Four skills, in order of pain.
Each FRQ type has a rubric, an annotated approach, and a writeable practice prompt. Type your response and submit it to the AP Tutor for rubric-aligned feedback.
What you’re scored on
| Type | Points | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| SAQ | 3 | Part (a) · Part (b) · Part (c) — 1 pt each. Identification, explanation, often a limitation or comparison. |
| LEQ | 6 | Thesis (1) · Contextualization (1) · Evidence (2) · Analysis & Reasoning (2) |
| DBQ | 7 | Thesis (1) · Contextualization (1) · Evidence (3, including HIPP) · Analysis & Reasoning (2) |
Same rubrics for APUSH and AP World History: Modern. Click into a lab to see the full rubric and try a prompt.
Digital exam — and a new free-response format.
AP World History: Modern and AP U.S. History are both now fully digital exams in College Board’s Bluebook app — multiple-choice on screen and every free-response answer typed, not handwritten.
And starting with the May 2027 exam, the free-response section changes:
- ▸ SAQ — three questions, all required — the old “answer two, then choose Q3 or Q4” is gone. One gives you a secondary source, one a primary source, and one a non-text source like a map or chart, each from a different era.
- ▸ LEQ — one essay, required — no more choosing one of three — now with a short prompt to orient you to the task.
- ▸ DBQ — still seven documents, now drawing on a wider span of the course.
Unchanged: the rubrics, the course content, and the multiple-choice section. Practice each one below — typed and timed, exactly like exam day.
SAQ
Three quick parts. The art of saying enough — and no more. Easiest entry point.
LEQ
One big argument, three paragraphs, all the evidence you can muster. The thinking essay.
DBQ
Seven documents, a thesis, contextualization, and the patience to do all of it under time. The big one.
Exam Archaeology.
What actually shows up on the DBQ, LEQ, and SAQ — based on every released College Board exam we have on file. Use it to decide where extra review time pays off most.
Based on 48 released FRQs from 2023–2025: 6 DBQs, 18 LEQs, 24 SAQs. All three years use the current exam format.
The DBQ hasn’t touched anything before 1750 in three years.
Every one of the last six DBQs (2023–2025) has come from Units 6–9, and every one leans even later, past 1850, without exception. Units 1–5 cover 1200–1750 and carry 28–44% of the whole course, and none of it has shown up in a DBQ prompt in three straight years.
| Year | Date range | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 · 1 | 1850–1912 | Qing collapse & foreign imperialism |
| 2023 · 2 | 1850–1950 | Muslim women challenging social norms |
| 2024 · 1 | 1930–1990 | Communist rule transforming Soviet/Chinese society |
| 2024 · 2 | 1900–1945 | Economic motives in Japanese imperialism |
| 2025 · 1 | 1850–1960 | Transportation & communication tech’s effect on Africa |
| 2025 · 2 | 1850–1950 | Industrialization’s effect on women |
The LEQ slot pattern (if your class still offers a choice of three)
Three years running, six for six, no exceptions: the second LEQ option is always the earliest era, the third is always the middle era, the fourth is always modern.
| Slot | Always covers | n |
|---|---|---|
| LEQ2 | Early — pre-1450, sometimes to 1750 | 6/6 |
| LEQ3 | Middle — 1450–1900 | 6/6 |
| LEQ4 | Modern — 1900–present | 6/6 |
Starting with the May 2027 exam, LEQ becomes one required question instead of a choice of three, and the DBQ pulls from a wider date range. This slot pattern may not survive that change, so don’t bank on it if your exam only gives you one essay.
All 18 LEQs from 2023–2025 use causation (“evaluate the extent to which…”) or continuity/change questions. Zero use straight compare-and-contrast as the essay type. Spend your LEQ prep time on causation and CCOT.
Only 2 of 24 released SAQs (8%) used an image instead of text, but starting with the May 2027 exam, one of your three required SAQs will always be non-text. Historical rarity is not a reason to skip practicing this.
