Directions and timing
This exam follows the same format and timing as Exams 1 and 2, with stimuli, topics, and period distribution distinct from both. Complete it under timed conditions when possible. Section I, Part A has 55 multiple-choice questions and you have 55 minutes, so plan on about one minute per question. This section is worth 40 percent of the exam score, more than any other single task, and the answer key and a full explanation for every question appear as soon as you submit.
How the questions are built
The questions come in sets of two to four that share one stimulus: a document excerpt, a table, a map, a cartoon, a speech, or a short historian's argument. Read the stimulus first and note its type, its date, and its point of view before you look at any answer choice. Many sets move from identifying the event, to explaining its cause or effect, to deciding what broader argument the source could support, so the last question in a set often asks what the source is best used as evidence for.
Working the section
- Answer every question. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave one blank.
- Place each source in time before you read the choices. Wrong options are often true statements from a different period.
- Watch for absolute words such as "all," "only," "never," and "no." They usually mark a distractor.
- When two choices both sound plausible, choose the one that stays closest to what the stimulus actually says and what you know about that window of time.
After the exam
Score yourself first, then read every explanation, including those for questions you answered correctly. Sort each miss by error type: content you did not know, a date or period you placed wrongly, a source you misread, or a choice you changed at the last minute. Use that sort to decide what to review before the next exam.