APFIVE AP European History Exam Info
Download PDFThe AP European History Exam will test your understanding of the historical concepts covered in the course units, as well as your ability to analyze primary and secondary sources and identify patterns and connections that can support a historical interpretation.
This is a fully digital exam. You’ll complete multiple-choice and free-response questions in the Bluebook testing app, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam.
AP European History Exam
This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP European History Exam.
Exam Components
Section 1A: Multiple Choice
The questions in the multiple-choice section come in sets of typically 3–4 questions based on the same stimulus. The questions will include one or more sources to respond to such as primary and secondary texts, images (for example, artwork, photos, posters, cartoons), charts, and maps.
You’ll be asked to:
- Analyze the provided sources
- Analyze the historical developments and processes described in the sources
Section 1B: Short Answer
In the short-answer section, you’ll write answers to questions in the Bluebook testing app. Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps.
- Question 1 is required, includes 1 or 2 secondary sources, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1600 and 2001.
- Question 2 is required, includes 1 primary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1600 and 2001.
- You can choose between Question 3 (which focuses on historical developments or processes from the period from 1450 to 1648 and/or the period from 1648 to 1815) and Question 4 (which focuses on historical developments or processes from the period from 1815 to 1914 and/or the period from 1914 to the present) for the last question. No sources are included for either Question 3 or Question 4.
You’ll be asked to:
- Analyze the provided sources
- Analyze historical developments and processes described in the sources
- Put those historical developments and processes in the context
- Make connections between those historical developments and processes
Section 2: Free Response
In the free-response section, you’ll write answers to questions in the Bluebook testing app. There are two questions: one document-based question and one long essay.
Document-Based Question (DBQ)
Recommended time: 60 minutes | 25% of Score
The 60-minute recommended time for this section includes a 15-minute reading period.
- You’ll be presented with seven documents that give various perspectives on a historical development or process.
- You’ll be asked to develop and support an argument based on these documents and other evidence from your own knowledge.
- The topic of the document-based question will include historical developments or processes between the years 1600 and 2001.
Long Essay
1 question | 40 minutes | 15% of score
- You’ll have a choice of three questions; you’ll pick one to answer.
- Each test the same skills but the questions focus primarily on different historical time periods (1450–1700, 1648–1914, or 1815–2001).
- You’ll be asked to develop and support an argument based on evidence.
Skills You'll Learn
Evaluating primary and secondary sources
Analyzing the claims, evidence, and reasoning you find in sources
Putting historical developments in context and making connections between them
Coming up with a claim or thesis and explaining and supporting it in writing
Units
Unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration
You’ll explore the rapid changes sparked in the Renaissance and trace their legacy through colonialism and a commercial revolution that changed the shape of European society.
Topics may include:
- Classical revival and Renaissance developments
- New monarchies and the foundations of the centralized modern state
- Technological advances and exploration driven by mercantilism
- Colonial expansion and development of the slave trade
- The Columbian Exchange and European commercial revolution
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 2: Age of Reformation
You’ll chart the evolving strains of Christianity in Europe and the far-reaching effects of the Reformation on daily and political life.
Topics may include:
- The birth of Protestantism and Catholic Reformation
- Political impacts of religious upheaval and the wars of religion
- Changes in daily life and public enforcement of morals
- Mannerism and Baroque Art
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 3: Absolutism and Constitutionalism
You’ll study developments in political power and how they affected the relationships among states and between states and individuals. You’ll also learn about the social, political, and cultural conditions resulting from economic developments in Europe.
Topics may include:
- The rise of absolutism and challenges to it
- English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution
- The Agricultural Revolution and the development of market economies
- The balance of power in Europe, shifting alliances, and new forms of warfare
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 4: Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments
You’ll study how scientific thinking and new strains of political thought combined with technological advances transformed much of 18th-century life in Europe.
Topics may include:
- The Scientific Revolution and developments in understanding of the natural world
- The Enlightenment and new schools of political thought
- Population growth and urbanization
- Neoclassicism and the consumer revolution
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 5: Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century
You’ll chart England’s increasing role in European matters and the reverberations of the French Revolution across Europe.
Topics may include:
- The rise of global markets and the growth of Britain’s power
- The French Revolution, Napoleon’s reign, and the Congress of Vienna
- Romanticism
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 6: Industrialization and Its Effects
You’ll learn about the transformational effects of the Industrial Revolution, technology, and urbanization on European society and political thought.
Topics may include:
- The Industrial Revolution and societal changes
- Developments in communication, transportation, and manufacturing
- The Concert of Europe and conservatism
- The revolutions of 1848
- Reform movements, critiques of capitalism, and the emergence of political parties
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments
You’ll explore how the political forces of nationalism and shifting alliances set the stage for World War I.
Topics may include:
- National unification movements
- Popular nationalism and Zionism
- Realpolitik and Bismarck’s reshaping of European alliances
- Darwinism and Social Darwinism
- The influence of modernism in intellectual and cultural life
- New Imperialism in Asia and Africa
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts
You’ll learn about the great upheavals of the 20th century, as well as cultural developments and changing political structures.
Topics may include:
- World War I and its legacy
- The Russian Revolution
- The Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
- The Great Depression
- Fascism and totalitarian movements
- World War II and the Holocaust
- 20th-century cultural reactions
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score
Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe
You’ll study how competing ideologies and global superpowers came to define much of the latter half of the 20th century.
Topics may include:
- The Marshall Plan and the Iron Curtain
- The Cold War
- Nationalist and separatist movements fueled by ethnic conflict
- The shape of contemporary western democracies
- The fall of communism and the formation of the European Union
- 20th-century feminism
- Decolonization, globalization, and immigration
- Existentialism, postmodernism, and groundbreaking forms of art
On The Exam
10%–15% of Score