Let’s be honest. If you’re reading this, you want to get a 5 on the AP World History exam, but you’re not sure if you can pull it off. Sure, getting 5 can be challenging but not impossible. After realizing 5 in the month of May, I created this guide, which consists of the best tips that will help you walk into it. test room with confidence and achieve the best score.
1. Don’t be intimidated by the material. World History can be seen. really) scary One of the most serious yet common mistakes AP World History students make is thinking world history is just a bunch of random events, people, and dates that Collegeboard forces you to learn. That could not be further from the truth. The mantra I had the whole year was “The history of the world is history”. Every event in history has a cause and effect, and while one event is happening, another is happening at the same time. Knowing this is useful for the test portion of the exam, where you can mark points for global context (noting what’s going on in another location at the time a prompt is requested or connecting a prompt location with an additional location). As you read the story, you will be able to remember the main characters. Similarly, when learning about world history, you need to connect people to specific concepts. For example, when a multiple choice question asks you about the Enlightenment, the names John Locke, Voltaire and Montesquieu should automatically pop up in the brain This technique can help you when facing questions with sentences. Fortunately, they rarely show specific times in multiple choice, so they don’t have a memory.
2. Buy a prep book and read it. I highly recommend getting Barron’s AP World History. I ended up using it more than my art. It covers at least 90% of the AP World exam and can be extremely useful if you are also taking the class. However, Barron’s is definitely not a last-minute read. It’s over 400 pages so start as early as you can and read each week until the exam. The content sounds almost like an art and it prepares you above but if you read carefully before as well as back, this will give you at least a 4. The Princeton Review is not nearly as detailed as the Barron’s, but it is great for a live review for a week or two before the test. Prep books can get expensive so if you want to save some money, go to a library or borrow from a friend or brother Also Buy a used book. Just remember, the year the book became the smallest since the content hardly changes so don’t overlook the 2008 edition if it’s cheaper.
3. Break history into periods. The main time periods are 8000 BCE to 600 BCE, 600 BCE to 600 CE, 600 to 1450, 1450 to 1750, 1750 to 1900, and 1900 to the present. Separating your history into periods prevents you from being overwhelmed by the vast amount of information you have. Learn to associate times with specific events and people. For example, when you see 1450 to 1750, you have to think about the new world, the Columbian Exchange, the spread of diseases like , etc.
4. Make a mind map. You will be asked with pictures of unnamed places and you will be expected to know what the question is about. The map should consist not only of modern countries such as Vietnam, Chile and South Africa, but also non-existent countries such as the Persian Empire and Austria-Hungary.
5. Study. It seems ridiculous to include this right? Wrong. Many students either give up and don’t want to work hard to get a high score or underestimate the exam and think they can slip without studying or revising the course. Don’t be like them. I know it can be boring, but you have to study. You can’t do well in multiple choice or projects if you don’t know the content. Read something about your journal/prep book every day so you don’t get bored. The great end of learning is to take an interest in what you read. If you have a history of being closed or boring to new things, you will find it harder to learn.
6. Read the questions and answers carefully. Pay attention to words like “only” and “unless” which are meant to mislead students. Use the process of elimination. The test paper may not be a step so you can highlight the question and cross the answer choices. Check the answer choices with the words “all” or “always” – they are usually incorrect. I’m guessing you’ve narrowed your choices down to two or have no idea at all. There is no penalty for false answers so you are welcome to leave a blank Scantron.
7. For projects, always follow the rubric. This is imperative. They become familiar with the rubric of each journal type. They are similar, but have a few distinct differences. When you write your essays, make sure you fill in all the requirements of the rubric. Do the easiest test first so you can maximize the points you have. If your mind is inexplicable after reading, write something that is relevant, even if it seems small. So don’t worry if you end up writing a lot. I wrote more than 4 pages for my DBQ essay. You may or may not get points for what you write, but you won’t get points for writing anything.
8. Take official army tests. Collegeboard sometimes releases previously administered AP exams, so ask your instructor if you might have one. The college also suggests an annual essay both for practice and for those under appropriate conditions. Exposing yourself to the official material of the College will help you familiarize yourself with how the exam itself will be structured.
9. Take your time. Make a watch on the day of the test and look carefully once you do the test. If there is time left for the multiple choice, double check your answers and your Scantron to make sure you filled everything in correctly. When I took the essay part of the AP World History exam, a lot of people in the room called it quits early. After just an hour they were done, or at least they were supposed to be. You have two hours or so write three essays. They are by no means perfect in that time frame so make the best use of all the time you are given to do projects as much as they can. It’s much better than ‘finishing’ your essays in the morning and sitting there.
10. Sit down. It’s easy to get distracted by others or get rattled with the test but you have to focus. If not, you can skip the question or life part of the essay prompt. You can relax when the manager says test.
Following these tips will help you get the score you’re looking for. Congratulations on your exam!
