For the 2024 AP® World History exam, you should follow the AP® FAQs listed below!
What We Review
Is AP® World History: Modern easy? What can make it hard?
AP® World History is considered to be a fairly difficult course. Compared to other AP® courses, AP® World History is considered harder than many other AP® exams (but it’s not the hardest).
In 2023, 350,353 students took the AP® World History exam, making it the third most popular AP® exam. Of these students, 64.7% scored a 3 or better on this exam. The mean score for the AP® World History exam in 2023 was 3.04.
To make sure you are one of the students to pass the AP® World History exam, you will want to maximize your study time by focusing on the units that carry the most weight on the exam. The AP® World History exam covers 9 units. Most of the units are weighted at 8% – 10% of the exam, but Unit 3 through Unit 6 are weighted at 12%-15% of the exam.
Going into the AP® World History exam, it might be helpful for you to know how many questions you need to answer correctly in order to pass with a 3 or higher. Albert’s AP® World History: Modern score calculator shows that you need to answer 28 of the 55 multiple choice questions currently and receive at least 29 points on the free response questions.
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Is AP® World History: Modern worth it?
Students taking the AP® World History exam for college credit typically feel it is worth it. AP® courses like AP® World History provide students with a useful introduction to the rigors of college-level classes. Students who take AP® courses arrive at college better prepared and more confident than students who never took AP® courses in high school.
Students who are applying to colleges will also be happy to know that AP® courses can assist in the acceptance process. When admissions counselors see AP® courses on a high school transcript, it signals to them that the student is serious about their education and that they are prepared for college. According to College Board research, “students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP® Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP® peers.”
Financially, AP® courses provide another important benefit to students. When AP® courses are used for college credit, students and their families often see significant college savings as a result. The chart below outlines a few colleges that accept the AP® World History exam for college credit and the potential savings the student can realize.
| School | Minimum Score Required | Number of Credits | Estimated Tuition Savings |
| University of Houston | 3 | 8 | $2,535 |
| University of Michigan | 4 | 4 | $8,332 |
| Univ of California – Berkeley | 3 | 5.3 | $2,922 |
| Syracuse University | 4 | 6 | $13,122 |
| MIT | 5 | 9 | $7,470 |
| George Washington University | 4 | 3 | $4,704 |
| Texas A & M | 3 | 3 | $3,429 |
| Arizona State University | 4 | 6 | $6,906 |
It is clear to see when you combine the academic and financial benefits of taking the AP® World History exam, many students feel that this exam is worth their time and effort.
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When is the 2024 AP® World History: Modern exam?
The 2024 AP® World History: Modern exam will take place on:
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 8am local time
Curious about when other AP® exams are happening in 2024? View or download the complete AP® exam schedule here.
Is the 2024 AP® World History exam a digital test?
Schools can take the 2024 AP® World History exam as a traditional paper-and-pencil test or as an in-school digital exam on computers. More information on the digital option is available here.
You should check with your teacher and AP® Coordinator to know if you’ll take a paper-and-pencil or digital version.
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When do AP® World History: Modern scores typically come out?
According to the latest update from the College Board exam season timeline, students will receive their AP® scores in July 2024. Historically, the College Board typically releases AP® scores early in the month of July.
You’ll be able to access your AP® scores online with your College Board account username and password
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How is AP® World History: Modern scored? What’s the weighting of different questions?
| Section | Questions | Time | % of Exam Score |
| 1A: Multiple Choice | 55 questions | 55 minutes | 40% |
| 1B: Short Answer | 3 questions (some student choice) | 40 minutes | 20% |
| 2A: Document-Based Question | 1 question | 45 minutes + 15 min reading period | 25% |
| 2B: Long Essay | 1 question (some student choice) | 40 minutes | 15% |
In the multiple-choice portion of the AP® World History exam, you will be required to answer 55 questions in 55 minutes. The questions are grouped into three or four questions covering the same subject. The questions will typically ask you to analyze and interpret historical texts and evidence using provided primary and secondary sources.
For the short answer portion, you must answer three questions out of four options. The first two questions are required. One includes a secondary source, and one includes a primary source. Both focus on the time period of 1200 to 2001.
You can choose between question 3 and question 4 for your final question in this section. One covers the time period of 1200 to 1750, and the other covers 1750 to 2001. Neither question includes any outside sources.
Section 2A is the document-based question. You will have 15 minutes of reading time and 45 minutes to answer this question. In this question, you must read 7 documents that approach a historical event from various perspectives. You will be required to assess these sources and develop an argument that uses the sources to support your view. The time period covered for this question is 1450-2001.
The final AP® World History exam question is the long essay question. You will have 40 minutes to answer this question. The essay question requires you to analyze a significant world history event and argue a point that is supported by the evidence. For this question, you can choose from three time periods: 1200-1750, 1450-1900, or 1750-2001.
