Logistics and Check-In
The AP World History: Modern exam is administered entirely in the Bluebook testing app and takes 3 hours 15 minutes of active testing time. Expect to be in the testing room for about 4 hours once check-in, instructions, and the scheduled break are included.
What to Bring and What to Leave
| Bring to the Testing Room | Leave Outside / In Your Bag |
|---|---|
| Fully charged testing device (school-managed or approved personal laptop/tablet) with Bluebook updated | Smartphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, and wearable tech |
| Power cord / charger (and an extension cord if your school requests it) | Study guides, notes, textbooks, or flashcard decks |
| Photo ID (school ID or government-issued ID) | Separate timers, stopwatches, or calculators (no calculator is permitted) |
| Your College Board username and password (you sign in to Bluebook when you check in on exam day) | Highlighters, colored pencils, or your own scratch paper |
| 2 sharpened pencils or pens for the proctor-supplied scratch paper | Earplugs, headphones, or connected Bluetooth accessories |
| A quiet, unwrapped snack and water bottle (stored under your chair or in the designated break area) | Reference maps, timelines, or historical charts |
Check-In and Room Setup
- Arrival: Arrive at your testing site at least 30 minutes before the morning session begins.
- Seating and Scratch Paper: Proctors will assign seats and distribute official scratch paper. You may not write on your scratch paper until the timer for Section I Part A starts.
- Bluebook Sign-In: You will log in, complete the pre-exam confirmation screens, and enter the start code provided by the proctor. The timer starts individually on your screen as soon as you enter the code.
Exam-Day Timeline and Pacing Plan
Each timed part locks automatically when its clock expires. Within a timed part, you can move freely between questions; once the part ends, you cannot return to it. In Section II, however, both essays share a single 100-minute clock.
| Exam Segment | Time Allotted | Tasks | Pacing Checkpoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I, Part A | 55 minutes | 55 stimulus-based multiple-choice questions (40% of score) | Min 20: at Q21Min 40: at Q42Min 52: all 55 answered; 3 min for flagged items |
| Section I, Part B | 40 minutes | 3 required short-answer questions, 3 parts each (20% of score) | Min 13: finish SAQ 1 (secondary text)Min 26: finish SAQ 2 (primary text)Min 39: finish SAQ 3 (visual/quantitative source) |
| Scheduled Break | Scheduled break | Restroom, water, snack, stretch | Screen locks automatically; do not touch electronics |
| Section II | 100 minutes | 1 DBQ (25% of score) + 1 required LEQ (15% of score) | Min 15: finish reading/grouping 7 DBQ docsMin 60: finish typing DBQ; move to LEQMin 65: finish LEQ outline on scratch paperMin 100: auto-submission |