Mastering AP Exam Multiple Choice Strategies in History and Social Studies

The video tutorial by Steve Heimler provides strategies for tackling stimulus-based multiple choice questions in AP exams. It covers the importance of timing, the order of operations for approaching questions, and how to identify different types of answers, including wrong answers and distractors. The tutorial emphasizes the need for content mastery and offers tactical tips for improving performance, such as answering all questions and trusting your initial instincts. The goal is to help students achieve better scores by understanding the structure and strategy behind these questions.

What percentage of your AP exam score is made up by the multiple choice questions?

• 80%

• 20%

• 40%

• 60%

How much time do you have to complete each multiple choice question on the AP exam?

• 30 seconds

• 5 minutes

• 2 minutes

• 1 minute

What should you read first when approaching a stimulus-based question?

• The stimulus

• The question

• The attribution

• The answer choices

Which type of wrong answer is factually correct but does not answer the question?

• Distractor

• Continuity

• Historical thinking skill

• Time period mismatch

What is the first step in eliminating wrong answers?

• Pick the answer with the most details

• Choose the longest answer

• Eliminate answers from the wrong time period

• Identify the distractor

What is a key strategy to make wrong answers more obvious?

• Ignore the attribution

• Focus only on the stimulus

• Understand the time periods and vocabulary

• Memorize all possible answers

What is the recommended action if you are unsure about an answer?

• Skip to the next question

• Change it multiple times

• Guess and move on

• Leave it blank

What should you do if you are 100% sure your initial answer is wrong?

• Ask for help

• Change it

• Leave it as is

• Skip the question

What score range on the multiple choice section is typically needed to be on track for a top score?

• 60-70%

• 50-60%

• 70-80%

• 80-90%

What is the benefit of filling in an answer for every question?

• It shows effort

• It reduces anxiety

• You have a chance of guessing correctly

• You might get partial credit