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    My Max Score AP Essentials U.S. History
    My Max Score AP Essentials U.S. History
    My Max Score AP Essentials U.S. History
    Ebook137 pages1 hour

    My Max Score AP Essentials U.S. History

    By Michael Romano

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    About this ebook

    MyMaxScore: The Essentials is the perfect last-minute study guide. If your test date is nearing, MyMaxScore: The Essentials gives you the strategies, practice questions, and review you need to succeed.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateMay 3, 2011
    ISBN9781402266171
    My Max Score AP Essentials U.S. History

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      Book preview

      My Max Score AP Essentials U.S. History - Michael Romano

      Cover

      Introduction

      Everybody comes to an AP test from a different place. For some, it’s the one AP test of their high-school career, while for others, it’s just one of many. Some students have been focused on it all year, supplementing their classwork with extra practice at home. Other students haven’t been able to devote the time they would like—perhaps other classes, extracurricular activities, after-school jobs, or other obligations have gotten in the way. Wherever you’re coming from, this last-minute study guide can help.

      There are a few things you need to know before diving in. Let’s start by getting to know the AP U.S. History Exam.

      About the Exam

      The AP U.S. History Exam lasts for three hours and five minutes and consists of two sections, a multiple-choice section and an essay section. The essay section is divided into three parts: the first part asks you to answer a document-based question, testing your ability to respond to primary sources, and the second and third parts ask you to write essays based on prompts.

      The multiple-choice section contains eighty questions, and you are given fifty-five minutes to answer them. There is no longer any penalty to guessing incorrectly, so it’s always better to guess than to leave an item blank. This section is worth half of your final grade.

      For the document-based question (affectionately called the DBQ), you will work with a set of primary source documents that may include political cartoons, photographs, charts, and maps to analyze an issue in U.S. History. The DBQ is worth 22.5 percent of your total exam score, and your response is scored on how effectively and accurately you incorporate the documents into your analysis, and how well you incorporate your knowledge of the topic into the response. You will have fifteen minutes to read the documents and plan your response, then forty-five minutes to write your response.

      For the essay section, you will be given two groups of questions. Each section will have two questions and you must select one question from each group. The first group (Part B) will contain questions about the United States pre-Civil War, and the second group (Part C) will have questions on events after the Civil War. These questions test your ability to synthesize information about U.S. History into thoughtful analysis. They comprise 27.5 percent of your total exam score. You will have seventy minutes for this section. The two essays are graded on the same scale of 0 to 9.

      Scoring

      The multiple-choice section is worth half of the total score. The document-based question is worth 22.5 percent of the score, and the two essays together are worth 27.5 percent.

      Each essay is graded on a scale of 1 to 9, with a 9 being an exceptional essay and a 0 or 1 being incoherent, off topic, or otherwise unacceptable.

      These scores are combined to give you an AP grade:

      5  Extremely well qualified

      4  Well qualified

      3  Qualified

      2  Possibly qualified

      1  Not recommended for AP credit

      To earn a 3, a rough guide is that you will need to answer at least 60 percent of the multiple choice questions correctly and earn at least a 5 on each essay.

      What’s on the Exam

      The AP U.S. History Exam covers the history of the United States from pre-Columbian times (before it was the United States) to modern times. Of course, some topics receive greater emphasis than others. Here is how the College Board breaks it down:

      Here’s another way of looking at it:

      Piece of cake, right? Don’t worry—while you technically are responsible for knowing all of U.S. history (an impossible task), there are many topics that come up again and again. And you don’t need to get every question right, just most of them. So focus on the key facts and ideas, and how it all fits together, and you should do fine.

      Visit mymaxscore.com for an additional practice test for the AP U.S. History Exam, as well as practice tests for other AP subjects.

      THE ESSENTIALS: A LAST-MINUTE STUDY GUIDE

      Okay, so it’s a night or two before the exam and you just don’t feel ready. Is it time to panic? No, it’s time to prepare. If you’ve been taking an AP U.S. History class, or preparing in other ways throughout the year, then you’re nearly there. All you need now is to settle your nerves, review a few strategies to refresh your mind, and line everything up for test day. It’s not too late to maximize your score.

      Get focused. You don’t have much time, so you’ll want to make the most of the time you have. Turn off all your electronics and technological gadgetry. No texting or web-surfing. Ask your family not to bother you unless it’s really important. Close the door. Ready? Then let’s get started.

      Review the Test-Taking Tips

      Start by getting to know the test. The speedy way is to review the Quick Test-Taking Tips in this section. If you have more time, you can get more detail in the Strategies chapters in the next section.

      Review the Big Ideas in U.S. History

      If you don’t have time for a full review, go over the basics by reading over the Big Ideas section that begins on page 9. This section covers some of the broad themes and key events you are likely to encounter in both the multiple-choice and essay sections of the test.

      Take a Practice Test

      The only way to really get to know the test—and to try your test-taking strategies—is to take a practice test. Time yourself as if it were a real exam, moving on to the next section when the time runs out. When you finish, go over your answers, looking particularly for areas where you struggled. If you still have time, go over the sections that cover those problem areas in the comprehensive review later in the book.

      Checklist for the Night Before

      Put together a backpack or small bag with everything you’ll need for the test. Have it ready the night before so that you can grab it and go, knowing you’re properly equipped. Listed are some things you might put inside your backpack, as well as other suggestions to help you prepare for test day.

      •  Several pencils, a good eraser (test it first to make sure it erases without marking the paper), and several black or blue pens. Use erasable pens if you want, but make sure they don’t smudge.

      •  A small, easy-to-eat snack. Avoid chocolate, which could melt and get all over your hands and your desk. Avoid nuts, which could trigger allergies in other testers. An energy bar, an easy-to-eat piece of fruit, or some crackers would be good choices.

      •  A bottle of water. Avoid drinks with sugar or caffeine. You may think they’ll give you energy, but they’re more likely to make you jittery.

      •  Don’t stay up all night studying. Get a good night’s sleep so you will be alert and ready for the test.

      •  Eat a light but satisfying meal before the test. Protein-rich foods like eggs, nuts, and yogurt are a good choice. Don’t eat too heavily—you don’t want to be sleepy or uncomfortably full. If you must have coffee, don’t overdo it.

      •  Dress in layers. You’ll want to be able to adjust if the testing room is too warm or too cool. Wear comfortable clothes.

      Checklist for Test Day

      •  Don’t bring anything you don’t need. Cell phones, pagers, and anything else that might let you communicate outside the test room will be prohibited.

      •  Do bring a photo ID and your school code.

      •  Wear or bring a watch. If your watch has any alarms, buzzers, or beepers, turn them off.

      Once you get to the testing room, take a few deep breaths and relax. Remind yourself that you’re well prepared. It’s natural to be nervous. Channel your nervousness into alertness and energy for the long test ahead. When the test begins, set all worries aside. You’ve done all you can to prepare. Time to make that preparation pay off!

      Quick Test-Taking Tips

      Your score on the AP U.S. History Exam depends on your knowledge of history. But even if

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