How long is the APUSH exam?
The AP U.S. History exam takes 3 hours and 15 minutes. Section I is 55 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes, then 3 short-answer questions in 40 minutes. Section II gives you 1 hour and 40 minutes for two essays: the DBQ (about 60 minutes, including a 15-minute reading period) and the long essay (40 minutes). The whole exam is digital, in the Bluebook app.
Section I counts for 60% of your score: multiple choice is 40% and the short answers are 20%. Section II counts for the other 40%: the document-based question is 25% and the long essay is 15%. So the two essays take about half the time and carry almost as much weight as all 55 multiple-choice questions.
That works out to one minute per multiple-choice question and about 13 minutes per short answer. The recommended 60 minutes for the DBQ include 15 minutes to read the documents and plan, which leaves about 45 minutes to write. The long essay has 40 minutes, so plan about 5 minutes for an outline and 35 for writing.
You type everything in Bluebook, essays included. Only correct multiple-choice answers count toward your score, so a guess always beats a blank. In 2027 the exam is on Friday, May 7, in Session 1, usually the morning. Check-in and instructions come on top of the 3 hours and 15 minutes, and your AP coordinator tells you when and where to report.
| Part | Questions | Time | Share of score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 55 | 55 min | 40% |
| Short answer | 3 | 40 min | 20% |
| Document-based question (DBQ) | 1 | 60 min (incl. 15 min reading) | 25% |
| Long essay (LEQ) | 1 | 40 min | 15% |
| Total | 60 | 3 h 15 min | 100% |
- 1Take one full practice exam in one sitting and in the real order: multiple choice, short answers, DBQ, long essay.
- 2Hold yourself to one minute per multiple-choice question and mark the ones you guessed.
- 3Write each short answer in about 13 minutes: answer the prompt directly, then back it with one specific piece of evidence.
- 4Use the DBQ reading period to group the documents and write your thesis before you start the essay.
- 5Outline the long essay in about 5 minutes, then write for 35.
- 6Score your essays with the official College Board rubric and rewrite the weakest one.