1. Conquering the APUSH Essay
FRQ/DBQ
Conquering the APUSH Essay

2. 2012 Exam Scores Total # of Students 406,086 3 or higher 214,493 52.8%
Number of Students
% at 5
44,883
11.1 4
84,479
20.8 3
85,131
21.0 2
108,249
26.7 1
83,344
20.5
Total # of Students 406,086
3 or higher , %
Mean Score

4. AP US History Exam Format
Multiple Choice
DBQ
FRQ
80 questions
1 question
2 questions
(out of 4)
50% of exam score
22.5 % of exam score
13.75 % each
27.5 total
55 minutes
15 minutes reading/planning
10 minutes planning total
.69 minutes each
45 minutes writing
60 minutes writing
If students score 60% or better on the Multiple Choice they will have the opportunity to score a 3 or better on the AP exam!

5. Multiple Choice Test Questions
Topics
Approximate #
of Questions
Colonial 14 25 18
1914-Present 24
Political 32
Economic/Social
Diplomatic/Cultural 15

6. Analyzing the DBQ (for each document)
Author
Place & Time
Prior Knowledge
Audience
Reason
The Main Idea
Significance

7. DBQ 15 minutes planning; 45 minutes writing (22.5% of score)
Can cover any period up to 1990; generally covering a 25 years period
Use a substantial number of the documents (at least 60%)
Support with your own knowledge & analysis to answer the question

8. How to use the documents in your essay
Sourcing –consider the author of the document & the reason for its creation
Contextualize –situate the documents & events associated with the documents in their appropriate place & time
Close Reading –read the documents carefully to consider what the documents say & what language is used
Collaborating –use multiple sources to check important details to determine agreement or disagreement

9. Answering the Question
Three part thesis statement using SPRITE
Social
Political
Religious
Intellectual
Technological
Economic
Categorize your documents evenly

10. The Writing Process Construct a three-part thesis (SPRITE)
Organize your essay according to the verbs in the question
Relate the evidence (SFI) you use to your thesis and to the other evidence (documents)
Defend your thesis
Address major arguments that run counter to yours (a paragraph or two will suffice)
Introductory paragraph –include a topic sentence that clearly states your thesis. Be precise –limit this to what you will discuss in the essay.
Concluding paragraph –this is the impression that the reader leaves with; reserve time to make it good. Reiterate and summarize main points; don’t introduce new ideas. Reinforce your thesis.

11. FRQs
5 minutes of planning; 30 minutes writing for each FRQ -2 total (27.5% of score combined)
Part B choice of prompts; colonial period to 1865
Part C choice of prompts; 1865 to 1990
Read the question carefully and answer what is asked
Stick to the time period
“to what extent” means to evaluate the degree to which something happened, not whether it happened or not.

12. Ready-Made Theses
Foreign Policy –consider a continuation of, or a departure from isolation and neutrality
Politics -consider strict and loose construction of the Constitution (“necessary & proper”); Jefferson vs. Hamilton; State rights vs. Federal authority
Social Issues –consider minority vs. majority rights and the growth of American democracy
Economics –consider laissez-faire vs. government intervention
Culture –consider conformity vs. change