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100+ Free AP US History Practice Questions

Pass your AP United States History (APUSH) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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President Theodore Roosevelt's 'Square Deal' domestic program emphasized which three areas?

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Key Facts: AP US History Exam

55

stimulus-based multiple-choice questions in Section I, Part A

College Board

9

chronological periods covered, spanning 1491 to the present

College Board CED

3h 15m

total exam time across multiple-choice, short-answer, DBQ, and long essay

College Board

1-5

score scale; a 3 or higher generally earns college credit

College Board

40%

of the exam score comes from the multiple-choice section

College Board

10-17%

exam weight of each of Periods 3 through 8, the most heavily tested eras

College Board CED

The AP U.S. History exam runs 3 hours 15 minutes and is built around 55 stimulus-based multiple-choice questions (Section I, Part A: 55 minutes, 40% of the score). It also includes 3 short-answer questions (40 minutes, 20%), one document-based question with seven documents (60 minutes including a 15-minute reading period, 25%), and one long essay (40 minutes, 15%). Content spans nine periods from 1491 to the present, with Periods 3-8 each weighted 10-17% and the bookend Periods 1 and 9 weighted 4-6%. The exam is scored 1-5, and a 3 or higher generally earns college credit (source: College Board, apstudents.collegeboard.org).

Sample AP US History Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your AP US History exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Before European contact, which crop complex - sometimes called the 'Three Sisters' - formed the agricultural foundation for many Native American societies in the Eastern Woodlands?
A.Maize, beans, and squash
B.Wheat, barley, and oats
C.Rice, millet, and yams
D.Potatoes, quinoa, and cassava
Explanation: The 'Three Sisters' - maize (corn), beans, and squash - were planted together because they support one another: corn stalks give beans something to climb, beans fix nitrogen in the soil, and squash leaves shade out weeds. This complex underpinned settled agricultural life in the Eastern Woodlands and the Southwest before 1491.
2The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Americas and the rest of the world following 1492 is known by what term?
A.The Middle Passage
B.The Columbian Exchange
C.The Triangular Trade
D.The Encomienda system
Explanation: The Columbian Exchange describes the transfer of crops, livestock, people, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after Columbus's voyages. It brought maize and potatoes to Europe and horses and devastating diseases like smallpox to the Americas, reshaping populations and economies worldwide.
3The Spanish encomienda system in the Americas is best described as a system that did what?
A.Freed enslaved Africans after a fixed term of service
B.Established self-governing town meetings for Spanish settlers
C.Granted colonists the right to extract labor and tribute from Native peoples in exchange for supposed protection and religious instruction
D.Distributed land equally among Native and European farmers
Explanation: Under the encomienda, the Spanish crown granted colonists authority over groups of Native people, allowing them to demand labor and tribute in theory in return for protection and Christian instruction. In practice it functioned as a coercive, often brutal labor system that exploited Native populations.
4Bartolome de las Casas is best known in the context of early Spanish colonization for what?
A.Leading the conquest of the Aztec Empire
B.Charting the first sea route to India around Africa
C.Founding the first English colony at Jamestown
D.Advocating against the mistreatment of Native peoples under Spanish rule
Explanation: Bartolome de las Casas was a Spanish friar who documented and protested the abuse of Native peoples under the encomienda system, arguing for their humane treatment. His writings fueled debate in Spain over the morality of colonization and the rights of indigenous people.
5Which of the following most directly explains the catastrophic decline of Native American populations in the century after 1492?
A.The spread of Old World diseases such as smallpox to which Native peoples had no immunity
B.Mass migration of Native peoples back to Asia
C.A prolonged ice age that destroyed Native agriculture
D.Voluntary conversion that ended traditional ways of life
Explanation: European contact introduced diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza to populations with no prior exposure or immunity. These epidemics killed a large majority of Native people in many regions, causing demographic collapse that far outweighed deaths from warfare or enslavement.
6The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 and initially focused on finding gold before turning to tobacco cultivation, was located at which site?
A.Plymouth
B.Jamestown
C.Roanoke
D.Boston
Explanation: Jamestown, founded in 1607 in Virginia by the Virginia Company, was the first permanent English settlement in North America. After early years of starvation and conflict, the colony survived once John Rolfe introduced tobacco as a profitable cash crop.
7The Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland in the 17th century developed an economy primarily centered on which export?
A.Rice and indigo
B.Furs and timber
C.Tobacco
D.Manufactured textiles
Explanation: The Chesapeake economy revolved around tobacco, a labor-intensive cash crop exported to Europe. The demand for tobacco labor drove reliance first on indentured servants and increasingly on enslaved Africans, shaping the region's social structure.
8Bacon's Rebellion of 1676 in Virginia is significant in part because it contributed to which long-term development?
A.The abolition of slavery in the southern colonies
B.The end of tobacco cultivation in the Chesapeake
C.The establishment of representative government in New England
D.A shift by planters toward greater reliance on enslaved African labor rather than indentured servants
Explanation: Bacon's Rebellion, in which frontier settlers and former indentured servants challenged the colonial government, alarmed Virginia's planter elite. To reduce the danger posed by discontented free laborers, planters increasingly turned to enslaved Africans, accelerating the entrenchment of racial slavery.
9Which statement best describes the New England colonies in the 17th century compared with the Chesapeake?
A.They were settled largely by families seeking religious community and built diversified economies based on farming, fishing, and trade
B.They relied on a single staple cash crop grown on large plantations
C.They were founded primarily as Spanish missions
D.They prohibited any form of self-government
Explanation: New England was settled heavily by Puritan families seeking to build religious communities, which produced relatively healthy, family-based populations. Its economy was diversified - small farms, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade - in contrast to the staple-crop plantation model of the Chesapeake.
10The series of religious revivals that swept the British colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, associated with preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, is known as what?
A.The Second Great Awakening
B.The First Great Awakening
C.The Enlightenment
D.The Halfway Covenant
Explanation: The First Great Awakening was a wave of emotional religious revivals in the 1730s and 1740s led by figures such as Jonathan Edwards and the itinerant preacher George Whitefield. It emphasized personal conversion, challenged established churches, and fostered a shared colonial experience.

