Looking for some AP US History quizzes to use in your study sessions? You're in luck. We've got a long list of quizzes you can use throughout the year and in the spring as you're studying for the AP exam. Read on to get an AP US History workout!
How to Use These AP US History Quizzes: 2 Key Strategies
For this collection, we chose the most comprehensive, detailed AP US History quizzes we could find online—some from AP teachers' websites, others from general study resources, and many from AP textbook websites.
These quizzes test specific eras of American history, such as the Gilded Age or the Cold War. By using quizzes that test certain time periods, you can figure out which eras of history you know well and which ones you'll need to do extra work on.
If you want a mix of questions from different eras, check out our guide to finding and using AP US History practice tests; these full-length practice tests contain multiple-choice sections with a mix of questions about each era of US History.
So how should you use these APUSH quizzes? We recommend using the following two strategies.
#1: Quiz Yourself as You Go
Throughout the school year, as your AP US History class covers certain time periods, find quizzes that match up with these periods and take them.
For example, as your class wraps up a unit on the Revolutionary War, go through some of the quizzes that test that same time period. This will help you retain the information better and learn throughout the year. (Not to mention this will help you study for in-class tests and get better grades in your AP US History class!)
Furthermore, learning the material well the first time around will reduce the need for frantic springtime cramming. Yeah, you'll still probably need to brush up on some dates and names before the AP US History test (when was the French and Indian War again?), but having a solid understanding of the different major eras and events in US history, such as the events that led to the Revolutionary War, will save you a lot of study time.
#2: Use Quizzes for Targeted Spring Studying
You'll probably do your most intense studying for US History in the spring in the run-up to the May AP exam. You can use these quizzes to review material you learned earlier in the year, such as information on the colonies or the War of 1812. It can be hard to remember details you learned in September before the AP test in the springtime, so definitely take advantage of these quizzes to jog your memory and review material from early in the year.
You can also use quizzes to target time periods you didn't learn very well or are having a hard time remembering. Civil War not your thing? Hit the Civil War quizzes. Can't get the Cold War years straight in your head? Quiz them!
If you work to retain information throughout the year, you won't have to cram so hard in the spring.
A Note on AP US History Quizzes and Textbooks
There might be some highly specific questions you'll have trouble with as many of these questions come from US history textbooks. But if you know the era well enough, you should be able to work through most of the questions using the process of elimination.
In fact, it can be quite helpful to go through these quizzes since the APUSH test is written by a different team of writers than your textbook was, so you need to be prepared to think about questions from a slightly different point of view.
If you can do well on quizzes that were written by multiple authors, then you'll be well prepared to tackle multiple choice on the real AP US History test.
One final word of caution: if your class's textbook website is linked here, chances are your teacher will use these quizzes in class. Therefore, don't use the quizzes from your own textbook unless your teacher doesn't use them. You wouldn't want to duplicate work you're doing in class or get accused of cheating. So try to use AP US History quizzes from other sources instead!
The Best AP US History Quizzes to Use in Your Prep
In this section, we introduce to you the very best resources for online AP US History quizzes.
Click on each quiz link to explore its format and content. The majority of quizzes here are multiple choice, though there are some true/false and other types of quizzes sprinkled in, too. Since each site has about 30 quizzes, there are in total more than 400 quizzes listed right here!
We've divided the following APUSH quizzes into two types: textbook quizzes (from US History textbooks) and general AP prep quizzes (from study/prep websites).
AP US History Quizzes From Textbooks
These US history quizzes all come from history textbooks often used in the class. Remember that you should avoid taking any quizzes from the site of the textbook your class is using, as it is likely your teacher will plan to use these for in-class assessments!
- American Passages: 32 multiple-choice chapter quizzes (Flash required)
- Making America: 32 multiple-choice chapter quizzes (Flash required)
- The Enduring Vision: 33 multiple-choice chapter quizzes (Flash required)
- The American Pageant: 42 multiple-choice chapter quizzes (Flash required)
- American History: Multiple-choice, true/false, and image quizzes for all 32 chapters
- The Unfinished Nation: Short-answer questions for all 32 chapters
- Experience History: Multiple-choice and short-answer quizzes for all 32 chapters
- Give Me Liberty!: Multiple-choice and true/false quizzes for all 28 chapters (account required—you can use a free trial to access the quizzes without having to pay anything)
- The American Experiment: 33 multiple-choice chapter quizzes (Flash required)
- A People and a Nation: 33 multiple-choice chapter quizzes (Flash required)
- America: A Narrative History: 32 chapter quizzes (account required—you can use a free trial to access the quizzes without having to pay anything)
Don't attempt all these AP US History quizzes in one sitting!
AP US History Quizzes From Study Websites
This next (much smaller) set of AP US History quizzes are specifically geared toward the AP exam and come from general study and test-prep websites. There are additional US History quizzes that you can find online besides these (both free and paid); however, in terms of free resources, these are the best and most comprehensive quiz sites we’ve found to date.
Albert.io AP US History Quizzes
A well-known prep website, Albert offers a variety of topic-driven APUSH quizzes. Each quiz is multiple choice, with every question offering four answer choices, just as the real test does. You can also use a handy elimination tool to get rid of incorrect answers.
Crack AP Quizzes
This site features 49 practice tests and quizzes, plus lots of downloadable pdfs to help you study. One of the things about this website that’s so great is that you can take quizzes that are about specific periods in US history (like the Cold War), and you can take practice quizzes that randomize the material they cover, like the real APUSH final exam will.
Raleigh Charter High School APUSH Quizzes
On this AP teacher's web page, you have access to tons of quizzes on US history. Unlike the actual AP exam, however, you'll be told immediately whether the answer you've selected is correct. Multiple-choice, matching, chronological, and true/false quizzes are available, in addition to many flash cards.
How to Navigate AP US History Quizzes From Textbooks
Many of the textbook web pages are for older editions of the book. For example, the American Passages website (screenshot below) is for the 12th edition, even though that book is now up to the 17th edition; however, the changes between editions aren't dramatic, since history textbooks mainly add information or in some cases change the focus or point of view when revised. You can still get excellent quizzes on the main events of each era using these textbook quizzes.
For some of the textbook web pages, though, you'll have to do a bit of navigating to get to the quizzes. While most websites list all their chapter quizzes on one page, others separate them out.
For instance, American Passages—the first website above—puts each quiz on a separate chapter page. It's a bit cumbersome, but a few clicks can lead to hundreds of free practice questions. Let's go through the steps to find these quizzes, using American Passages as our example.
First, select the relevant chapter to get to the quiz questions. For the ones that are just numbered and not named, it'll take some guess work, but you can find them. To take an example, in the pictures below, we're trying to find a quiz on the Civil War:
In the "Navigate By Chapter" drop-down menu, select "Chapter 15":
Success! Chapter 15 is about the Civil War years (as well as the immediate aftermath). Next, click on the "ACE the Test" link in the blue sidebar:
Then click on "ACE Practice Tests," which opens up a new window with the quiz (Flash required):
Voila! You've now accessed one chapter quiz for this US history textbook. Note that most of the AP US History quiz websites listed above are more straightforward than this one, but it's still a great idea to know how to navigate them so you don't wind up frustrated!
What's Next?
Want more AP US History practice questions? Then check out our collection of the best APUSH practice tests, including both official and unofficial resources.
Review books can be extremely helpful tools in preparing for AP exams. If you can't decide which one to get, take a look at this list of the best review books for the AP US History test.
Have you taken the SAT or ACT yet? Thinking about a retake? Learn if your score will improve on a retake, and start studying with the best SAT prep books around (ACT version here).
