accessories with AP subject-related information.
By the way, you are not allowed to bring any food or drinks. The exceptions may be applied to students with particular disabilities, and only if this is approved as an accommodation by the College Board’s Services.
Between Section I and Section II, students will have a 10-minute break. During this time, you can leave the examination room to drink or eat something. You can do it only with the exam proctor’s permission.
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How Do I Check My AP World History Test Results?
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Okay, suppose you have already taken the AP World History Modern exam. Now, you need to know where to find your results and how to interpret them.
How Is This Exam Scored?
All the AP tests are scored on a 5-point scale. That means that the highest grade you can get is 5, and the lowest is 1. The table below shows the AP exam scoring guidelines.
Source: College Board
Will I Lose Points if I Answer a Multiple-Choice Question Incorrectly?
You should know that the total points for a multiple-choice section are based on the number of questions answered correctly. So, you won’t lose points for incorrect answers. At the same time, you won’t get or lose any points for unanswered questions. That’s why if you try to guess the answer, it won’t hurt (if you know what we mean:).
Where Can I Check My Exam Results?
You can check your results in your personal College Board account. Your score report includes your grades from all AP exams you have taken before. Thus, do not create several AP accounts, as this might delay the results.
You can download the report in the PDF format. Still, keep in mind that this is an unofficial copy, and you can not use it for college admissions. You need to send your results to college or scholarship programs via your College Board account.
Can I Sign Up to Retake the Exam?
You can retake your exam whenever it is scheduled. But remember that the exam is held once a year only. Thus, you can retake your AP test in the subsequent year.
If for some unexpected reason, you couldn’t take your test when scheduled, contact your AP coordinator and ask whether a late testing date is available.
Your test report will include all your past exam results. Still, you can request to cancel previous AP test scores from the record.
What Does the AP World History Exam Check?
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Finally, it’s time to investigate the knowledge and skills the AP World History Modern test examines. This information is essential for planning your test preparation. Overall, it covers a lot of material but let’s summarize it.
What Are the Most Common Topics?
AP World History Exam requires the knowledge of four chronological periods:
- c.1200 to c. 1450;
- c. 1450 to c.1750;
- c. 1750 to c. 1900;
- c. 1900 to present day.
In addition, these four periods contain 9 educational units:
- The Global Tapestry;
- Network of Exchange;
- Land-Based Empires;
- Transoceanic Interconnections;
- Revolutions;
- Consequences of Industrialization;
- Global Conflict;
- Cold War and Decolonization;
- Globalization.
Of course, each of these units has its own set of dozens of topics you need to learn and refresh before the exam.
What Skills Does the AP Exam Evaluate?
In addition to the general knowledge of world history, this exam evaluates your historical thinking skills. Thus, it will check the following abilities:
- Identifying and explaining historical developments and processes;
- Analyzing sourcing and historical situation/evidence;
- Describing and identifying claims and evidence used in sources;
- Understanding historical context (contextualization);
- Making connections and analyzing patterns;
- Analyzing primary and secondary sources and historical documents;
- Having argumentation skills.
Conclusion
Now you know all the essential information about the AP World History Modern exam. This is the first, fundamental step for your further preparation. Even if you are not going to choose any career related to Historical Sciences, knowledge of this subject will help expand your general horizons and boost your reasoning and critical thinking skills.
