​CONTENT AND FORMAT OF THE EXAM
10 Content Areas per College Board
  1. Global Prehistory (4%, 11 works)
  2. Ancient Mediterranean (15%, 36 works)
  3. Early Europe and Colonial Americas (20%, 51 works)
  4. Later Europe and Americas (22%, 54 works)
  5. Indigenous Americas (6%, 14 works)
  6. Africa (6%, 14 works)
  7. West and Central Asia (4%, 11 works)
  8. South, East, and SE Asia (8%, 21 works)
  9. The Pacific (4%, 11 works)
  10. Global Contemporary (11%, 27 works)
See the full 250 list

Exam Format- 2 parts each worth 50%

80 multiple choice - 1 hour
  • Part A: Approximately 8 sets of questions (3 to 6 questions each) based on color images
  • Part B: Approximately 35 individual multiple-choice questions
2 - 30 minute essays - 1 hour
4 - 15 minute essay questions - 1 hour
* The essay section is 2 hours- YOU manage your own time!

2016 Free Response Exam Questions



​INFO FOR EXAM DAY
What to Bring:
  • Several sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers for all responses on your multiple-choice answer sheet.
  • Pens with black or dark blue ink for completing areas on the exam booklet covers and for free-response questions in most exams.
  • Your six-digit school code. 
  • A watch.
  • A government-issued or school-issued photo ID.
  • If applicable, your SSD Student Accommodation Letter, which verifies that you have been approved for extended time or another testing accommodations.
What Not to Bring
  • Cell phones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs), BlackBerry smartphones, Bluetooth-enabled devices, MP3 players, email/messaging devices, or any other electronic or communication devices.
  • Books, compasses, mechanical pencils, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters,**notes or colored pencils.**
  • Scratch paper; notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets.
  • Watches that beep or have an alarm.
  • Portable listening devices** or portable recording devices (even with headphones) or photographic equipment.
  • Computers.**
  • Clothing with subject-related information.
  • Food or drink can be brought in (H2O only and snacks if it's in the original packaging and in a clear zip lock bag).**
**Unless this has been preapproved as an accommodation by the College Board Services for Students with Disabilities office prior to the exam date.



EXAM SCORING
AP Score Reports are sent in July to the college or university you designated on your answer sheet, to you, and to your high school. Each report is cumulative and includes scores for all the AP Exams you have ever taken, unless you have requested that one or more scores be withheld from a college or canceled. Visit AP Score Reporting Services. Usually, scores are out by early July.

To request that your score reports be sent to colleges, call 888 308-0013 (toll free)
* Double check with your Costa Guidance Counselor first!

​
​50 VOCAB WORDS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
* From REA's AP Art History​
1. Pylon   
2. Hypostyle         
3. Hierarchical scale
4. Register
5. Repousse       
6. Corbelled Vault
7. Kouros
8. Kore
9. Caryatid
10. Pediment
11. Entablature
12. Contrapposto
13. Frieze
14. Mosaic
15. Voussoir  
16. Pendentive
17. Iconoclasm
18. Encaustic
19. Enamel
20. Mihrab
21. Westwork
22. Ambulatory
23. Tympanum
24. Clerestory
25. Barrel vault​
26. Groin vault
27. Crypt
28. Vellum
29. Diptych
30. Triptych
31. Predella
32. Chiraroscuro
33. Cartoon
34. Enconchado
35. Orthagonal
36. Intaglio
37. Impasto
38. Avante-garde
39. Bauhaus
40. Ready-made
41. Cantilever
42. Biomorphic
43. Assemblage
44. Phototype
45. Daguerreotype
46. Stupa
47. Pagoda
48. Pueblo
49. Mudhra
50. Ukiyo-e​



TIPS ON WRITING ESSAYS AND SHORT ANSWERS
*From Valerie White
​
  • Thoroughly READ the prompt first. The language of the question is very key! Then re-read it again and underline important parts.
  • After you've read the prompt once, go through again and identify (highlight, underline, circle...) the specific tasks so you know exactly what to do.
  • Do not be impulsive. Think first. You have plenty of time to write. Make notes then start to write.
  • Do not list points (Oh, the irony…) Make run on sentences if you think you’re running out of time. Only write in paragraphs. You may number your points but each one must still be in complete points.
  • Organize your response and answer all parts to the prompt in the same order it was asked. This will help to ensure you have not missed a task.
  • Answer each task in a separate "paragraph".
  • After you've written your response. Go through the tasks again and identify them in your response.
  • Do not write an introduction or conclusion paragraph. 
  • Spelling and grammar do not count.
  • Do not write anything as fact unless you are 100% sure. 
  • MUST INCLUDE FOR EVERY ARTWORK: TITLE/DESIGNATION, NAME OF ARTIST AND/OR CULTURE OF ORIGIN, DATE OF CREATION (DOWN TO AT LEAST THE DECADE), AND MATERIALS USED. 
  • Use the rule of three or more: If you mention “the drapery”, what about the drapery and where is it specifically evident in the artwork? For example, if the prompt asks for evidence of the characteristics of a particular movement or time period, discuss them one at a time as evident in the artwork. Meaning, if mathematical precision is characteristic, point out in the artwork where the mathematical precision is- proportions, linear perspective, golden ratio etc. 
  • Be aware of how many artworks/architecture the prompt is asking form. If the prompt says "artworks" you must include at least two artworks. Reference only ONE artwork unless the prompt specifically asks for two. You will not receive more points by discussing more artworks. Choose one good one and analyze the heck out of it. Do not compare and bring in other artworks if the prompt does not specifically ask you to. If it says "compare" then  you compare. Remember, language is key!!
  • UNDERLINE titles of paintings and sculptures. Architecture is not underlined. You’re still not in the habit of doing this.
  • Do not use architecture if the prompt asks for "artworks". Only use architecture if it specifically says architecture. 
  • If you choose a global contemporary work to answer the prompt you must clearly connect the artwork back to the artist's cultural origins. 
  •  If the prompt includes a quote to respond to, you MUST quote the quote.