AP European History Guide
A comprehensive study tool for acing European history and getting a 5 on your exam
Other Resources
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- Textbook: For all you romantics and Luddites, it doesn’t get any simpler than actually reading a textbook (but we totally agree– it can be boring and blatantly wrong.) For a book that covers things that this guide may not, check out http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072424370/student_view0/, or The Western Experience. You’ll learn everything you could possible want and not want to know about European history. We recommend this if you have plenty of time before a test or the AP Exam, and are an efficient reader. This is NOT for any cramming or semi-cramming situation.
- Review books: Any AP European History student will give tell you about one, supreme review book: Crash Course! It’s short, simple, and presented in a super-clear outlined format. It, however, DOES NOT COVER ALL OF THE MATERIAL ON THE TEST (it comes very, very close). The book lists the “essential” topics based on past exams, and it’s usually accurate. It has important specifics, but it is not enough to completely master the curriculum. If you’re looking for a 5 on the exam, use this to supplement your studying. Honestly, it should be a mandatory buy for any EHAP student. Buy it here:
- Other books include the standard review types, like Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Barrons.
- Books: A super-diligent student will have checked out a variety of primary sources on European history, or read a historian’s account of a particular event/time period. Try From Vienna to Versailles by L.C.B. Seamen for a brilliant take on the nineteenth century. Look at Sidney Bradshaw Faye’s and Franz Fischer’s interpretations of the causes of World War I, and read important excerpts of the Communist Manifesto.
- Websites: Simple and easy to access, these sites are helpful for review as well (but it’s clear that our guides are more comprehensive. We are providing these so you can feel more secure about your history knowledge come exam day.)
- Quizzes from http://www.historyteacher.net/APEuroCourse/EHAPQuizMainPage.htm have great review questions. All credit goes to Ms. Susan Pojer of Horace Greeley High School. Her website also has excellent multiple choice and fact-recall for both world, American, and European history.
- Although not as well-formatted, http://thehwhelper.com/rokdownloads/Tenth%20Grade/European%20History%20AP/ has quick guides that show general outlines of the time period. The author of these is Dan Nissim, a graduate of Horace Greeley High School.
- Questions about the outline of the course? Looking for the official list of textbooks? Want to check out past AP DBQ’s and FRQ’s? Look at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-european-history, the CollegeBoard website for the exam. The makers of the test will almost always have an answer about logistics. At some point you will have to sign up to receive your AP scores, so you might as well do it now. Past multiple-choice is a little harder to find, but with some determined googling it should be findable.
- If you’re a fan of the flashcard style (it removes the plot from the tale, but still), try http://quizlet.com/subject/ap-european-history/. Quizlet will have compiled a list of public flashcard sets, which may help you for unit-by-unit vocab review. However, our guides have bolded terms that are important, and will serve the same purpose.