It’s useful to know that the rubrics for the LEQ and DBQ have been slightly changed for the 2024 exam. The basic instructions remain the same, but the instructions for earning the evidence and complexity points have been simplified. The most noticeable changes are in the DBQ, where the number of documents that need to be used and the number of times POV has to be analyzed to earn full credit has been reduced. You can find the full rubrics in the College Board’s Course and Exam Description.
Pro tip: Chronology and periodization are useful concepts that you should spend extra time on in preparation for the AP® World History exam. One helpful exercise is to create a master timeline so that you can conceptually understand the way the time periods flow together.
The AP® World History course units are represented in the exam in the weights outlined below. To see how these weights translate to an overall score, check out Albert’s AP® World History score calculator. The units below are relatively evenly weighted, so you’ll want to be generally prepared for this exam.
| Units | Exam Weighting |
| Unit 1: The Global Tapestry | 8-10% |
| Unit 2: Network of Exchange | 8-10% |
| Unit 3: Land-Based Empires | 12-15% |
| Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections | 12-15% |
| Unit 5: Revolutions | 12-15% |
| Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization | 12-15% |
| Unit 7: Global Conflict | 8-10% |
| Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization | 8-10% |
| Unit 9: Globalization | 8-10% |
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What happens if you fail AP® World History: Modern Exam?
You can retake the AP® World History exam as many times as necessary to pass with the score you want. The exam is given each May. You will be responsible for the exam fees for every time you sit for the exam.
If you are worried about how failing the AP® World History exam will impact your high school GPA, you will be happy to know that it should not have any effect on your GPA. Most high schools base your course grade on the coursework and exams leading up to the AP® exam, rather than on the AP® exam itself.
As far as the college admissions process goes, failing the AP® World History will affect your ability to use that exam to gain college credit. A score of lower than 3 will typically not be recognized by most colleges as worthy of college credit.
It is important to remember that you are in control of where your AP® scores are sent. You have the ability to choose not to send a low score to colleges. If you do end up sending a low score to a college and then score higher on your re-take, you can cancel your lower score and send the higher score in its place.
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When do students typically take AP® World History: Modern? When is best?
Many students take the AP® World History course during their sophom*ore year in high school. The typical timeline in the AP® History and Social Sciences category is to take AP® Human Geography or AP® US History first, then AP® World History. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is the typical pattern we have found in our research.
Since AP® World History is typically taken in the 10th grade, it is considered more of an entry-level AP® course. The timeline mentioned above would allow you to become familiar with the AP® course requirements in AP® Human Geography, then apply those in a more reading and writing-intensive AP® World History. Later in your high school career, you would take AP® US History, which would build on the skills you learned in the previous two AP® courses.
Of course, a variety of factors should influence when you take the AP® World History exam. Your school may require certain prerequisite courses requiring you to take AP® World History later than your sophom*ore year.
When to take AP® World History will also depend on the other AP® exams you want to take in your high school career and what the best timing and combination of these courses look like for you. AP® World History is a reading and writing intensive course, so if you plan on taking two AP® courses at the same time, you may want to pair it with an AP® course that is less text-based.
The decision of when to take AP® World History is, in the end, a personal decision that will look different for every student. You should consult with your parents, guidance counselor and teachers to determine the best time for you to take AP® World History.
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Where can I find past AP® World History: Modern exams?
The College Board has provided past AP® World History exam questions on their AP® Central Website.
In addition to past exam questions, the College Board website also includes access to practice tests for the last several years. Reviewing these practice tests will get you familiar with the kinds of questions to expect on this year’s exam and see what kinds of answers received full credit in the past. You can also use these practice tests to get an idea of the academic rigor of the questions and prepare accordingly.
You can find links to practice tests for recent AP® World History exams below:
- 2023 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2022 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2021 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2019 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2018 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2017 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2016 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
- 2015 AP® World History: Modern Free-Response Questions
In addition to reviewing the free-response questions, you will also want to spend some time preparing for the multiple-choice portion of the exam. The College Board has provided a limited number of practice multiple choice questions on the AP® World History Course and Exam Description. Since there are only a few practice questions in the guide, this won’t be an exhaustive preview, but it will get you started.
For additional practice on the multiple choice portion of the AP® World History exam, Albert provides hundreds of AP® World History multiple choice questions. The questions have been crafted to align with the learning objectives of the AP® World History course.
To fully prepare for the AP® World History exam, you should explore all of the information that the AP® Central website has to offer. These resources can make the difference between a well prepared student and an under-prepared student.
