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Is AP World History Hard?

AP World History

AP World History is a common first AP history class. Out of the 3 AP history classes I took, AP World History was the hardest class for me, but really covered a variety of interesting topics.

AP World History

How hard is AP World History?

Like any AP, a lot of the experience is made by the individual class and the teacher. One teacher could choose to assign tons of homework and difficult quizzes, while another could go very light on the homework and tests. When gaging how hard AP World History is, it is important to look at these 3 factors:

1) The curriculum. Rather than other AP history classes, AP World History is very broad and moves through times and locations very quickly. If you are good at learning the “big pictures” and getting concepts quickly, then you will likely do well in this class. If you are better at picking up details and struggle with creating big timelines, seeing patterns, and understanding broad concepts, you may struggle more in this class. Additionally, the curriculum covers empires, countries, and places that you may go into the class having no knowledge on. With classes like AP Government, you may have some background knowledge that makes the class easier. With AP World History, your going to be studying ancient Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, and African empires you may have never heard of. This aspect definitely adds a challenge for many.

2) The writing. Like other AP history classes your going to do a lot of writing. Your going to have document based essays, free response essays, and short answers. If you’ve taken an AP history class before, then you may know that history writing is very formulaic. Once you know how to write, you will most likely do fine. If this is your first AP history class, its super important that you go into the class familiar with the types of writing. Be aware that you will have to write about changes and continuities over time, “to what extent” questions, and other questions that may be confusing.

3) The AP test. I found the AP World test to be pretty similar to other AP History tests. There are multiple choice questions, a document based essay, a long essay question, and multiple short answer questions. If you’ve done fine in an AP history test before, then you have nothing to worry about.

Can I take AP World History as a freshman?

Thinking of taking AP world history in 9th grade? It really comes down to if you are truly interested in the topic. AP World history is not an easy AP by any means. This class combines hard AP writing with concepts that you have little to no background knowledge in (Mongolian empires, Chinese dynasties, etc.). Since freshmen are not familiar with AP courses it will definitely be a challenge.

Of course, if you are truly interested in the topic, it is definitively possible to succeed. As long as you are familiar with AP history writing and are ready for lots of reading and testing. If you are not super interested in the subject, I would recommend taking another AP history. It would be a lot easier to take a course that you have a little bit of background information in, especially since there are so many AP histories to choose from.

Should I take AP World History as a sophomore?

Sophomore year is one of the most common years to take AP World History. If AP World History is your first ever AP class, it might come as a little bit of a struggle. If you are interested in the topics covered, then I would definitely take it. Just be aware that it most likely will not be an easy GPA booster. If you are not interested in the subject, it will be pretty tedious and difficult.

Is AP World History harder then APUSH?

I took both AP World History and APUSH. I got a 4 on the AP World History exam and a 5 on the AP US History Exam. I found APUSH to be easier for the following reasons:

1) I had prior knowledge about US history. I was already familiar with topics like the Great Depression and World War 2, whereas I had no knowledge about the Qin or Han dynasty. It was significantly easier for me to pick up on topics I already had some knowledge in.

2) I was more interested in US history. When studying history it is SO MUCH EASIER to do close readings, pay attention, and generally do well when your interested in the topic.

3) I am better at picking up smaller details. AP US history covered more details than AP World, as AP World covered more places over a bigger time period.

4) AP World was my first AP history class. During your first AP history class, not only will you need to learn the class information, but you will need to learn how to write AP style.

Is the AP World History exam hard?

The AP World History exam is not much harder than any other AP history exam. There are multiple choice questions, a document based essay, a knowledge based essay, and short answer questions. If you’ve taken another AP history test, AP World History is very similar.

AP World History pass rate

For your high school class itself, you need to contact the school.

For the 2022 exam:

13.2% got a 5.

21.9% got a 4.

27.0% got a 3.

23.7% got a 2.

14.3% got a 1.

62.1% passed the exam with a 3 or above.

AP World History generally has a pretty good pass rate as long as you study beforehand.

How long Is The AP World History Exam?

The AP World History Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes.

When is the AP World History exam?

This exam typically falls at the beginning of May. You can check the specific date a few months before the exam.

Is AP World History the hardest AP class?

AP World History is definitely not an easy AP, but it also is not considered the hardest. Generally, it is pretty agreed upon that the STEM APs like AP Physics C are the hardest. If you struggle at history however, AP World History may be very difficult. After taking 3 history AP classes, I found AP World History to be the hardest.

Is it worth taking AP World History?

It all comes down if you are interested in the topics covered by the curriculum. AP World History is a unique class in that it covers topics unrelated to the United States. If this is something that interests you, then you will enjoy the class.

If you are not interested in the topics, I suggest that you take a different AP History. AP World History covers topics that you will be unfamiliar with, and moves quickly through many different places and time periods. It is definitely not an easy AP, but if you are interested in the subject you will definitely have a positive experience in the class.

 

 

 

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