AP US History (APUSH) Score Calculator

The College Board hasn’t yet released their official scoring guide for the new AP US History (APUSH) Exam. We looked at how they scored things last year and used the same percentages for multiple choice and free response questions to make our best guess at how it’ll work to design this APUSH score calculator.

Want to know how you might do on the APUSH exam? Our AP US History score calculator can help. It’s very helpful during your study – you can add your practice scores and see where you stand. If you notice you’re not doing so hot in certain areas, you’ll know exactly what to focus on. Keep practicing and using the calculator to track your progress, and you’ll be in good shape to get hopefully 4, or 5, or at least 3 (they’re all considered good scores!).

AP United States History Exam Structure

Before we calculate the results, it’s important to understand how the APUSH exam is structured. The exam has two main sections with a different type of question format:

Section I: Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Questions

1. Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs):
   • You’ll answer 55 questions in 55 minutes.
   • These questions test your ability to analyze primary and secondary sources, understand historical contexts, and connect major events or themes from 1491 to the present.
2. Short-Answer Questions (SAQs):
   • You’ll answer 3 out of 4 questions.
   • These are concise, focused questions that test your knowledge of specific historical events or processes.

Section II: Free-Response Questions

1. Document-Based Question (DBQ):
   • This section requires you to analyze the 7 given historical documents and craft your detailed argument based on your knowledge and provided stuff.
   • It’s graded on a rubric that evaluates your thesis, use of evidence, and contextual understanding.
2. Long Essay Question (LEQ):
   • You choose one out of three prompts to write an argument.
   • This section measures your ability to construct an argument supported by historical evidence.

The APUSH exam has a few different parts:

• Multiple Choice Questions: 55 questions worth 40% of your total score
• Document-Based Question: One question worth 25%
• Short Answer Questions: Three questions worth 20%
• Long Essay Question: One question worth 15%

How the APUSH Exam Score Calculator Works

The AP US History score calculator gives you a quick and fairly accurate prediction of how you might score on the exam. It’s based on the scoring guidelines provided by the College Board for the 2023 AP exams. While it can’t exactly replicate the scoring process (because the College Board doesn’t release the final curve), it does an impressive job of estimating scores using historical data and other reliable sources.

Here’s how this calculator works based on given input values:

Your APUSH exam has two main sections—Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Free Response Questions (FRQs).

• MCQs: Out of the 55 questions, it takes your raw score and scales it to 52 points because that’s the weight MCQs carry in your final score.
• FRQs: You’ll answer three Short Answer Questions (SAQs), one Document-Based Question, and one Long Essay Question. Each of these sections is worth a different number of points:
  • SAQs: You’ll pick your top 3 responses (each scored out of 3), so this section can earn you up to 9 points.
  • DBQ: This is scored out of 7, but it scales up using a multiplier of ~7.14 so it reflects its bigger weight.
  • LEQ: Your score (out of 6) for it is scaled with a multiplier of ~3.57.

Once it has measured all your FRQ sections, the algorithm combines them with your scaled MCQ score for a total composite score out of 130.

Is the Calculator Gives Accurate Results?

Your total score gets converted into an AP® score (1–5) based on these benchmarks derived from past exams. These figures are approximates, not guarantees, but they give you a solid idea of how well you will do in the test.

• 75% or more = 5
• 60–74% = 4
• 45–59% = 3
• 30–44% = 2
• Less than 30% = 1

Keep in mind that the actual cutoffs for each score fluctuate every year depending on how students perform overall. So, these are not guaranteed results but only estimates that are close enough to the actual data.

As every year may have a new system to score marks, it may not remain the same in the upcoming Exam. That’s why the APUSH score calculator can’t promise 100% accuracy—it doesn’t know the curve.

This tool is good for figuring out how you’re doing and where you need to focus. Want to know if you’re crushing the most important DBQ part or need to focus more on your LEQ section? Adjust the sliders, see how your score changes, and prepare yourself as much as you can.

How are the AP US History Exams Scored

The multiple-choice section is scored by a computer. Each correct answer earns you a point, and there’s no penalty for guessing.

The free-response section (SAQs, DBQ, and LEQ) is more complex. These essays are graded by real humans during an annual event called “The Read.”

Here’s how it works:

• Every June, AP teachers and college professors from around the world gather to grade thousands of essays.
• The graders are trained using specific examples to ensure consistency and fairness.
• The rubrics are customized to the year’s specific prompts, so graders know exactly what to look for.
• High-scoring essays are appreciated on the table gathering—yes, graders want you to succeed.

After all sections are scored, your multiple-choice and free-response scores are summed up into a composite score. This value is then converted into the 1-5 AP scale.

What is the Average APUSH Score?

It is one of the most important questions students usually ask, they want to know about the average exam score and how much they should need. As we already discussed, changes happen in the points year by year and we can’t say much about the coming test. But looking at the scoring distributions from the last few years, here’s some data about what the average APs remained so far:

• In 2020, the average score was 2.83.
• In 2019, it was 2.71.
• Over a six-year period, the average hovered around 2.70.

This means most students remain in the 2-3 range. While a 5 is obviously the dream, it’s not something most can achieve except the rare talents. Instead of feeling discouraged, use this information to your advantage. The average score reminds us that AP US H is a challenging exam, and earning even a 3 is a good achievement. By practicing consistently and using our APUSH Exam score calculator, there is a good chance that you score above the average.

How to Get a 5 Score in the AP US History Exam

There’s no magic formula, but these are a few tips on what successful students do:

1. Start Early: Build your knowledge of historical themes and events over time instead of cramming.
2. Practice Writing Essays: Both the DBQ and LEQ require clear, well-organized historical arguments. The more you practice, the better you’ll get. You need to present your answer supported by strong data and convince the exam checker with different points based on your knowledge.
3. Use the AP US History Score Calculator: Input your practice test results to see how close you are to a 5. This helps you set realistic goals.
4. Analyze Past Mistakes: Pay attention to where you lose points and focus on improving those areas.

Remember, a 3 or 4 is still a great score and can earn you college credit at many schools. Don’t stress too much about perfection—focus on improvement instead.