AP Exam Test Format
REA AP Art History Test Prepartation
I. Ancient through Medieval—30%
 Greece and Rome
10—15%
 Early Christian , Byzantine, Early Medieval
5—10%
 Romanesque
3—7%
 Gothic
7—10%
II. Beyond the European Tradition– 20%
 Africa (including Egypt), the Americas, Asia,
Near East, Oceania, and Global Islamic
Traditions
III. Renaissance to Present—50%
 14th thru 16th Centuries
12—17%
 17th through 18 Centuries 10—15%
 19th Century
10—15%
 20th and 21st Centuries
10—15%
About the Exam
 3 hours long
 115 multiple-choice questions
 7 short essays
 2 long essays
Exam Format
 Part A: Slide-base Multiple-choice Questions
 Part B: Multiple-choice Questions
 Long Essay
 Short Essay
 Long Essay
Section I (One hour)
 Part A: Slide-based Multiple-Choice
Questions (.69 point per question)
 Four sets of images
 Each set contains seven to nine questions
 Fours minutes to answer each set
Section I (One Hour)
 Part B: Multiple-choice Questions (.69 point
per question)
 85 to 87 questions
 About half refer to specific works of art that
are illustrated
 Part A & B total 115 questions (then a break)
Section II: Free-response Questions
 Long Essay Question (25 points)
 Must incorporate at least one example from
beyond the European tradition
 30 Minutes
Section II: Free-response Questions
 Short Essay Questions (10 points per question)
 7 timed essays
 Two 5-minute essays
 Five 10-minute essays
 Based on slides and one primary source quote
 60 Minutes
Section II: Free-response Questions
 Long Essay Question (25 points per question)
 The question asks you to address significant
art history themes and problems.
 You must use specific examples
 30 Minutes
Scoring Multiple Choice (80 points)
 1 point per correct answer
 Incorrect answers are 1 x 1/3

 Example: imagine you answer 100 questions
correctly and 15 questions incorrectly
100 – (15 x 1/3)
100 – 5 = 95
95 x .69
66
Scoring Short Essay (70 points)
 Each of the 7 essays is worth 10 points
 Readers grade them on a 4-point scale
 Total score is multiplied by 2.5
7 essays x 4 points = 28 points
28 points x 2.5 = 70 points
Scoring the Long Essay (50 points)
 Each of the two longs essays is worth 25
points
 Essays are scored on a scale of 0—9
 The score is multiplied by 2.77
Strategy Short Essay (4 points)
 Each short essay begins with a question
asking you to identify the date, the artist, the
architect, or the work (1 point)
 Then you must answer the question

Be sure to give at least 3 more important facts
or observations to earn the 4 points