100+ Free AP Art History Practice Questions
Pass your AP Art History (Advanced Placement Art History) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.
The illuminated Chi Rho Iota page from the Book of Kells reflects which artistic tradition?
Explore More Advanced Placement (AP)
Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.
Key Facts: AP Art History Exam
250
required works of art at the core of the course
College Board CED
80
image-based multiple-choice questions in Section I
College Board
10
content areas spanning global cultures and time periods
College Board CED
3 hours
total exam time (1 hour MC + 2 hours FRQ)
College Board
1-5
score scale; 3 or higher typically earns college credit
College Board
~$99
standard US exam fee for 2025-26
College Board
The AP Art History exam is 3 hours and scored 1-5. Section I is 80 image-based multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes (50% of the score); Section II is 6 free-response questions in 120 minutes (50% of the score), including four short essays and two long essays. The course centers on 250 required works of art across 10 content areas covering global cultures from 30,000 BCE to today. A score of 3 or higher typically earns college credit, and the 2025-26 exam fee is about $99 (source: College Board, apstudents.collegeboard.org).
Sample AP Art History Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your AP Art History exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1The Apollo 11 stones, among the oldest works in the AP Art History image set, were found in Namibia and depict an animal figure in charcoal. To which content area do they belong?
2Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in England is built using a post-and-lintel system of massive sarsen stones. What is the term for this type of construction with two uprights supporting a horizontal stone?
3The Great Hall of the Bulls at Lascaux, France, is best described as which kind of work?
4Camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine, a worked animal bone from Tequixquiac, is significant in the Global Prehistory content area primarily because it demonstrates which idea?
5The Great Pyramids of Giza were built primarily to serve which function for Old Kingdom Egyptian pharaohs?
6The Palette of King Narmer uses a hierarchy of scale and registers. The convention of showing the most important figure as the largest is known as which principle?
7The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis is built in which Greek architectural order, identified by its plain, cushion-like capitals?
8Polykleitos's Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) is famous for embodying which Greek artistic concept through its balanced weight-shift pose?
9The Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater) in Rome demonstrates Roman mastery of which two engineering features that allowed large interior spaces and stacked seating?
10The Pantheon in Rome is celebrated for its massive unreinforced concrete dome with a central opening. What is this opening called?
About the AP Art History Exam
AP Art History is a College Board course and exam that studies 250 required works of art organized into 10 content areas spanning global cultures from 30,000 BCE to the present. The May exam is 3 hours: Section I has 80 image-based multiple-choice questions (1 hour, 50% of the score), and Section II has 6 free-response questions (2 hours, 50% of the score). Many multiple-choice questions come in sets of 2-3 tied to a color image, and some images fall beyond the required image set.
Questions
80 scored questions
Time Limit
3 hours (1 hour multiple-choice + 2 hours free-response)
Passing Score
Scored 1-5; a 3 or higher is typically accepted for college credit
Exam Fee
About $99 per exam (2025-26) (College Board)
AP Art History Exam Content Outline
Global Prehistory, 30,000-500 BCE
Apollo 11 stones, Great Hall of the Bulls, Stonehenge; prehistoric materials, processes, and ritual interpretation.
Ancient Mediterranean, 3500 BCE-300 CE
Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art and architecture.
Early Europe and Colonial Americas, 200-1750 CE
Late Antique through Baroque art, including Renaissance masters and colonial American works.
Later Europe and Americas, 1750-1980 CE
Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Modernist movements.
Indigenous Americas, 1000 BCE-1980 CE
Chavin, Maya, Aztec, Inka, and North American Indigenous art and architecture.
Africa, 1100-1980 CE
Great Zimbabwe, Ife, Benin, and African masquerade and court art.
West and Central Asia, 500 BCE-1980 CE
Persian, Islamic, and Central Asian architecture and manuscript painting.
South, East, and Southeast Asia, 300 BCE-1980 CE
Buddhist, Hindu, and East Asian art including Sanchi, Borobudur, and Angkor Wat.
The Pacific, 700-1980 CE
Oceanic art including the moai, Nan Madol, and tapa cloth.
Global Contemporary, 1980 to Present
Contemporary global art, architecture, and installation since 1980.
How to Pass the AP Art History Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: Scored 1-5; a 3 or higher is typically accepted for college credit
- Exam length: 80 questions
- Time limit: 3 hours (1 hour multiple-choice + 2 hours free-response)
- Exam fee: About $99 per exam (2025-26)
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
AP Art History Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the AP Art History exam and how long is it?
The exam is 3 hours. Section I has 80 image-based multiple-choice questions (1 hour, 50% of the score), and Section II has 6 free-response questions (2 hours, 50% of the score).
What are the 250 required works of art?
The 250 required works form the core curriculum, selected by the College Board to represent global artistic traditions. They are organized into 10 content areas spanning 30,000 BCE to the present. The multiple-choice section also includes some works beyond the image set.
How is AP Art History scored?
Each section is worth 50% of the total. The multiple-choice and free-response scores are combined and converted to a final AP score of 1 to 5. There is no penalty for wrong multiple-choice answers.
What score do I need to earn college credit?
AP Art History is scored 1-5. Many colleges grant credit for a 3 or higher, though some require a 4 or 5; check each institution's AP credit policy.
How much does the AP Art History exam cost?
The standard AP exam fee in the United States is about $99 per exam for 2025-26, with fee reductions available for eligible students.
What is the best way to study for AP Art History?
Focus on the 250 required works: for each, learn the artist or culture, date, materials, function, and context, and practice visual and contextual analysis and comparison across content areas.