What the AAQ Is and How Much It Counts
Question 1 of Section II in the Bluebook app is the Article Analysis Question (AAQ). You are given a single summarized peer-reviewed psychological study—structured with an Introduction, a Participants section (often including a demographic table), a Method section, a Results and Discussion section (with a graph or data table), and a formal citation.
The AAQ has six parts labeled A through F and is worth 7 raw points (Parts A–E are 1 point each; Part F is 2 points). Because Section II accounts for of your total exam score split equally between two questions, the AAQ makes up of your composite AP score. Each raw point on the AAQ adds roughly to your composite score—equivalent to getting about multiple-choice questions right.
The 25-Minute Timing Plan
You have 70 minutes for all of Section II. College Board recommends spending 25 minutes on the AAQ, leaving 45 minutes for the three-source Evidence-Based Question (EBQ).
| Minutes | Phase | Exact Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–2:00 | Preview Prompts | Read Parts A–F first. Note the exact variable named in Part B, the specific statistic asked about in Part C, and the claim or hypothesis tested in Part F. |
| 2:00–10:00 | Targeted Source Reading | Read the study summary from top to bottom. On your scratch paper, jot down one-word tags for A–F as you spot them in the text. |
| 10:00–18:00 | Draft Parts A–E | Type concise, 1-to-2 sentence answers for Parts A, B, C, D, and E (~1.5 minutes per part). |
| 18:00–23:00 | Draft Part F | Write a 3-to-4 sentence response for the 2-point argument in Part F, connecting specific findings to the hypothesis or prompt statement. |
| 23:00–25:00 | Audit Against Traps | Check every part against the fatal traps list below, then move immediately to Question 2. |
How to Read the Source in 8 Minutes
Every AAQ study summary follows a predictable anatomy. Know exactly which section of the text holds the answer to each prompt part:
- Introduction: States the researchers’ hypothesis or research question (needed for Part F).
- Participants: Gives total sample size () and demographic breakdowns such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, geographic location, or education level (needed for Part E, and sometimes ethics in Part D).
- Method: Explains whether variables were measured or manipulated and whether participants were randomly assigned (Part A), describes exactly how variables were quantified (Part B), and notes institutional review, consent, deception, or debriefing (Part D).
- Results and Discussion: Contains descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard deviation), inferential statistics (-values, effect sizes), correlations (), and data tables/graphs (Part C and Part F).