UniGeniusUS History Exam Prep

US History Exam Prep

AP US History study planner for May 2027

Periods 3 to 8 carry 10–17% of the multiple choice each, and Periods 1, 2 and 9 much less. Tell the planner how sure you are of each period and it spends your time where the points are.

Hours a week for AP US History
Period 1: 1491–1607 4–6%
Period 2: 1607–1754 6–8%
Period 3: 1754–1800 10–17%
Period 4: 1800–1848 10–17%
Period 5: 1844–1877 10–17%
Period 6: 1865–1898 10–17%
Period 7: 1890–1945 10–17%
Period 8: 1945–1980 10–17%
Period 9: 1980–Present 4–6%

29 weeks to the exam on May 7, 2027

Start with Period 3

Period 3: 1754–1800: 14.9 of your 116 hours. It carries 10–17% of the multiple choice, about 7 of the 55 questions.

Hours per period
PeriodHoursAbout this many questions
Period 3: 1754–180014.97 of 55
Period 4: 1800–184814.97 of 55
Period 5: 1844–187714.97 of 55
Period 6: 1865–189814.97 of 55
Period 7: 1890–194514.97 of 55
Period 8: 1945–198014.97 of 55
Period 2: 1607–17547.74 of 55
Period 1: 1491–16075.53 of 55
Period 9: 1980–Present5.53 of 55

Week by week

  1. Week 1 · Oct 13Period 3: 1754–1800
  2. Week 2 · Oct 20Period 3: 1754–1800
  3. Week 3 · Oct 27Period 3: 1754–1800
  4. Week 4 · Nov 3Period 3: 1754–1800, Period 4: 1800–1848
  5. Week 5 · Nov 10Period 4: 1800–1848
  6. Week 6 · Nov 17Period 4: 1800–1848
  7. Week 7 · Nov 24Period 4: 1800–1848
  8. Week 8 · Dec 1Period 4: 1800–1848, Period 5: 1844–1877
  9. Week 9 · Dec 8Period 5: 1844–1877
  10. Week 10 · Dec 15Period 5: 1844–1877
  11. Week 11 · Dec 22Period 5: 1844–1877
  12. Week 12 · Dec 29Period 5: 1844–1877, Period 6: 1865–1898
  13. Week 13 · Jan 5Period 6: 1865–1898
  14. Week 14 · Jan 12Period 6: 1865–1898
  15. Week 15 · Jan 19Period 6: 1865–1898, Period 7: 1890–1945
  16. Week 16 · Jan 26Period 7: 1890–1945
  17. Week 17 · Feb 2Period 7: 1890–1945
  18. Week 18 · Feb 9Period 7: 1890–1945
  19. Week 19 · Feb 16Period 7: 1890–1945, Period 8: 1945–1980
  20. Week 20 · Feb 23Period 8: 1945–1980
  21. Week 21 · Mar 2Period 8: 1945–1980
  22. Week 22 · Mar 9Period 8: 1945–1980
  23. Week 23 · Mar 16Period 8: 1945–1980, Period 2: 1607–1754
  24. Week 24 · Mar 23Period 2: 1607–1754
  25. Week 25 · Mar 30Period 2: 1607–1754, Period 1: 1491–1607
  26. Week 26 · Apr 6Period 1: 1491–1607, Period 9: 1980–Present
  27. Week 27 · Apr 13Period 9: 1980–Present
  28. Week 28 · Apr 20Timed practice exam, then review every miss
  29. Week 29 · Apr 27Timed practice exam, then review every miss

Check your periods with the free drill

ExamFriday, May 7, 2027
Periods 3 to 810–17% of the multiple choice each
Periods 1, 2, 94–8% each
Last weeksKept for timed practice exams

How the plan is made

  • Each period starts from the middle of its published weight range.
  • A period you have not started gets about one and a half times its share; a solid period gets under half.
  • Periods are ordered by need, and the final one or two weeks are timed practice exams with review of every miss.

Making the hours count

  • Start each period with a few source-based questions to find what you do not know, then the lesson, then more questions.
  • Write one short answer a week and one essay every two weeks, and check each against the rubric.
  • Keep a running timeline of causes and effects: the essays reward connections across periods.

Try 2 questions

The American economy, 1980-2010 (original summary)

Between 1980 and 2010, the American economy changed shape. Factory jobs fell from about 19 million at their peak in 1979 to under 12 million by 2010, while jobs in health care, retail, finance and other services grew rapidly. In the early 1980s about one in five wage and salary workers belonged to a union; by 2010 the figure was closer to one in eight. Personal computers spread through offices in the 1980s, and the internet reached tens of millions of homes in the 1990s. Incomes at the top rose far faster than those in the middle, and the earnings of many working-class and middle-class families barely grew after accounting for inflation.

Source: Original text written for this course, summarizing federal labor statistics and economic change from 1980 to 2010.

Question 1
Which of the following most directly contributed to the decline in factory jobs described in the excerpt?

Powhatan to John Smith, about 1609, as reported by Smith

What will it avail you to take that by force you may quickly have by love, or to destroy them that provide you food? What can you get by war, when we can hide our provisions and fly to the woods, whereby you must famish by wronging us your friends? . . . Think you I am so simple not to know it is better to eat good meat, lie well and sleep quietly with my women and children, laugh and be merry with you, have copper, hatchets or what I want, being your friend, than be forced to fly from all, to lie cold in the woods, feed upon acorns, roots and such trash?

Source: Speech of Powhatan as reported in John Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia (London, 1624), adapted. Public domain.

Question 2
The situation Powhatan describes is best understood in the context of

Next step

Take the free source-analysis drillTake the course tour

College Board's AP US History course page, with the period weights

Questions people ask

Which APUSH period is weighted most?

Periods 3 to 8 (1754 to 1980) are each 10–17% of the multiple choice. Periods 1 and 9 are 4–6% and Period 2 is 6–8%.

How long should I study for AP US History?

It depends on how much of the course you know. The planner turns your weekly hours into hours per period; most students do best with steady weekly practice rather than a final cram.

When should I start studying for the 2027 AP US History exam?

Now is best: steady weekly study through the school year leaves the final weeks for full practice exams before May 7, 2027.