AP Score Calculator

AP US History Score Calculator 2025 | Instant APUSH Composite & Percentile Estimator

3 months ago
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Convert your AP U.S. History raw multiple-choice and DBQ/FRQ points into an accurate 1-to-5 score with our free APUSH Score Calculator. Updated for the 2025 rubric—fast, mobile-friendly, perfect for study planning and performance tracking.

AP® US History Score Calculator

Adjust the sliders below to calculate your potential AP® score.

Section I: Part A – Multiple Choice 0/55
Section I: Part B – Short-Answer Questions
Short-Answer Question 1 0/3
Short-Answer Question 2 0/3
Short-Answer Question 3 0/3
Section II: Essays
Document-Based Question 0/7
Long-Essay Question 0/6
Your Estimated AP® Score
1
Keep studying those historical periods!
MCQ Score (scaled to 52)
0
FRQ Score (scaled to 78)
0
Total Composite Score
0/130
0306090120130
Score Thresholds (approximate):
1 (0-43) • 2 (44-62) • 3 (63-79) • 4 (80-96) • 5 (97+)
Official APUSH Practice

AP US Government – 2025 Cheatsheet

🏛 Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy ▼
  • The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Jefferson and set the foundation of sovereignty for the U.S Constitution.
  • The Articles of Confederation demonstrated that having a weak government makes the government less efficient and unable to settle disputes.
  • Representative democracies can be participatory (strong civil society) pluralist (recognition of multiple interest groups) or elite (limited participation).
  • Checks and balances - limits to each gov branch. Explained by Federalist no. 51.
  • Compromises of the Constitution:
    • Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) - creation of a bicameral structure in congress to have both representational and population-based representation.
    • Electoral college - compromise between those that wanted popular vote and those who wanted the legislature to elect the President. Presidents must have a majority (270 out of 538) of votes to win an election.
    • Three-Fifths Compromise - compromise reached between southern states on how slaves should be counted for representation and taxation purposes.
⚖️ Unit 2: Branches of Government ▼
  • Congress - the branch that makes laws to govern the country. It consists of two chambers: the Upper House (Senate) and lower house (HoR).
    • Enumerated powers: declaring war, passing federal budget, raise revenue, coin money, and enact some legislation.
    • Senate - Represents states equally (2 senators per state).
    • House of Rep - Represents the population (re-evaluated by a census every 10 years).
  • Simple majority → used to pass legislation, gov appointments.
  • Supermajority → requires two-thirds of votes, used to pass amendments.
  • Filibuster - tactic used to prevent legislation from moving forward. It can be stopped through cloture which requires a three-fifths vote from Congress.
  • Pork-barrel spending consists of spending directly towards a specific group of people. Logrolling consists of parties supporting each other's initiative for mutual benefit.
  • President - Enumerated powers of President:
    • Chief of Executive branch
    • Power to appoint officials
    • Commander-in-Chief of the military
    • Power to Veto Laws (can be overridden with two/thirds majority of congress)
  • Judicial branch - power of judicial review which consists of the power to review any legislation. SCOTUS → Highest court.
👥 Unit 3: Civil Liberties & Civil Rights ▼
  • The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments of the constitution and it guarantees individual rights and liberties.
  • Freedom of Speech and of the press - right to express opinions without censorship, restraint or fear of retribution.
  • Right to bear arms - Supreme Court has protected it as an individual right and it has also posed specific restrictions on it, such as bans on certain types of weapon.
  • Selective Incorporation - States can incorporate rights of the bill of rights piece by piece.
  • Due Process clause - states that the government must follow impartial and fair procedures when taking away an individual's life, liberty or property. Established by the 5th and 14th amendments.
    • The court determined that the right to privacy is protected under the due process clause.
  • The rights of the accused include several rights, such as right to a speedy trial, right to remain silent, right to counsel, among others.
  • The Miranda clause police must warn an individual of their rights before questioning them in custody.
  • The Equal Protection clause - all individuals within jurisdiction of state are entitled to equal protection.
🐘 Unit 4: American Political Ideologies & Beliefs ▼
  • Political Socialization is the process by which individuals acquire their political values, beliefs, and attitudes.
  • Public opinions can be tracked by polls:
    • Opinion polls → measure public opinion
    • Benchmark polls → 1st poll in a campaign
  • Parties:
    • Democratic party → more aligned with liberal views
    • Republican party → more aligned with conservative views
  • Ideologies and Policies
    • Liberal → favors governmental intervention and regulation of markets. Supports the expansion of the right of privacy.
    • Conservative → favors a free market and smaller government intervention in the economy.
    • Libertarians → do not favor government intervention beyond protection of private property.
🗳 Unit 5: Political Participation ▼
  • Types of voting:
    • Rational choice → individual interest
    • Retrospective → based on recent events
    • Prospective → based on expectation
    • Party-line voting → based on party support
  • Political efficacy → individual's belief that they can shape outcome.
