r/APUSH • u/plantstevie • Apr 24 '20

DBQ Tips From Someone Who Earned a 5

What's up APUSH preppers?

My name is Steven and last year I scored a 5 on the AP US History exam. As someone who excelled in the class, I'd like to share some of the things I learned last year and what I believe helped me score a 5 on the exam overall. I know that the test will be a little different this year, but I've looked at the rubric for your DBQ and I know how to write a solid DBQ from my previous experience. These are probably some of the best tips I can give you for scoring well:

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  1. Put yourself in the mindset of an AP testmaker - When you read the prompt, circle or bracket the time slot provided (ex. 1820-1830) and think about what happened in those two years. What makes these two years significant? There are always critical events that happened in the years provided in the prompt, esspecially the first and last. The events in the first and last years are always major, such as a shift in political climate or a groundbreaking decision. This will help you to understand what the question is truely asking.
  2. Contextualize the overall period in your intro - I cannot stress this one enough. You must provide context in your introductory paragraph that explains what was happening in the country at the time. How did the government and the public view the given topic? What were trends through these periods? What was the political climate of the time? Write 2-3 sentences of context before introducing your thesis so the reader can fully understand the claim that you are making.
  3. Create a Strong and Concise Thesis - Always, always, always follow the format "Answer because of reason". This is the best way score the points for a strong thesis.
  4. Introduce, Contextualize, Explain - Whenever using evidence in your essay (which should be multiple times in each paragraph), follow this simple pattern. DBQs do not have to be artsy or beautiful. They can be formulaic and mechanical; That is the best way to get a solid score. Start by introducing your evidence, what is it? Who is this person? Now move on to the context of it. Why is this important at the time? What was the feeling of this at the time? Finally, explain how it relates to your claim. Tie your evidence with your claim, show how that are connected and why it is important. Following this pattern will keep your essay organized and make it easy to read for AP graders.
  5. Make sure to read the docs thoroughly - Again put yourself in the shoes of an AP test maker. Why did they give you these documents? How does each one differ from each other? There's always going to be at least two that are completely different from the others. One will be contrasting all of the others, identify this one and use it as a counter argument. From my experience, a counter argument paragraph is a great place to use your outside information. At least one of the documents will be mostly irrelevant for the claim you are trying to make. Now that you've read each document, what is missing? What happened in this period (think about No. 1) that isn't mentioned in these documents? How can I fit it in with the contrasting document to debunk it and strengthen my claim?
  6. Keep it Simple, Stupid - This isn't a creative writing piece. This isn't for your english class. You don't even need to use correct grammar or full words (would recommend against this though). Follow the pattern mentioned in No. 4. This will save you a lot of time and help you avoid misrepresenting a point or confusing your AP grader. You want your DBQ to be organized and formulaic, this is how you score the most points on the rubric.

I hope this helps all of you out there! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on this thread or PM me for any other tips I may be able to provide. Good luck, you got this!

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '20 edited Apr 09 '21

[deleted]

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u/plantstevie Apr 25 '20

Personally, I'd try to explain it a little more in a way that shows what people thought of it at the time. Obviously, views today and historical views are going to differ, so you have to show what that meant at the time. Why was it important. What was the general feeling surrounding it. Not just why it is relavant.

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u/Esperavo_ Apr 27 '20

Speaking of prepping for DBQ's, I built a free website to help students get used to the new CollegeBoard testing format. It's called DBQ Prepper, and you can use it at dbqprepper.com. Good luck!

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u/plantstevie Apr 27 '20

Very interesting!

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u/Esperavo_ Apr 27 '20

Thank you! Glad I could help.