How to Pass the AP European History Exam

Timing

A watch is critical
You must have a watch to be able to keep track of time and follow these
guidelines exactly. I recommend any analog watch. If you have a digital watch
and it makes any noise, you risk having your test confiscated and having your
score cancelled.
Multiple Choice (55 min / 80 Questions)
Answer all questions; your score is not affected by incorrect answers.
Break (10 min)
Use this as a break; dont think hard during it, you have to write three essays
when you get back in the room.
Essays (15 min reading + 1hr 55 min writing)
Use the 15 minute reading time to read all of the documents in the DBQ
(Document-Based Question). Mark the pages up; write how you will use each
document, write a quick POV for each document. Also do a quick outline for the
essay and group the documents. Pay no attention to the TEQs during these 15
minutes
Once writing begins, write the DBQ in 45 minutes, do not go over this time limit,
but make sure you have a completed essay with a conclusion. Keep track of your
time. Only practice gives you the ability to write this essay in the designated time.
Use 35 minutes on each TEQ. Choose which essay you will write extremely
quickly; do not think too long about your decision. Write about whichever topic
you know most about, even if that is not much. Make an extremely quick outline.
If you pause to think about the outline, just start writing the actual essay.
Grading / Strategies

Multiple Choice (50% of grade)

Take the attached Multiple Choice Exam. The questions usually mirror each other.
When I took the test some questions were even exactly the same. After taking the
practice multiple choice, look up each question you do not know in the book and
read the surrounding paragraphs. Mostly, this is just memorization, but the
practice exam will give you direction in your studies.
DBQ (22.5% of grade)
Attached is a detailed guide to the DBQ; I will summarize the important parts.
This essay is scored objectively and you can score up to 9 Points based on the
core system.
MEMORIZE the core points like the back of your hand.
You must have ALL basic core to get any expanded core. If you miss even one
basic core, your score is limited to 5/9.

Always use all documents and write a POV on all documents. You are not
penalized for incorrect POVs, so if you are unsure about it, just write it.
Speed is key. You have to write fast. Practice is the only way to achieve this.
The Extended core I try to do on every essay are: 4 POVs, All documents, and
Outside Information. These are the only objective extended core; the rest are just
doing basic core very well.
When referring to an essay, state it by name then in parentheses the document
number. Ex: In Tolstoys War and Peace (Doc 2) This allows the grader to
easily mark off documents used. You are writing for the grader.

TEQs (13.75% of grade each)

This is not graded as analytically as the DBQ.
There is a rubric attached. Note that if there is no thesis, you cannot get more than
a 3/9. Make your thesis clear and concise, no artistry in this sentence.
Put all the information you know in the essay. Show the grader you know what
you are talking about.

General Essay Tips

Dont get caught up on grammar or phrasing of sentences. This is not for English
class; your grade is based on content not writing skills. This being said, make sure
your writing makes sense and grammar is not too bad.
Same is true about spelling. It is not too important, but if the reader doesnt know
what you are saying, you will be docked.
Handwriting is important; you want the reader to have an easy time reading your
essay. It should be a good experience for them.
Do not use artsy similes or metaphors; this is an academic paper, not poetry.

Resources

APHaven.com : go here and play with the grading scale; it is not too hard to get a
good score.
Google AP Central - The AP European History Exam: On this webpage, you
can find all essay questions dating back to 2003. These are from the actual AP
exams.
Attached Multiple Choice Exam. This is hard to find, and are invaluable; study
them as was explained earlier.
Attached Practice Exam: This is very long, but also very hard to find.
Unfortunately, there are no answers, so you would have to look them up. This can
be very useful for mentally preparing for such a long test though if you take it a
week or two before the AP test. 3 hrs and 15 min is a long time and can be hard to
handle.