  • Linkage institutions → channel btwn individuals and the gov't. Incl political parties, Interest groups, elections & the media.
  • Electing a President
    • Incumbency → advantage based on their current status as an office holder
    • Open and closed primaries → system to decide on candidate to represent a party in general election
    • Caucuses → meeting between party members to draft platforms and nominate candidates
    • Party convention → Gathering of representatives of political party to conduct business
    • Delegates → appointed by a party to represent constituents of a specific area
📜 Foundational Documents ▼
  • DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE → 1776, Jefferson, natural rights philosophy, consent of governed, grievances against king, self-evident truths
  • THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION → 1781-1789, weak central government, no taxation power, unanimous consent for amendments, state sovereignty
  • THE CONSTITUTION → 1789, established three branches, federalism, separation of powers, created stronger national government
  • BRUTUS NO. 1 → anti-Federalist essay, warned of federal power abuses, argued Constitution threatened states' rights and individual liberties
  • FEDERALIST NO. 10 → Madison, republic better than democracy for controlling factions, extended republic reduces tyranny of majority
  • FEDERALIST NO. 51 → Madison, separation of powers, checks and balances between branches, "ambition must counteract ambition"
  • FEDERALIST NO. 70 → Hamilton, unitary executive needed for energy and accountability, warned against plural executive
  • FEDERALIST NO. 78 → Hamilton, judicial review necessary, courts as constitutional guardians, judiciary as "least dangerous" branch
  • LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL → 1963, MLK, justified civil disobedience against unjust laws, distinguished just vs. unjust laws, criticized "white moderate"
📝 Bill of Rights ▼
  • 1st → freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition
  • 2nd → right to bear arms
  • 3rd → no quartering soldiers
  • 4th → protection from unreasonable searches/seizures
  • 5th → due process, self-incrimination, double jeopardy, eminent domain
  • 6th → speedy trial, public trial, impartial jury, counsel
  • 7th → jury trial in civil cases
  • 8th → no excessive bail, cruel/unusual punishment
  • 9th → unenumerated rights retained by people
  • 10th → powers not delegated reserved to states/people
📋 Subsequent Amendments ▼
  • 11th → states immune from federal lawsuits
  • 12th → revised presidential election procedures
  • 13th → abolished slavery
  • 14th → citizenship, due process, equal protection
  • 15th → prohibited racial voting discrimination
  • 16th → federal income tax
  • 17th → direct election of senators
  • 18th → prohibited alcohol
  • 19th → women's right to vote
  • 20th → "Lame Duck", shorter transitions
  • 21st → repealed prohibition
  • 22nd → presidential term limits
  • 23rd → DC electoral votes
  • 24th → prohibited poll taxes
  • 25th → presidential succession/disability
  • 26th → voting age lowered to 18
  • 27th → congressional pay changes
⚖️ SCOTUS Cases ▼
  • MARBURY V. MADISON (1803) → established judicial review, Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional
  • MCCULLOCH V. MARYLAND (1819) → federal supremacy over states, upheld national bank, implied powers, states can't tax federal institutions
  • SCHENCK V. UNITED STATES (1919) → "clear and present danger" test, speech can be limited during wartime, distributed anti-draft leaflets
  • BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION (1954) → overturned "separate but equal," school segregation unconstitutional, violated 14th Amendment
  • BAKER V. CARR (1962) → "one person, one vote," redistricting justiciable by federal courts, not just political question
  • ENGEL V. VITALE (1962) → school prayer unconstitutional, violated Establishment Clause, state-written prayer violates 1st Amendment
  • GIDEON V. WAINWRIGHT (1963) → right to attorney for felony defendants in state courts, 6th Amendment applies to states
  • TINKER V. DES MOINES (1969) → students don't "shed rights at schoolhouse gate," symbolic speech protected, black armbands protest
  • NEW YORK TIMES V. UNITED STATES (1971) → "Pentagon Papers" case, prior restraint presumed unconstitutional, press freedom
  • WISCONSIN V. YODER (1972) → religious exemption from compulsory education, Amish freed from high school attendance, Free Exercise
  • SHAW V. RENO (1993) → racial gerrymandering subject to strict scrutiny, oddly-shaped districts created for racial reasons unconstitutional
  • UNITED STATES V. LOPEZ (1995) → limited Commerce Clause power, struck down Gun-Free School Zones Act, non-economic activity
  • MCDONALD V. CHICAGO (2010) → 2nd Amendment applies to states through 14th Amendment, handgun ban unconstitutional
  • CITIZENS UNITED V. FEC (2010) → corporate political spending is protected speech, struck down campaign finance restrictions
📚 Exam Overview ▼
  • 55 MCQs in 80 mins, 50%
  • 4 FRQs in 100 minutes, 50%
    • Q1: Concept Application (3pts) → authentic political scenario, explain institution/behavior/process effects, apply concepts to new situation
    • Q2: Quantitative Analysis (4pts) → interpret data (table/graph/map), describe patterns/trends, draw conclusions, explain political principles
    • Q3: SCOTUS Comparison (4pts) → compare required case with non-required case, identify similarities/differences, explain facts/issues/holdings/reasoning, connect to political principles
    • Q4: Argument Essay (6pts) → develop defensible thesis, use evidence from two foundational documents, explain reasoning, respond to opposing view, maintain logical line of reasoning
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