AP World History Practice Tests
The AP World History: Modern course covers significant events, individuals, developments, and processes from 1200 to the present. Our AP World History practice tests cover all nine units in the course and provide an excellent resource for your exam review.
Free AP World History Practice Tests
Unit 1:
Global Tapestry
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Unit 2:
Exchange
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Unit 3:
Empires
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Unit 4:
Interconnections
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Unit 5:
Revolutions
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Unit 6:
Industrialization
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Unit 7:
Global Conflict
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Unit 8:
Cold War
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Unit 9:
Globalization
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Full-Length AP World History Practice Exam
Part A:
Multiple Choice
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Part B:
Short Answers
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Free Response:
DBQ
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Free Response:
LEQ
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AP World History Exam Overview
Section I, Part A: MCQ
- Multiple Choice
- 55 Questions
- 55 Minutes
- 40% of Total Exam Score
- Includes Primary and Secondary Sources
Section I, Part B: SAQ
- Short Answer Questions
- 3 Questions
- 40 Minutes
- 20% of Total Exam Score
- Requires Brief Written Responses
Section II: DBQ
- Document-Based Question
- 1 Essay
- 60 Minutes (Includes 15-Minute Reading Period)
- 25% of Total Exam Score
- Includes 7 Historical Documents
Section II: LEQ
- Long Essay Question
- 1 Essay (Choice of 3 Prompts)
- 40 Minutes
- 15% of Total Exam Score
- Requires a Historical Argument
About the AP World History Test
The AP World History: Modern exam is a comprehensive assessment that tests your understanding of global historical developments from circa 1200 CE to the present. This is a fully digital exam completed in the Bluebook testing app, with all responses automatically submitted.
The exam takes 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete and evaluates not only your knowledge of historical content but also your ability to analyze sources, develop arguments, and think critically about historical processes.
Exam Format
Section I
Part A: Multiple Choice
This section contains 55 questions to be completed in 55 minutes and accounts for 40% of your exam score. Questions usually appear in sets of 3-4 based on primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps. This format requires you to analyze historical texts and evidence rather than simply recall facts.
Part B: Short Answer Questions (SAQs)
This section requires you to answer 3 short-answer questions in 40 minutes and accounts for 20% of your exam score. Each question has multiple parts (typically three sub-questions), with each part worth one point and scored independently.
Questions 1 and 2 are required and cover developments from 1200 to 2001, with Question 1 including a secondary source and Question 2 including a primary source. For the final question, you choose between two options, each focusing on a different time period but testing the same historical thinking skills.
Section II
Part A: Document-Based Question (DBQ)
The DBQ is recommended to take 1 hour (including a 15-minute reading period) and accounts for 25% of your exam score. You’ll be presented with 7 documents offering various perspectives on a historical development or process, and you must develop a supported argument using these materials as evidence.
The DBQ rewards a clear thesis, contextualization, effective use of documents, analysis of sourcing (point of view, purpose, audience, or historical context), and demonstration of historical complexity.
Part B: Long Essay Question (LEQ)
The Long Essay has a recommended time of 40 minutes and accounts for 15% of your exam score. You’ll choose from 3 essay options testing the same reasoning process (such as comparison, causation, or continuity and change) but focusing on different time periods within the span from 1200 to 2001.
The LEQ provides only a prompt with no documents, so you’ll draw entirely on your own knowledge of world history to construct a well-supported argument.
Scoring
AP World History: Modern is scored on a scale from 1 to 5 based on performance across all sections of the exam. Multiple-choice questions are machine scored, while the short answer and essay responses are evaluated by trained readers using standardized rubrics. A score of 3 or higher is generally considered passing, though colleges vary in how they award credit or placement.
Historical Thinking Skills
The exam assesses essential skills beyond content knowledge:
- Analyzing Historical Sources: Examining primary and secondary sources for content, perspective, purpose, and reliability
- Making Historical Connections: Identifying patterns of continuity and change, making comparisons across societies, and understanding causation
- Chronological Reasoning: Understanding how events fit into broader historical narratives
- Creating Arguments: Developing clear thesis statements supported by relevant historical evidence
- Contextualization: Situating historical developments within their broader context
Themes and Content
Throughout the course, you’ll explore major themes in world history including:
- Humans and the environment
- Cultural developments and interactions
- Governance and political systems
- Economic systems and trade networks
- Social interactions and organization
- Technology and innovation
The course examines these themes across global regions and time periods, emphasizing connections, comparisons, and patterns of change over time.
Success Strategies
- Master the digital format: Practice with the Bluebook application to become comfortable typing essays and navigating digital sources
- Develop strong document analysis skills: Practice identifying point of view, purpose, audience, and historical context in sources
- Manage your time effectively: Practice completing full-length exams under timed conditions
- Focus on historical thinking over memorization: The exam rewards analytical thinking and the ability to make connections
- Use the ACE strategy for SAQs: Answer the question directly, Cite specific evidence, and Explain how your evidence supports your response
- Plan your essays: Use the 15-minute reading period for the DBQ to outline your argument and analyze the documents
- Choose your LEQ strategically: Select the prompt and time period you know best and feel most confident addressing
- Answer every question: There’s no penalty for incorrect answers, so never leave anything blank