AP European History

What Is on the AP European History Test?

The AP European History Test covers a broad range of material in European history, primarily from 1450 to the present day. The exam contains four sections: Multiple choice, short answer, plus one document-based question, and one long essay. The exam follows the AP European History course units, with each of the 9 units making up 10-15% of the test's questions. The units are as follows:

Renaissance and Exploration

This unit of the exam covers the period in European history from 1450 to 1648, covering questions about the various areas of Europe having renaissance periods and these periods' characteristics. This unit also covers various European expeditions into the New World, the new technologies that enabled this, and the businesses or motivations spurring this onward.

Age of Reformation

This type of content in the AP European History test continues to cover the time period from 1450 to 1648, this unit focuses on relevant religions and their origins, the wars fought over them and their motivations, the foundations of society and political life, and various other movements in the regions of Europe in this era.

Absolutism and Constitutionalism

The Absolutism and Constitutionalism unit of the course and exam focuses on the economies and state-building practices of European nations from 1648 to 1815. Test-takers should know the basics of economic development in this period of European History, as well as principles of Absolutism and Constitutionalism and how these movements guided the development of Europe.

Scientific, Philosophical, and Political Developments

From the same 1648 to 1815 time period, AP European History test-takers should be familiar changes brought about in European by the the Enlightenment. Examinees should also appreciate how the Scientific Revolution affected culture and society. Questions from this unit will also ask questions about European life in the 18th century regarding demographics and art.

Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century

This unit again covers the time period from 1648-1815. This segment of the exam and course will contain questions about the rise of various European empires, the economic developments driving these rises, and the nations and state leaders behind the wars for dominance in the national sphere. Specific topics can include the French Revolution, Napoleon, and the characteristics of the Romanticism movement.

Industrialization and Its Effects

This unit of the exam finds its focus on the Industrial Revolution and its effects and consequences on the lives of European citizens. Broadly covering the era from 1815-1914, AP European History test-takers should know the factors leading up to the Industrial Revolution, the reactions and responses to it, and the various revolutions or reformations that took place in this period.

19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments

This section of the AP European History test covers the broad developments in European culture and society from 1815-1914. Questions focus on the rise of nationalism, the advent of Darwinism, continued imperialism, and the effects these various developments had on European life, arts, and culture. Test-takers should also know the relationships the European nations had with one another in this era of modernity.

20th-Century Global Conflicts

As the name of this unit suggests, questions of this nature reflect on the various global wars from 1914 to the present and their societal, economic, and political causes. Test-takers should be familiar with the ramifications of both World War I and World War II and the changes this era of immense conflict brought to the European continent.

Cold War and Contemporary Europe

This unit of the test again focuses on the era from 1914 to the present. Test-takers should know the causes, nature, and effect of the Cold War on European nations and more recent changes on the European continent such as immigration, decolonization, feminism, and the current globalized era of vast technological advances.