Advanced Placement (AP) European History (also known as AP Euro, or APEH), is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. This course is for high school students who are interested in a first year university level course in European history. The course surveys European history from between 1300-1450 CE to the present,[1] focusing on religious, social, economic, and political themes.
The AP European History course covers historical events and processes across nine different units. Each unit is weighted equally on the exam, approximately 10-15%. The course units and sub-topics are as follows:[2]
The AP exam for European History is divided into two sections, comprising 55 multiple-choice questions (with four answer choices), three short-answer questions, and two essay responses (one thematic Long Essay Question (LEQ) and one Document Based Question (DBQ)).[3] The multiple-choice and short-answer sections are to be completed in 55 minutes and 40 minutes respectively. The essay section is to be completed in 100 minutes (including the 15-minute reading period). The DBQ is graded out of 7 points and the LEQ is graded out of 6 points. This new structure went into effect beginning Fall 2017. The DBQ is weighted at 25 percent while the FRQ/LEQ is weighted at 15 percent. The Short Answer is weighted 20 percent, with the multiple-choice accounting for the final 40 percent.
Approximately half of the multiple-choice questions cover the period from 1450 to the French Revolution and Napoleonic era, and half cover the period from the French Revolution and Napoleonic era to the present, evenly divided between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. About one-third of the questions focus on cultural and intellectual themes, one-third on political and diplomatic themes, and one-third on social and economic themes. Many questions draw on knowledge of more than one chronological period or theme.[4] Although this is the general trend based on past AP Exams, it is not mandated that the exam follow this format. In recent years and present, the multiple choice portion is Stimulus Based, meaning the students are given an excerpt of a speech or writing, photograph, or painting, to analyze and answer questions and/or give presentations on the given info.
| Test Part | Test Section | Time Allotted | Questions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | Multiple Choice | 55 minutes | 55 questions | 40% |
| Short Answer Questions (SAQ) | 40 minutes | 3 questions | 20% | |
| Part B | Document Based Question (DBQ) | 60 minutes (including 15-minute reading period) | 1 question | 25% |
| Long Essay Question (LEQ) | 40 minutes | 1 question | 15% |
The Free Response sections of the test offer some choice.[5]
The grade distributions as of 2023 are as follows:[6]
| Final Score | 2007 | 2008 | 2009[7] | 2010[8] | 2011[9] | 2012[10] | 2013[11] | 2014[12] | 2015[13] | 2016[14] | 2017[15] | 2018[16] | 2019[17] | 2020[18] | 2021[19] | 2022[20] | 2023[21] | 2024[22] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 11.1% | 9.2% | 13.9% | 12.7% | 10.6% | 10.5% | 10.4% | 8.6% | 10.3% | 7.4% | 9.3% | 11.9% | 11.7% | 13.7% | 10.6% | 13.5% | 12.9% | 13% |
| 4 | 18.9% | 17.2% | 19.2% | 18.4% | 18.7% | 19.2% | 18.8% | 16.9% | 17.3% | 16.0% | 18.6% | 19.9% | 20.5% | 20.1% | 19.4% | 21.0% | 21.3% | 34% |
| 3 | 35.9% | 34.9% | 33.9% | 34.5% | 35.5% | 36.0% | 34.8% | 34.0% | 35.6% | 29.2% | 28.0% | 25.9% | 25.9% | 25.5% | 24.7% | 24.4% | 25.2% | 25% |
| 2 | 11.2% | 12.1% | 11.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% | 10.8% | 11.0% | 11.8% | 10.7% | 35.1% | 31.9% | 30.0% | 29.4% | 29.2% | 32.5% | 29.7% | 29.0% | 21% |
| 1 | 22.9% | 26.6% | 21.7% | 23.2% | 23.6% | 23.5% | 25.0% | 28.7% | 26.2% | 12.3% | 12.1% | 12.2% | 12.5% | 11.5% | 12.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% | 7% |
| % of Scores 3 or Higher | 65.9% | 61.3% | 67.0% | 65.6% | 64.9% | 65.8% | 63.9% | 59.5% | 63.2% | 52.6% | 56.0% | 57.7% | 58.1% | 59.3% | 54.6% | 58.9% | 59.4% | 72% |
| Mean Score | 2.84 | 2.70 | 2.92 | 2.86 | 2.81 | 2.83 | 2.78 | 2.65 | 2.75 | 2.71 | 2.81 | 2.89 | 2.90 | 2.95 | 2.82 | 2.95 | 2.95 | |
| Standard Deviation | 1.28 | 1.28 | 1.31 | 1.31 | 1.28 | 1.28 | 1.29 | 1.29 | 1.29 | 1.10 | 1.15 | 1.21 | 1.21 | 1.22 | 1.19 | 1.23 | 1.22 | |
| Number of Students | 97,042 | 100,648 | 101,359 | 102,629 | 107,392 | 108,854 | 109,878 | 110,297 | 107,267 | 109,031 | 105,347 | 101,740 | 100,655 | 94,312 | 84,237 | 80,152 | 81,788 |