AP United States History, one topic at a time
The exam is the morning of Friday, May 7, 2027: 55 multiple-choice and 5 free-response questions in 3 hr 15 min. Ashore has a short lesson for every topic in all 9 units, each ending with a few questions on what it taught. Practice sets and mock exams for US History are on the way.
Exam day
May 7
2027 Friday · Morning
- 55 multiple choice · 55 min
- 5 free response · 140 min
- Scored 1 to 5
What's on the May 2027 exam
How the exam is split, how long each part runs and what you can use.
How students scored in May 2026
| Scored 5 | Scored 4 | Scored 3 | Scored 2 | Scored 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14% | 37% | 23% | 18% | 8% |
Source: College Board score distributions. Compare all 40 AP exams
AP United States History score calculator: enter your section results and see an estimated 1–5 score.
All 9 units
Percentages are the College Board's ranges for how much of the multiple-choice section each unit can be.
Unit 1 · 4–6%
Period 1: 1491–1607
Contextualizing Period 1 · Native American Societies Before European Contact · European Exploration in the Americas · Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest · Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System · Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans · Causation in Period 1
Unit 2 · 6–8%
Period 2: 1607–1754
Contextualizing Period 2 · European Colonization · The Regions of British Colonies · Transatlantic Trade · Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans · Slavery in the British Colonies · Colonial Society and Culture · Comparison in Period 2
Unit 3 · 10–17%
Period 3: 1754–1800
Contextualizing Period 3 · The Seven Years’ War (The French and Indian War) · Taxation Without Representation · Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution · The American Revolution · The Influence of Revolutionary Ideals · The Articles of Confederation · The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification · The Constitution · Shaping a New Republic · Developing an American Identity · Movement in the Early Republic · Continuity and Change in Period 3
Unit 4 · 10–17%
Period 4: 1800–1848
Contextualizing Period 4 · The Rise of Political Parties and the Era of Jefferson · Politics and Regional Interests · America on the World Stage · Market Revolution: Industrialization · Market Revolution: Society and Culture · Expanding Democracy · Jackson and Federal Power · The Development of an American Culture · The Second Great Awakening · An Age of Reform · African Americans in the Early Republic · The Society of the South in the Early Republic · Causation in Period 4
Unit 5 · 10–17%
Period 5: 1844–1877
Contextualizing Period 5 · Manifest Destiny · The Mexican–American War · The Compromise of 1850 · Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences · Failure of Compromise · Election of 1860 and Secession · Military Conflict in the Civil War · Government Policies During the Civil War · Reconstruction · Failure of Reconstruction · Comparison in Period 5
Unit 6 · 10–17%
Period 6: 1865–1898
Contextualizing Period 6 · Westward Expansion: Economic Development · Westward Expansion: Social and Cultural Development · The “New South” · Technological Innovation · The Rise of Industrial Capitalism · Labor in the Gilded Age · Immigration and Migration in the Gilded Age · Responses to Immigration in the Gilded Age · Development of the Middle Class · Reform in the Gilded Age · Controversies over the Role of Government in the Gilded Age · Politics in the Gilded Age · Continuity and Change in Period 6
Unit 7 · 10–17%
Period 7: 1890–1945
Contextualizing Period 7 · Imperialism: Debates · The Spanish–American War · The Progressives · World War I: Military and Diplomacy · World War I: Home Front · 1920s: Innovations in Communication and Technology · 1920s: Cultural and Political Controversies · The Great Depression · The New Deal · Interwar Foreign Policy · World War II: Mobilization · World War II: Military · Postwar Diplomacy · Comparison in Period 7
Unit 8 · 10–17%
Period 8: 1945–1980
Contextualizing Period 8 · The Cold War from 1945 to 1980 · The Red Scare · Economy after 1945 · Culture after 1945 · Early Steps in the Civil Rights Movement (1940s and 1950s) · America as a World Power · The Vietnam War · The Great Society · The African American Civil Rights Movement (1960s) · The Civil Rights Movement Expands · Youth Culture of the 1960s · The Environment and Natural Resources from 1968 to 1980 · Society in Transition · Continuity and Change in Period 8
Unit 9 · 4–6%
Period 9: 1980–Present
Contextualizing Period 9 · Reagan and Conservatism · The End of the Cold War · A Changing Economy · Migration and Immigration in the 1990s and 2000s · Challenges of the 21st Century · Causation in Period 9
How you'll study US History
The lessons are live now. The parts marked Coming soon open later.
A lesson for every topic
Each one explains a single idea step by step, then checks it with a few questions.
- Coming soon
Practice on each topic
Questions build from easy to exam level. Any you miss come back as similar ones 1, 3 and 7 days later.
- Coming soon
Free response
Write under the exam timer, then score each answer point by point, the way an AP reader would.
- Coming soon
Mock exams and a predicted score
Same sections, time limits and calculator rules as the May exam. Every set and mock updates your predicted 1 to 5.
Pricing
Start free, then try everything for a week
One plan opens every lesson and question for every AP course and both SAT sections. The starting check is free, and monthly and 3-month plans start with a 7-day free trial.
Recommended
Free
Find where you lose points and get a plan to test day.
$0
No card needed.
- Starting check and full report
- A study plan to your test date
- One free practice day a week: 3 lessons, 60 questions
Monthly
Every lesson and question, month to month.
$99a month
Billed monthly
$0 today, then $99 a month after 7 days, until you cancel.
Everything in Free, plus:
- Every lesson in every course
- Every practice question, no limits
- Every mistake and flashcard, every day
Every 3 months
A steady term of prep, with the SAT score guarantee.
$66a month
Save 33% vs monthly$199 every 3 months
$0 today, then $199 every 3 months after 7 days, until you cancel.
Everything in Free, plus:
- Every lesson in every course
- Every practice question, no limits
- Every mistake and flashcard, every day
Season pass
Everything through test day, in one payment.
$37a month
Save 63% vs monthly$249 once, early price · $299 from Jan 1
One payment, good through Jun 5, 2027. No trial, and it doesn't renew.
Everything in Free, plus:
- Every lesson in every course
- Every practice question, no limits
- Every mistake and flashcard, every day
- No card for the starting check
- 7-day free trial on monthly and 3-month plans, cancel anytime
- Season pass never renews
- SAT score guarantee on the 3-month plan and season pass
Start US History at Unit 1
Free to start, no card. Up to 3 new lessons on your free practice day each week, or every lesson on any paid plan.
Starting check
SAT Math · 1 of 5
Calculator allowed
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