Curriculum fit: US AP World History: Modern, which covers c. 1200 CE to the present. Format follows AP Central checked on 6 November 2026. College Board announced updates to the short-answer and long-essay questions from May 2027, so check the latest exam page.
On this page
What Is It?
AP World History: Modern covers world history from about 1200 CE to the present, in nine units. The exam lasts 3 hours and 15 minutes and has four parts.
Section I has 55 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes (40% of the score) and 3 short-answer questions in 40 minutes (20%). Section II has the document-based question, or DBQ, which is 25% of the score and lasts 1 hour including a 15-minute reading period, and a long essay of 40 minutes that is 15%.
The 2027 exam is on 6 May 2027. The content stays the same, but College Board has announced changes to how the short-answer and long-essay questions are set, so check AP Central before you practise.
Key Formulas and Ideas
- Exam length: 3 hours 15 minutes. Multiple choice 55 questions, 55 minutes, 40%. Short answer 3 questions, 40 minutes, 20%. DBQ 1 hour (15-minute reading period included), 25%. Long essay 40 minutes, 15%.
- Units: 1 The Global Tapestry, 2 Networks of Exchange, 3 Land-Based Empires, 4 Transoceanic Interconnections, 5 Revolutions, 6 Consequences of Industrialization, 7 Global Conflict, 8 Cold War and Decolonization, 9 Globalization.
- Unit weighting: units 3, 4, 5 and 6 are 12% to 15% each. The other units are 8% to 10% each.
- Historical thinking skills: contextualization, comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time.
Worked Examples
Check the Total Time
Add the four parts of the exam to check that they total 3 hours 15 minutes.
- Multiple choice 55 + short answer 40 = 95 minutes.
- DBQ 60 + long essay 40 = 100 minutes.
- 95 + 100 = 195 minutes = 3 hours 15 minutes.
✓ Answer 195 minutes, which is 3 hours 15 minutes
Time per Multiple-Choice Question
There are 55 questions in 55 minutes. How long do you have for each?
- 55 minutes ÷ 55 questions.
- That is 1 minute each.
- Skip hard questions and return later so that one question does not use up your time.
✓ Answer 1 minute per question
Add up the Weights
The four exam parts are weighted 40%, 20%, 25% and 15%. Do they total 100%?
- 40 + 20 = 60.
- 60 + 25 = 85.
- 85 + 15 = 100.
✓ Answer Yes, 100%
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Learning a list of dates without the connections between events, which is what the exam tests.
- Giving less time to units 3 to 6 even though they carry the largest weighting.
- Writing a DBQ answer that describes the documents instead of using them to make an argument.
- Starting the long essay without a thesis that answers the question.
Practice Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What period does AP World History: Modern cover?
It covers c. 1200 CE to the present, split into nine units that follow connections between regions rather than one country at a time.
How long is the AP World History exam?
The exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes. That includes the multiple-choice section, short-answer questions, the document-based question and the long essay.
Are the exam questions changing in 2027?
College Board has announced updates to the short-answer and long-essay questions effective with the May 2027 exam, while the course content stays the same. Always read the latest information on AP Central.
Keep Going With These Guides
AP World History DBQ: Rubric and How to Score 7
The AP World History DBQ scoring rubric explained: thesis, contextualization, evidence, sourcing and complexity, with a step-by-step plan for 7 points.
APHigh SchoolThe Industrial Revolution: Causes, Inventions and Effects
Find out why the Industrial Revolution began in Britain, how factories and steam power changed life and what reforms followed.
KS3GCSEMiddle SchoolHigh School+1The Cold War: Causes, Key Events and How It Ended
Understand the rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1991, with key events such as the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
GCSEA-LevelHigh SchoolAPCauses of World War One: MAIN Causes and the Trigger
Learn the long-term causes of the First World War (militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism) and how the 1914 assassination set it off.
GCSEA-LevelHigh SchoolAPSources and Review
Reviewed by StudyMorrow editorial review on 6 Nov 2026.