4 of the last 6 SAQ3 questions have covered Units 1–4 content: Mamluks, Mongols, Mughals, gunpowder empires. Not a lock, but a real lean.
2023, 2024, and 2025 all included it. It’s the most reliable recurring SAQ theme in the data.
Highest-value “just in case” review
| Units | Course weight | DBQ appearances (2023–25) |
|---|---|---|
| Units 1–2 (1200–1450) | 8–10% each | 0 of 6 |
| Units 3–4 (1450–1750) | 12–17% each | 0 of 6 |
Three years is a small sample, and College Board has never promised to rotate DBQ periods. But this much course weight sitting untested for three straight cycles is the strongest case in this whole dataset for a “just in case” review pass, not because it’s likely but because the downside of skipping it is high.
Based on 32 released FRQs across 2016–2025 (2016–19, 2021–22, and 2025: 8 DBQs, 15 LEQs, 16 SAQs). 2020 has no comparable DBQ (COVID-modified exam); 2023 and 2024 aren’t in the archive yet. See the note below.
Period 5 (Civil War & Reconstruction) has never been a DBQ topic.
Across all eight released DBQs we have on file (2016–2025), none has centered on Period 5 (1844–1877). It carries the same course weight as Periods 4, 6, 7, and 8, and all of those have appeared.
| Year | Period | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | P8 | Causes of the women’s rights movement, 1940–1975 |
| 2017 | P3 | Change in ideas about independence, 1763–1783 |
| 2018 | P6/P7 | Causes of expanding U.S. role in the world, 1865–1910 |
| 2019 | P7 | Progressive movement and political change, 1890–1920 |
| 2021 | P8 | Economic growth’s impact on society, 1940–1970 |
| 2022 | P4 | National identity development, 1800–1855 |
| 2025 · 1 | P7/P8 | Federal government’s role in the economy, 1932–1980 |
| 2025 · 2 | P6/P7 | Economic change’s influence on society, 1865–1910 |
The LEQ slot pattern (if your class still offers a choice of three)
Every year with a full three-option set shows the same early/middle/late slotting: four for four, no exceptions.
| Slot | Always covers | n |
|---|---|---|
| Slot 1 | Pre-1800 | 4/4 years |
| Slot 2 | 1800s | 4/4 years |
| Slot 3 | 20th century or later | 4/4 years |
Starting with the May 2027 exam, LEQ becomes one required question instead of a choice of three, and the DBQ pulls from a wider date range. This slot pattern may not survive that change, so don’t bank on it if your exam only gives you one essay.
4 of the last 5 released DBQs ask some version of “evaluate the extent to which economic factors affected U.S. society or government.” Worth extra reps specifically on that prompt type.
Every SAQ1 in the dataset presents two historians disagreeing and asks you to work with both interpretations. It’s the most format-consistent SAQ slot there is. Drill it specifically.
Only 1 of 16 released SAQs (6%) used an image instead of text, nearly identical to the AP World finding. Starting with the May 2027 exam, one of your three required SAQs will always be non-text. Get the reps in now.
8 for 8 in the released data: no image, no passage, just the question. The common assumption is that these let you pick your era. In every released question here, the period was fixed instead. Don’t plan around a choice that isn’t there.
Highest-value “just in case” review
| Period | Course weight | DBQ appearances (2016–25) |
|---|---|---|
| Period 5 (1844–1877) | 10–17% | 0 of 8 |
| Period 1 (1491–1607) | 4–6% | 0 of 8 |
| Period 2 (1607–1754) | 6–8% | 0 of 8 |
| Period 9 (1980–present) | 4–6% | 0 of 8 |
Periods 1, 2, and 9 carry lower course weight, so their absence is less surprising. Period 5 is the outlier: highest weight of the group and zero appearances across nine years of released exams, the strongest single “just in case” flag in this dataset.
