APUSH (A.P. United States History) and AP World (A.P. World History) have had some massive changes. Previously, the Long Essay Question (LEQ) section provided students with three distinct prompts, enabling them to select the time period or theme in which they felt most confident. The College Board has revised the format so that students now receive a single, broader prompt. As a result, the question encompasses a wider chronological range and requires students to incorporate evidence from multiple eras, connect themes across different periods, and demonstrate a comprehensive historical understanding. Students are expected to apply contextualization, analyze continuity and change, and make comparisons across a broader scope of the curriculum.
In the previous format, the Short Answer Question (SAQ) section consisted of four questions: the first two were stimulus-based, while students could choose between question three or four, which were non-stimulus. Beginning this year, the SAQ section includes only three questions, all of which are stimulus-based, and students no longer have a choice of questions. Consequently, students must be proficient in analyzing documents, images, charts, and excerpts for every SAQ. The revised SAQs place greater emphasis on source interpretation, historical reasoning, and the development of evidence-based claims.
One benefit is that the new format creates a more predictable structure, since students no longer must choose between multiple prompts. Another advantage is that broader prompts encourage students to develop stronger historical thinking skills across more units. The wider chronological range in the LEQ and DBQ (Document Based Question) gives students more opportunities to use outside evidence and deeper contextualization. A final benefit is that students get consistent practice with stimulus analysis because every SAQ now includes a source. One drawback is that removing choice increases pressure, since students cannot avoid weaker topics or time periods. Another disadvantage is that broader LEQ prompts are more challenging because they require knowledge from multiple eras instead of just one. The new SAQ format also adds more reading, which can slow students down because every question includes a stimulus. A final drawback is that the DBQ becomes more complex, as students must connect documents to a wider chronological range and integrate evidence from different eras. The MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) has stayed the same in which students have to answer 55 questions in 55 minutes.
