The AP US History exam is a rigorous assessment that tests students' knowledge of American history from the pre-Columbian era to the present. The exam consists of two sections: a multiple-choice section and a free-response section. To calculate your potential score, it's essential to understand the scoring system and the weightage of each section.
Understanding the Scoring System
The AP US History exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. The scoring system is as follows:
- 5: Extremely well qualified (93-100% of total points)
- 4: Well qualified (85-92% of total points)
- 3: Qualified (75-84% of total points)
- 2: Possibly qualified (65-74% of total points)
- 1: Not qualified (below 65% of total points)
Multiple-Choice Section
The multiple-choice section consists of 55 questions, and each question has four possible answers. You will have 55 minutes to complete this section. The multiple-choice section accounts for 40% of the total score.
To calculate your potential score in the multiple-choice section, you can use the following formula:
Multiple-Choice Raw Score = (Number of correct answers) - (1/4) * (Number of incorrect answers)
For example, if you answer 40 questions correctly and 15 questions incorrectly, your raw score would be:
Multiple-Choice Raw Score = 40 - (1/4) * 15 = 40 - 3.75 = 36.25
Free-Response Section
The free-response section consists of four essay questions, and you will have 130 minutes to complete this section. The free-response section accounts for 60% of the total score.
To calculate your potential score in the free-response section, you need to understand the scoring rubric for each essay question. The scoring rubric assesses your ability to:
- Thesis: Develop a clear and persuasive thesis statement
- Contextualization: Provide relevant historical context
- Evidence: Use relevant and accurate historical evidence to support your argument
- Analysis: Analyze and interpret historical events and processes
Each essay question is scored on a scale of 0 to 7, with 7 being the highest. The total score for the free-response section is the sum of the scores for each essay question.
Score Calculator
To calculate your potential score, you can use the following formula:
Total Score = (Multiple-Choice Raw Score / 55) * 0.4 + (Free-Response Score / 28) * 0.6
Where:
- Multiple-Choice Raw Score is the raw score you calculated in the multiple-choice section
- Free-Response Score is the total score you calculated in the free-response section
For example, if you score 36.25 in the multiple-choice section and 21 in the free-response section, your total score would be:
Total Score = (36.25 / 55) * 0.4 + (21 / 28) * 0.6 = 0.659 * 0.4 + 0.75 * 0.6 = 0.2636 + 0.45 = 0.7136
Based on the scoring system, a total score of 0.7136 would correspond to a score of 4.
| Multiple-Choice Raw Score | Free-Response Score | Total Score | AP Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 24 | 0.836 | 5 |
| 36 | 21 | 0.7136 | 4 |
| 32 | 18 | 0.591 | 3 |
| 28 | 15 | 0.468 | 2 |
| 24 | 12 | 0.345 | 1 |
FAQs
What is the format of the AP US History exam?
+The AP US History exam consists of two sections: a multiple-choice section with 55 questions and a free-response section with four essay questions.
How is the AP US History exam scored?
+The AP US History exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. The scoring system is based on the total score, which is calculated by combining the multiple-choice raw score and the free-response score.
What is the weightage of each section in the AP US History exam?
+The multiple-choice section accounts for 40% of the total score, while the free-response section accounts for 60% of the total score.
