1. General Review Tips
Prioritize - Focus on topics/areas of weakness first
Avoid trying to memorize too much - Review “big picture” concepts first, specific terms/name/events later
Look at old materials - Review packets, in-class notes, past essays & tests and old PowerPoint’s:
Try different approaches - There is no “best” way to review (alone/group, on- line/book/flash cards, practice tests/packets – it depends on your learning style – try mixing it up).
Find a “middle ground” - Some review better than no review. Too much review is counterproductive.
Be positive – You have learned a lot this year & the AP exam is graded on a major curve.

2. AP Exam Part One Information
Multiple Choice: 55 minutes for 55 questions
Each question has 4 possible answers
No points lost for wrong or skipped questions.
All multiple choice questions are stimulus based.
Short answer: 50 minutes for 4 questions
Part One counts for 60% of total score
BIG curve on multiple choice

3. AP Exam Part Two Essay Information
There is 1 DBQ essay you must write on and 2 Long Essay prompts of which you must write 1.
The 3 total essay prompts will range in their topics chronologically and thematically.
Part two counts for 40% of your total score.
AP Essay Writing Tips
READ prompts multiple times
Brainstorm & make a quick “plan of attack”
Introduction needs some brief background on “big picture” followed by an on-topic thesis
Body paragraphs need to BLEND details with analysis. (Facts & explanations).
Grading is “holistic” – no points “taken away”, just earned. If in doubt, make a guess.

4. Evaluate the extent to which the period of Reconstruction contributed to maintaining continuity as well as promoting change in American society.

5. Evaluate the extent to which the Mexican American War ( ) marked a turning point in the debate over slavery in the United States, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period before the war to the period after it.

6. Evaluate the extent to which social and intellectual reform movements during the antebellum era ( ) represented an expansion of democratic ideals analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period before the era to the period after.

7. Some historians have argued that the period around when Andrew Jackson was President ( ) represented a triumph for the American “common man” politically and economically. Support, modify or refute this interpretation providing specific evidence to justify your answer.