- AP® World History Scoring Guidelines: 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016
- AP® World History Chief Reader Reports: 2023 / 2022 / 2021 /2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016
- AP® World History Scoring Reports: 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016
You will want to review the scoring guidelines before you begin studying for the AP® World History exam. This report shows how past questions were graded and what elements must be present to gain full points for each question. Knowing this information in advance can really help you maximize your exam score.
The Chief Reader report also provides useful information from someone who has actually graded these responses in the past. This report analyzes the responses to each past free response question and provides feedback on where students did well and where they missed the mark. Knowing how students did in the past can help you identify overall concepts and skills that are important to review prior to the exam.
For example, the 2019 Chief Reader Report showed that students struggled with periodization, or the ability to place events and people within their proper time period. Students should spend more time reviewing chronology and periodization rather than studying dates. This will provide you with a better understanding of the “flow” of history, which will be helpful in answering the free response questions.
The scoring statistics for AP® World History can also be useful in determining which questions on past exams received the lowest and highest scores overall. For example, question 3 on exam section II has a mean score of 1.36 out of a possible 6 points. According to the Chief Reader Report, students who answered this question had difficulty creating a timeline of events that spread across several different periods of history.
To fully prepare for the AP® World History exam, you should also review the sample responses for the past free-response exam questions. These responses provide examples of answers to past questions, one that received full credit and two that received fewer points. The responses are analyzed for what they included and did not include that impacted their score.
With all of the focus on the free-response questions, it is easy to forget that 40% of your exam score comes from the multiple-choice questions. You can find hundreds of multiple-choice practice questions on Albert. These questions have been crafted to align with the learning objectives of the AP® World History exam. Each question also includes a detailed explanation of each correct answer to help build your knowledge base before the exam.
You can learn more about Albert here
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Who should take AP® World History: Modern? What sort of students may like it more than others?
Compared to some of the science and math AP® courses, AP® World History is considered to have content that is more accessible for students. If you enjoy history and placing events into specific eras and timelines, AP® World History would be a good choice for you. The course overview can give you more information on whether this course is a good fit.
Taking AP® World History will give you a good insight into the AP® process for future courses, but it is not required. If you feel that the subject matter is not a fit for your skills, you should choose another AP® course that is better suited to your interests.
It is important to remember that the AP® World History exam has a relatively low passing rate as compared to other AP® exams in the History and Social Sciences category. If you aim to achieve all 5s on your AP® exams, you’ll need to work extra hard studying for this exam. In 2019, only 8.6% of students who took this exam scored a 5. This is the lowest number of 5s awarded for any exam in the History and Social Sciences category.
Your chances of getting a perfect score on the AP® World History exam might be difficult, but it is not impossible. If this course speaks well to your interests and strengths, you should consider taking it. Don’t let the low number of perfect scores deter you from attempting it.
In the end, the only person who can decide whether taking the AP® World History exam makes sense for you is you. You should seek advice from parents, teachers and guidance counselors, but the final choice is yours.
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How do students typically score on AP® World History: Modern? What’s the score distribution?
On average, about half of the students who take this exam pass it with at least a score of 3. Past data can be useful to see how past test groups have fared when taking the AP® World History exam. Of course, past data should only be used as a guide. Your score will be a reflection of how well you have prepared for this exam as well as your aptitude for the subject.
The score breakdown for the AP® World History exam in recent years is outlined in the chart below:
| Year | % of 5s | % of 4s | % of 3s | % of 2s | % of 1s | Pass Rate % |
| 2023 | 15.3% | 21.9% | 27.4% | 22.3% | 13.0% | 64.7% |
| 2022 | 13.2% | 21.9% | 27.0% | 23.7% | 14.3% | 62.1% |
| 2021 | 9.7% | 18.5% | 24.0% | 28.9% | 19.0% | 52.2% |
| 2020 | 9.2% | 22.8% | 28.2% | 26.1% | 13.7% | 60.2% |
| 2019 | 8.6% | 18.8% | 28.0% | 28.8% | 15.8% | 55.3% |
| 2018 | 8.9% | 19.9% | 27.4% | 28.5% | 15.4% | 56.2% |
| 2017 | 8.5% | 19.9% | 26.7% | 29.6% | 15.4% | 55.0% |
Over the last few years, the passing rate for the AP® World History exam has been above 50%. Of those who took the exam, however, only around 28% received a 4 or better, and typically less than 10% of test takers received a 5. In 2023, there was a higher number of students earning a 5 than usual.
In 2023, the mean score for the AP® World History exam was 3.04, based on a total of 350,353 students who took this exam.
Need help preparing for your AP® World History: Modern exam?
Albert has hundreds of AP® World History: Modern practice multiple-choice questions, free-response questions, and full-length practice tests to try out.
Start your AP® World History test prep here
