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PART I
INTRODUCTION
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KEYS FOR SUCCESS ON THE AP ART HISTORY EXAM
Taking any Advanced Placement exam can be a daunting experience. The AP Art History exam is no exception. After all, the exam is based on a two-semester college-level introductory Art History course, and you’re still in high school! Don’t panic…relax. This Crash Course is going to guide you to success on the exam.
The AP Art History course and exam require you to develop your critical-thinking skills while helping you develop an in-depth understanding of the historical and cultural concepts of architecture, sculpture, painting, and other media.
Our Crash Course was designed to help you be more pragmatic in your approach to studying for the AP Art History exam by using a straightforward outline format.
1. Understand the Structure of the Exam
The AP Art History exam consists of both multiple-choice questions as well as free-response questions. The sections of the exam are as follows:
A. Section I consists of 80 multiple-choice questions.
| i. | This section will test your knowledge of the 250 selected works of art (the image set). |
| ii. | It is important to understand the context of each work in relation to the learning objectives (see Chapter 3). You will be expected to explain/discuss how the time period in which the work was created impacted the form, content, and function of the piece. |
| iii. | Some of the questions will be based on images and may be posed as single questions or as sets of questions. Some of the questions will not have accompanying images. |
| iv. | This section is timed and students will have 60 minutes to complete all of the questions. |
| v. | The grade for this section counts as 50% of your total grade for the exam. |
B. Section II consists of 6 free-response questions (essays).
| i. | This section will test the application of art historical skills, based primarily on the image set, contextual understanding of the artworks, as well as in-depth knowledge of artworks. |
| ii. | You may be asked to compare or contrast artworks from different time periods and/or cultures. |
| iii. | Images beyond the image set may be included to test students’ ability to recognize and/or attribute styles. |
| iv. | For some questions, images will be used, while for others students will need to choose an appropriate image or images to refer to in order to answer the question. These images may be from the image set or beyond. |
| v. | The total time allowed for the section is two hours. |
| vi. | The two longer free-response questions will be timed, and students will have 30 minutes to complete each one. |
| vii. | The four shorter free-response questions must be completed in 60 minutes. It is recommended that students spend 15 minutes on each question. |
| viii. | The grade for Section II will count as 50% of the total exam grade. |
2. Understand the AP Art History Topical Outline
Many students believe that members of the AP Art History exam development committee have the freedom to write any question they wish. This widespread belief is not true. AP Art History test writers use a detailed topical outline that tells them what they can and cannot ask.
Every question on the AP Art History exam can be linked to a specific point in the topical outline. Familiarize yourself with this outline before studying for the exam. The content areas found on the exam are as follows:
| Content Area | Percentage of Exam | Number of Images |
| Global Prehistory 30,000–500 BCE | 4 | 11 |
| Ancient Mediterranean 3500 BCE–300 CE | 15 | 36 |
| Early Europe and Colonial Americas 200–1750 CE | 20 | 51 |
| Later Europe and Americas 1750–1980 CE | 22 | 54 |
| Indigenous Americas 1000 BCE–1980 CE | 6 | 14 |
| Africa 1100–1980 CE | 6 | 14 |
| West and Central Asia 500 BCE–1980 CE | 4 | 11 |
| South, East, and Southeast Asia 300 BCE–1980 CE | 8 | 21 |
| The Pacific 700–1980 CE | 4 | 11 |
| Global Contemporary 1980 CE to present | 11 | 27 |
3. Understand How the Exam Is Scored
The College Board reports your combined multiple-choice score and your total free-response score on a five-point scale:
| 5 | Extremely well-qualified |
| 4 | Well-qualified |
| 3 | Qualified |
| 2 | Possibly qualified |
| 1 | No recommendation |
Many colleges give course credit for a score of 3 or better; other colleges take nothing bel...
