The AP Test consists of 80 multiple choice questions (MCQ's) which lasts 55 minutes; the15 minute planning/45 minute writing Document Based Questions (DBQ's) and the 2 Free Response Essays that are given 60 minutes to complete.

In total the AP United States History Exam is 3 Hours and 5 Minutes in Length

I go in-depth concerning the DBQ part of the Test, so this section is for the other two parts.

The 55 minute, 80 question, multiple choice part of the Exam is 50% of your total grade.

1/4 points are deducted for incorrect answers, no points are deduced for blanks, yet it is better to eliminate one or more answers and then to guess

The College Board has provided this as a breakdown of the questions of the exam:

Breakdown by Era:

Breakdown by General Subject:

 The 2 Free - Response Essays combined with the DBQ make up the other 50% of the total grade for the exam. Thus the DBQ makes up for 25% of the Test, and the two free response essays make up for the other 25%

It's two essays that you have to do in an allocated amount of time. Remember that when you do the essays, don't worry about structure, worry about content. Make sure that you clearly answer the questions that it states.  There are a total of 6 free - response questions. They are divided in two groups with each group containing 3 questions. Out of the two groups you will be asked to choose one from each group thus at the end of the day you will write two essays.

Both the multiple-choice and the free-response sections cover the period from the first European explorations of the Americas to the present, although the majority of questions are on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Essay questions are designed, additionally, to make it possible for students from widely differing courses to demonstrate their mastery of historical interpretation and their ability to express their views and knowledge in writing. The standard essay questions may require students to relate developments in different areas (e.g., the political implications of an economic issue), to analyze common themes in different time periods (e.g., the concept of national interest in United States foreign policy), or to compare individual or group experiences that reflect socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, or gender differences (e.g., social mobility and cultural pluralism). Although historiography is not emphasized in the examination, students are expected to have a general understanding of key interpretations of major historical events. When questions based on literary materials are included, the emphasis will not be on literature as art but rather on its relation to politics, social and economic life, or related cultural and intellectual movements. Answers to standard essay questions will be judged on the strength of the thesis developed, the quality of the historical argument, and the evidence offered in support of the argument, rather than on the factual information per se. Unless a question asks otherwise, students will not be penalized for omitting one or another specific illustration.

General Rubric for APUSH Essays - 9 pt. Scale

Note: An essay that does two or three elements may very well be a "5".