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Doing well on an AP exam allows you to receive college credit in high school. A 5 is the highest grade that you can get on the test.
Steps
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1Sign up and begin the AP World History course offered by your school. If the course is not offered, you can still take the test, it just takes a lot more effort.
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2Get interested in the subject! Read books on historical figures, time periods, etc. Even reading Historical Fiction books helps! Be sure to read about all areas, not just European or American history.Advertisement
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3Do well in class. Participate as much as possible, and put real effort into all of your work. Take notes, and be careful to focus on important information- textbooks can contain excess information that will not help you on the test.
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4Practice writing Document-Based Essay Questions (DBQs) and pay attention to the feedback you get. Since you only have 10 minutes to read the documents and 40 minutes to write your answer, it's important to practice so you can write a DBQ within the 50 minute time limit.
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5Register for the test. Some schools will automatically register you if you're taking the course. If you're not taking the course or your school does not do this, find out where and when to register for the test. If you are still not sure, ask your counselor for help.
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6Buy an AP World History study guide as soon as possible, at least a full month before the test. Read it chapter by chapter, and take the chapter quizzes. If you find any problematic areas, pay special attention to them and read up on them. Quiz yourself after every section and make sure you understand the content. You don't really need to know specific items, so knowing time periods and regions is what you should focus on. Also, look up history guides and online help courses like Crash Course World History by John Green.
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7Start taking practice tests, including essays. Take as many as possible by collaborating with your friends and using their review books. For the essays, use the tips given to you in the review book.
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8Go in and take the test on the designated day (usually in mid-May). Don't be nervous because it is really easy to mess up if you're too anxious, and don't stress or cram. You should receive your test results by July.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionI am about to start studying for this test. Can I take it in mid-May of 8th grade? My school doesn't give AP courses.
Community AnswerI don't think any middle schools even administer the exam or AP classes. They are only available in high school, so wait until then. It's great that you're already studying. When it's time, search college boards on Google and sign up for it. There you can see your SAT, ACT and AP exam scores if you get any AP classes in high school. There are many steps involved for taking an AP exam, so please do as much research as you can and just wait until 9th grade to take it. I recommend using khanacademy.org, as they have practice tests and videos on all sorts of AP classes.
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Warnings
- Never cram the day or weekend before as you cannot possibly memorize it all. Instead, space your studying out. Review what you have read periodically.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Don't stress out. This will hurt your performance on the test, especially during the essays. Try to study enough so you are confident in your abilities.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Always know what you are writing about. The instructors know when you're making things up.⧼thumbs_response⧽
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Things You'll Need
- AP World History Review book
- 90 dollars to spend on the test (if your school does not pay for the exam for you)
- A work ethic for doing many pages of Cornell Notes and chapters
- An understanding of how complicated and frequent essays are
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