Format and Scoring Mechanics
Section I, Part B gives you 40 minutes to type responses to 3 required short-answer questions (SAQs) in the Bluebook app. There is no question choice: you must answer Question 1, Question 2, and Question 3. Together, these three questions account for 20% of your total exam score.
Each SAQ consists of three parts—(a), (b), and (c)—worth 1 raw point each, for a total of 9 raw points across the section. On the 150-point weighted composite scale, each raw SAQ point is worth composite points (roughly equivalent to getting 3 multiple-choice questions right).
| Question | Stimulus Type | Historical Period | Skills Often Tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Secondary text source (historian’s argument) | Any period from 1200 to 2001 | Claims and Evidence in Sources (Skill 3), Developments and Processes (Skill 1) |
| Question 2 | Primary text source | A different period from 1200 to 2001 | Sourcing and Situation (Skill 2), Contextualization (Skill 4) |
| Question 3 | Primary or secondary non-text source (image, map, chart) | A third period from 1200 to 2001 | Making Connections (Skill 5), Developments and Processes (Skill 1) |
How Readers Score Your Responses
AP readers grade each part—(a), (b), and (c)—independently on a binary 0 or 1 scale. There is no partial credit, no holistic grading, and no penalty for imperfect grammar or spelling as long as your meaning is clear. You do not need an overarching thesis statement or an essay paragraph structure.
Mastering the Task Verbs: The TEA Method
Your sentence count and depth of analysis depend entirely on the task verb in the prompt. Readers are trained to look for whether you satisfied the specific verb.
| Task Verb | What It Requires | Target Length | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identify | State a specific historical fact, development, or claim without elaboration. | 1–2 sentences | Topic + Evidence (Name it + date/place it in context). |
| Describe | Give the relevant characteristics of a development, process, or source feature. | 2 sentences | Topic + Evidence with descriptive detail (What did it look like or do?). |
| Explain | Show how (analyze a relationship or process) or why (analyze motivations or causes/effects) using evidence and reasoning. | 3–4 sentences | Full TEA: Topic claim + Example (specific historical evidence) + Analysis (“...which led to / because...”). |