About the AP US History Exam

AP United States History (APUSH) is a College Board course and exam covering U.S. history from 1491 to the present across nine chronological periods. The exam has two sections: Section I has 55 stimulus-based multiple-choice questions (55 minutes, 40% of the score) and 3 short-answer questions (40 minutes, 20%); Section II has one document-based question (60 minutes, 25%) and one long essay (40 minutes, 15%). Total testing time is 3 hours 15 minutes, and scores range from 1 to 5.

Questions

55 scored questions

Time Limit

3 hours 15 minutes total

Passing Score

Scored 1-5; a 3 or higher is generally accepted for college credit

Exam Fee

About $99 per exam (College Board)

AP US History Exam Content Outline

4-6%

Period 1: 1491-1607

Pre-contact Native American societies and the Columbian Exchange linking the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

6-8%

Period 2: 1607-1754

Colonial settlement patterns, the Atlantic economy and slavery, and conflict with Native peoples.

10-17%

Period 3: 1754-1800

The imperial crisis, the Revolution, the Constitution, and the early republic.

10-17%

Period 4: 1800-1848

The market revolution, expanding democracy, and antebellum reform movements.

10-17%

Period 5: 1844-1877

Manifest Destiny, sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

10-17%

Period 6: 1865-1898

Industrialization, the Gilded Age, the West, immigration, and labor.

10-17%

Period 7: 1890-1945

Progressivism, the world wars, the 1920s, and the Great Depression and New Deal.

10-17%

Period 8: 1945-1980

The Cold War, civil rights, postwar prosperity, and the Vietnam era.

4-6%

Period 9: 1980-Present

Conservatism, the end of the Cold War, globalization, and contemporary politics.

How to Pass the AP US History Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Scored 1-5; a 3 or higher is generally accepted for college credit
  • Exam length: 55 questions
  • Time limit: 3 hours 15 minutes total
  • Exam fee: About $99 per exam

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 US History Study Tips from Top Performers

1Anchor your review to the nine periods and their date ranges so you can quickly place any stimulus in its historical context.
2Practice the historical reasoning skills - causation, comparison, continuity and change over time, and contextualization - since every multiple-choice set is built around them.
3Read each source stimulus first and identify the author's point of view before looking at the answer choices.
4Drill DBQ and long-essay structure: a clear thesis, contextualization, evidence, and sourcing or complexity for the top points.
5Spend the most review time on Periods 3-8, which together make up the large majority of the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the AP US History exam and how is it structured?

Section I has 55 stimulus-based multiple-choice questions (55 minutes, 40% of the score) and 3 short-answer questions (40 minutes, 20%). Section II has one document-based question (60 minutes, 25%) and one long essay (40 minutes, 15%), for a total of 3 hours 15 minutes.

What time period does AP US History cover?

APUSH covers U.S. history from 1491 to the present, divided into nine chronological periods. Periods 3 through 8 each carry the most weight (10-17%), while Period 1 and Period 9 are weighted 4-6% each.

How is the AP US History exam scored?

The exam is scored on a 1-to-5 scale. Many colleges grant credit or placement for a score of 3 or higher, though some selective schools require a 4 or 5. Each institution sets its own credit policy.

What is the document-based question (DBQ)?

The DBQ asks you to develop an argument using seven provided primary-source documents plus your own historical knowledge. You get 60 minutes, including a recommended 15-minute reading period, and it is worth 25% of the exam score.

How much does the AP US History exam cost?

The standard AP exam fee in the United States is about $99 per exam for 2025-26. Fee reductions are available for eligible students, and prices differ outside the U.S.

What kinds of skills does the multiple-choice section test?

Multiple-choice questions are stimulus-based: they present a primary or secondary source - a text excerpt, image, map, chart, or cartoon - and ask you to analyze it using historical reasoning skills like causation, comparison, continuity and change, and contextualization.