AP US History Exam Prep
2026 Spring
AP US History Exam Prep
Online
Self-paced Study
Instructor: Fredericks
12 Modules (24 hours)
Fee: $399
AP US History Prerequisite: Student is taking AP US History in school
Class Description
The AP U.S. 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.
Homework
Weekly homework will be assigned. It will take approximately 45 – 90 minutes to complete.
Exam Date
Friday, May 8, 2026 | 8 AM Local
Note: Class materials including recordings will be available for 3 more months after the last day of class
Exam Duration
3hrs 15mins
Exam Component
Section IA: Multiple Choice
55 questions 55mins 40% of Score
The questions in the multiple-choice section come in sets of usually 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 IB: Short Answer
3 questions 40mins 20% of Score
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 1–2 secondary sources, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1754 and 1980.
- Question 2 is required, includes 1 primary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1754 and 1980.
- You can choose between Question 3 (which focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1491 and 1877) and Question 4 (which focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1865 and 2001) 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 context
- Make connections between those historical developments and processes
Section II: Free Response
2 questions 1hr 40mins 40% of Score
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
Recommended time: 60 Minutes (includes 15-minute reading period) | 25% of Exam 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 1754 and 1980.
Long Essay
1 Question | 40 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score
- You’ll have a choice of three questions; you’ll pick one to answer.
- Each tests the same skills and reasoning process (e.g., comparison, causation, or continuity and change) but the questions focus on historical developments and processes from different time periods (either the period from 1491 to 1800, from 1800 to 1898, or from 1890 to 2001).
- You’ll be asked to develop and support an argument based on evidence.
Jarrod Fredericks
Mr. Fredericks has been teaching for more than 10 years after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History from Florida State University. He is certified in Social Studies (8-12) and English as a Second Language.
Before entering education he earned a certificate in Museum Studies and worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. He has taught World Geography, AP US History and dual credit US History. Mr. Fredericks was named the Campus Teacher of the Year twice and finalist for the ISD Teacher of the Year. He currently teaches dual credit US History and AP Comparative Government & Politics at the Woodlands College Park High School. He is an AP Reader for Comparative Government and is APSI-trained in US Government.
In addition to teaching, he has been a sponsor of the Student World Affairs Council, coach for Academic Decathlon, and is currently a mentor for a FIRST Robotics Competition team.
Course Content
Unit 1
Period 1: 1491–1607
You’ll learn about Native American societies as well as how and why Europeans first explored, and then began to colonize, the Americas.
Topics may include:
- Native American societies before European contact
- European exploration in the New World
- The Columbian Exchange
- Labor, slavery, and caste in the Spanish colonial system
- Cultural interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans
Unit 2
Period 2: 1607–1754
You’ll study the colonies established in the New World by the Spanish, French, Dutch, and British.
Topics may include:
- How different European colonies developed and expanded
- Transatlantic trade
- Interactions between American Indians and Europeans
- Slavery in the British colonies
- Colonial society and culture
Unit 3
Period 3: 1754–1800
You’ll explore the events that led to the American Revolution and the formation of the United States and examine the early years of the republic.
Topics may include:
- The Seven Years’ War
- The American Revolution
- The Articles of Confederation
- The creation and ratification of the Constitution
- Developing an American identity
- Immigration to and migration within America
Unit 4
Period 4: 1800–1848
You’ll examine how the young nation developed politically, culturally, and economically in this period.
Topics may include:
- The rise of political parties
- American foreign policy
- Innovations in technology, agriculture, and business
- Debates about federal power
- The Second Great Awakening
- Reform movements
- The experience of African Americans
Unit 5
Period 5: 1844–1877
You’ll learn how the nation expanded and you’ll explore the events that led to the secession of Southern states and the Civil War.
Topics may include:
- Manifest Destiny
- The Mexican–American War
- Attempts to resolve conflicts over the spread of slavery
- The election of 1860 and Southern secession
- The Civil War
- Reconstruction
Unit 6
Period 6: 1865–1898
You’ll examine the nation’s economic and demographic shifts in this period and their links to cultural and political changes.
Topics may include:
- The settlement of the West
- The “New South”
- The rise of industrial capitalism
- Immigration and migration
- Reform movements
- Debates about the role of government
Unit 7
Period 7: 1890–1945
You’ll examine America’s changing society and culture and the causes and effects of the global wars and economic meltdown of this period.
Topics may include:
- Debates over imperialism
- The Progressive movement
- World War I
- Innovations in communications and technology in the 1920s
- The Great Depression and the New Deal
- World War II
- Postwar diplomacy
Unit 8
Period 8: 1945–1980
You’ll learn about the rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States, the growth of various civil rights movements, and the economic, cultural, and political transformations of this period.
Topics may include:
- The Cold War and the Red Scare
- America as a world power
- The Vietnam War
- The Great Society
- The African American civil rights movement
- Youth culture of the 1960s
Unit 9
Period 9: 1980–Present
You’ll learn about the advance of political conservatism, developments in science and technology, and demographic shifts that had major cultural and political consequences in this period.
Topics may include:
- Reagan and conservatism
- The end of the Cold War
- Shifts in the economy
- Migration and immigration
- Challenges of the 21st century