Study Strategies

Below are some resources and study strategies that you can use to do well on APUSH MCQS!

Resources: 

1. Heimler's History (purchase plan): https://heimlershistory.com/ (for the free version without the note guides and MCQs go to https://www.youtube.com/@heimlershistory)

Heimler has videos, note guides, and practice MCQs (stimulus and nonstimulus based) that are completely aligned with what is learned in class. Watching his videos will help lessen your need to completely rely on the textbook (BUT STILL READ THE TEXTBOOK IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS CLASS) because you'll already be familiar with the material. 

2.    Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history 

As always, Khan Academy has a bunch of articles and practice questions for APUSH that will help get you used to the materials and learn how to handle practice questions. 

3. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ap-us-history 

This website is great for practice questions, primary sources (which can be helpful for stimulus based MCQs), and overviews of all the units. It is a great place to be exposed to potential stimuli and overview the key concepts of the units. 

4. Mission US https://www.mission-us.org/ 

This is one of my highest recommended sources to become engaged with United States history through interactive games. It gives valuable knowledge that will help with several units, alongside specific evidence that can be used for LEQs. With so many games to play, it is valuable for the American Revolution to the Great Depression. 

5. ICivics https://vision.icivics.org/ 

This is another gaming resource that will help you learn more about court cases, laws, and get you engaged. This resource is most useful for if you struggle with laws, but there are some historical games that will give some overview of a situation. NOTE: Some games will be more useful than others, so choose how to spend your time WISELY.

6. Oversimplified https://www.youtube.com/oversimplified 

Oversimplified is another fun and entertaining way to learn more about United States History that aligns with the curriculum. He has several videos on American history that help a lot. If you are someone who doesn't like history, his channel is especially valuable to help you get interested in the material. 

7. This site!

Deep Dive Into History has introductions to the units, alongside practice! We are also a great resource for APUSH MCQs!

Study Tips:

• Know the Concepts in Depth: APUSH is not a class that you will do well in if you just memorize the vocabulary. In order to do well on the MCQs, you must have deeper knowledge of the material. Thus, I recommend researching the concepts that you know will be on the test (more on that later) and becoming a professional on the various attributes. For example, if you learn about the Roosevelt Corollary look into it and compile a list of fun facts. Become an expert.

•  Familiarize Yourself with the Dates (unless you procrastinated): Since your teachers often say that you don't need to learn the dates, many students don't bother learning them. However, these dates can be incredibly valuable information when you're between two options or are asked questions like: What event had an impact on the creation of  _ or What event impacted perception of the Soviet Union in the 1950s?

Let me give you an example of how these dates can be useful with a practice question:

What event led to the economic growth of the United States during the 1940s?

A. The passage of the Employment Act.

B. The election of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

C. The creation of NATO.

D. The creation of the Office of Economic Opportunity. 

While this may seem like a difficult question because there are many answers that have a potential to be right, it is actually quite easy when you're familiar with the dates. The question asks for an event that led to economic growth in the 1940s! With this in mind, you can use your knowledge of the dates to remember that:

B. Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, which is not in the 1940s, 

C. NATO is obviously not right because it was a defense pact, 

and

D. The Office of Economic Opportunity was created in 1964. 

Thus, it would allow you to find the correct answer of A, because the Employment Act was enacted in 1946 making it the only sensible option to correspond with the time period. And there are often time periods listed in APUSH questions! Just check out a College Board Practice exam and see for yourself! 

HOWEVER, it is also important to use your time wisely! So, if you procrastinated on studying do not waste your time looking at dates. They are not necessary (but very helpful) and there are other ways to spend your time. 

•   Watch Videos on the Material: Videos on APUSH are some of the most helpful materials there are on the internet. While I have listed some of my favorites above, such as Oversimplified and Heimler, here is a list of some of the ones that you could use:

1. Heimler https://www.youtube.com/@heimlershistory

2. Oversimplified https://www.youtube.com/oversimplified 

3. AP Daily (you can find this on College Board) 

4. Crash Course https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse 

5. TED Ed https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsooa4yRKGN_zEE8iknghZA 

These are just some of the resources that I've used in the past, but there are plenty more that you can find on Google or Youtube!

•  Become Familiar with the Political Cartoons: Political cartoons are the backbone of the hardest stimulus based multiple choice questions. Unlike the written stimuli, they don't give much information and are up for interpretation. Thus, it is important to become familiar with the meanings, audience, and nuances of political cartoons about various laws. I recommend studying at least three (or less depending on how much time you have) political cartoons for each necessary law, event, or legislation in depth. This will not only familiarize you with these events/legislation but also potentially give you an edge if the political cartoon you chose ends up being the stimulus on your MCQ.  

Here are examples of some of the questions you can ask yourself about the political cartoons:

Who is the audience for this cartoon? What was the purpose of this cartoon? What were the views of the artist? What is this cartoon trying to say?

When it comes to finding the political cartoons you can study, I recommend the ones in the textbook, the most common ones searched on Google, or some on your teacher's slides (if they have it). This site also has some resources on political cartoons you can search. 

• Create a Cause, Basis, and Effect Chart for Each Important Law or Event: Creating a cause and effect chart is a great idea to completely familiarize yourself with the material. By creating a cause part you can pinpoint the events and legislation that led to a need or occurrence of what you're studying. The basis will talk about what the event or law consists of (what did it do, how did it address a problem). The effects will surround those who support and dislike the event, the public reaction, etc. 

Here is an example of a cause and effect chart: