AP European History

Advanced Placement (AP) European History (also known as AP Euro, or APEH), is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. This course is for high school students who are interested in a first year university level course in European history. The course surveys European history from between 1300-1450 CE to the present,[1] focusing on religious, social, economic, and political themes.

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Course

The AP European History course covers historical events and processes across nine different units. Each unit is weighted equally on the exam, approximately 10-15%. The course units and sub-topics are as follows:[2]

  • Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration (1450 - 1648)
  • Unit 2: Age of Reformation (1450 - 1648)
  • Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism (1648 - 1815)
  • Unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments (1648 - 1815)
    • Contextualizing the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
    • The Scientific Revolution
    • The Enlightenment
    • 18th-Century Society and Demographics
    • 18th-Century Culture and Arts
    • Enlightened and Other Approaches to Power
    • Causation in the Age of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment
  • Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century (1648 - 1815)
  • Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects (1815 - 1914)
    • Contextualizing Industrialization and Its Origins and Effects
    • The Spread of Industry Throughout Europe
    • Second Wave Industrialization and Its Effects
    • Social Effects of Industrialization
    • The Concert of Europe and European Conservatism
    • Reactions and Revolutions
    • Ideologies of Change and Reform Movements
    • 19th-Century Social Reform
    • Institutional Responses and Reform
    • Causation in the Age of Industrialization
  • Unit 7: 19th-Century Perspective and Political Developments (1815 - 1914)
    • Contextualizing 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments
    • Nationalism
    • National Unification and Diplomatic Treaties
    • Darwinism, Social Darwinism
    • The Age of Progress and Modernity
    • New Imperialism: Motivations and Methods
    • Imperialism's Global Effects
    • 19th-Century Culture and Arts
    • Causation in 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Development
  • Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts (1914 - present)
  • Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe
    • Contextualizing Cold War and Contemporary Europe
    • Rebuilding Europe
    • The Cold War
    • Two Super Powers Emerge
    • Postwar Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Atrocities
    • Contemporary Western Democracies
    • The Fall of Communism
    • 20th-Century Feminism
    • Decolonization
    • The European Union
    • Migration and Immigration
    • Technology
    • Globalization
    • 20th- and 21st-Century Culture, Arts, and Demographic Trends
    • Continuity and Change in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Exam

The AP exam for European History is divided into two sections, comprising 55 multiple-choice questions (with four answer choices), three short-answer questions, and two essay responses (one thematic Long Essay Question (LEQ) and one Document Based Question (DBQ)).[3] The multiple-choice and short-answer sections are to be completed in 55 minutes and 40 minutes respectively. The essay section is to be completed in 100 minutes (including the 15-minute reading period). The DBQ is graded out of 7 points and the LEQ is graded out of 6 points. This new structure went into effect beginning Fall 2017. The DBQ is weighted at 25 percent while the FRQ/LEQ is weighted at 15 percent. The Short Answer is weighted 20 percent, with the multiple-choice accounting for the final 40 percent.

Approximately half of the multiple-choice questions cover the period from 1450 to the French Revolution and Napoleonic era, and half cover the period from the French Revolution and Napoleonic era to the present, evenly divided between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. About one-third of the questions focus on cultural and intellectual themes, one-third on political and diplomatic themes, and one-third on social and economic themes. Many questions draw on knowledge of more than one chronological period or theme.[4] Although this is the general trend based on past AP Exams, it is not mandated that the exam follow this format. In recent years and present, the multiple choice portion is Stimulus Based, meaning the students are given an excerpt of a speech or writing, photograph, or painting, to analyze and answer questions and/or give presentations on the given info.

Test Part Test Section Time Allotted Questions Weight
Part A Multiple Choice 55 minutes 55 questions 40%
Short Answer Questions (SAQ) 40 minutes 3 questions 20%
Part B Document Based Question (DBQ) 60 minutes (including 15-minute reading period) 1 question 25%
Long Essay Question (LEQ) 40 minutes 1 question 15%

Free Response sections

The Free Response sections of the test offer some choice.[5]

  • Short Answer Question (SAQ): (complete 3 of 4)
    • Two questions spanning 1600-2001 (both mandatory)
    • Choice between questions Q3 (periods 1 and 2) and Q4 (periods 3 and 4)
  • Long Essay Question (LEQ): (complete 1 of 3)
    • Choice between questions Q1 (period 1), Q2 (periods 2 and 3) and Q3 (periods 3 and 4)

Grade distributions

The grade distributions as of 2023 are as follows:[6]

Final Score 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015[7] 2016[8] 2017[9] 2018[10] 2019[11] 2020[12] 2021[13] 2022[14][15] 2023[16]
5 11.1% 9.2% 13.9% 12.7% 10.6% 10.5% 10.4% 8.6% 10.3% 7.9% 9.5% 11.8% 11.7% 13.7% 10.6% 13.5% 13%
4 18.9% 17.2% 19.2% 18.4% 18.7% 19.2% 18.8% 16.9% 17.4% 16.2% 18.8% 20% 20.6% 20.1% 19.4% 21.0% 21%
3 35.9% 34.9% 33.9% 34.5% 35.5% 36.0% 34.8% 34.1% 35.6% 29.5% 28.5% 25.6% 26.1% 25.5% 24.7% 24.4% 25%
2 11.2% 12.1% 11.3% 11.2% 11.6% 10.8% 11.0% 11.7% 10.6% 34.2% 31.4% 30.4% 29.4% 29.2% 32.5% 29.7% 29%
1 22.9% 26.6% 21.7% 23.2% 23.6% 23.5% 25.0% 28.7% 26.1% 12.2% 11.8% 12.2% 12.2% 11.5% 12.9% 11.4% 12%
% of Scores 3 or Higher 65.9% 61.3% 67.0% 65.6% 64.8% 65.7% 64.0% 59.6% 63.3% 53.6% 56.8% 57.4% 58.4% 59.3% 59% 58.9% 59%
Mean Score 2.84 2.70 2.92 2.86 2.81 2.82 2.78 2.65 2.75 2.73 2.83 2.89 2.90 2.95 2.82 2.95 2.94
Standard Deviation 1.28 1.28 1.31 1.31 1.28 1.28 1.29 1.29 1.29 1.11 1.15 1.20 1.20 1.22 1.19 1.23
Number of Students 97,042 100,648 101,359 102,629 107,392 108,854 109,878 110,297 107,267 109,031 105,347 101,740 100,655 94,312 74,202 80,152

References
  1. AP® European History Retrieved on February 12, 2017
  2. AP® European History
  3. European History Course Description retrieved on September 7, 2017.
  4. European History Exam Overview
  5. "AP European History Exam – AP Students | College Board".
  6. "AP Data – Research – College Board". 31 October 2017.
  7. 2015 AP Score Distributions - Total Registration
  8. Total Registration. "2016 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  9. Total Registration. "2017 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  10. "Student Score Distributions, AP Exams - May 2018" (PDF). The College Board. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  11. "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  12. "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  13. "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  14. Total Registration (2022-06-23). "2022 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  15. "AP® European History Student Score Distributions – Global AP Exams – May 2022" (PDF).
  16. Total Registration (2023-06-21). "2023 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
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