AP World History
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Advanced Placement World History (also known as AP World History, AP World, or WHAP) is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The chronological time frame is from 8000 BCE to the present. The course is divided into five units consisting of the following time periods and big picture ideas:
- Unit 1 - 8000 BCE to 600 CE - River Valley civilizations, Classical civilizations: Roman, Han and Gupta empires
- Unit 2 - 600 CE to 1450 CE - Rise and spread of Islam, Christianity, Nomadic Kingdoms, Indian and Chinese diplomacy
- Unit 3 - 1450 CE to 1750 CE - Columbian and hemispheratic exchange, gunpowder empires
- Unit 4 - 1750 CE to 1914 CE - Imperialism and colonialism
- Unit 5 - 1914 CE to present - World War I, World War II, and globalization
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[edit] The Exam
The first section of the world history exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions with a 55 minute time limit. These questions are taken approximately evenly from each of the time periods addressed in the course. Questions are grouped in sets of five, ranging from easy to hard. Unlike other multiple-choice tests, random guessing can hurt a student's final score. While one doesn't lose anything for leaving a question blank, one quarter of a point is subtracted for each incorrect answer on the test. However, if one has some knowledge of the question and can eliminate one or more answers, it's usually to their advantage to choose what one believe is the best answer from the remaining choices. This section is weighted as half of the total score.
The second section, the free-response section, consists of 3 essays which may be answered in any order. However, the Princeton Review by AP Grader Monty Armstrong recommends that students answer the DBQ first to get it out of the way.
- 70 multiple-choice questions
- Document-based question (DBQ)
- Change And Continuity Over Time Question (CCoT)
- Comparative Question
This section begins with a 10 minute reading period, during which students are instructed to read through the documents in the DBQ and take notes if needed. After the reading period, students are given 120 minutes to write all 3 essays; notes taken during the reading period may be used. Students can receive a maximum of 27 points on these essays. Students are encouraged to pace themselves. The College Board recommends that students spend 5 minutes to plan and outline before writing each essay.
[edit] Grading
2008 AP World History Grading will occur at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
[edit] Grade Distributions
[edit] 2007 Statistics
In the 2007 administration, 101,975 students took the exam from 3,329 schools. The mean score was a 2.72.[1]
| Score | Percent |
|---|---|
| 5 | 11.2% |
| 4 | 16.9% |
| 3 | 26.1% |
| 2 | 24.3% |
| 1 | 21.5% |
[edit] 2006 Statistics
In the 2006 administration, 84,143 students took the exam from 2,849 schools. The mean score was a 2.62.
| Score | Percent |
|---|---|
| 5 | 10.4% |
| 4 | 15.2% |
| 3 | 25.4% |
| 2 | 24.4% |
| 1 | 24.6% |
[edit] 2005 Statistics
In the 2005 administration, 64,207 students took the exam. The mean score was a 2.66.
| Score | Percent |
|---|---|
| 5 | 10.2% |
| 4 | 17.1% |
| 3 | 25.2% |
| 2 | 23.4% |
| 1 | 24.1% |
