Earn the DBQ Complexity Point (AP US History Edition)

There are exactly seven ways to earn the complexity point.  I've ranked them below in the order of my personal preference.  My favorite techniques are at the top, and my least recommended techniques are at the bottom.

Like many things in AP US History, there isn't one correct way to do the complexity point. Some methods work better with specific prompts. Some people find it easier to write in certain ways. Practice and feedback will help you determine which methods work best for you.​

This method requires explaining many aspects of the prompt. You need to use one of the historical thinking skills.  That could mean any of the following.

I love this method because it works for every prompt in every topic.  It aligns with the goal of the Document Based Question.  You are forming an argument about a specific topic.  The more aspects of the topic you address, the more sophisticated your argument is.  This means you don't have to remember to do anything extra during the exam.  The exam is stressful, and its easy to forget things. Reducing the amount of things you have to remember is useful.​

This strategy requires sourcing four documents, instead of two.  You must explain how a document's historical situation, intended audience, point of view, or purpose relate to your document.  Many students know sourcing by the acronym HIPP or HAPP.

You must source two documents to earn the sourcing point on Document-Based Questions. I won't go into specifics here about that process.  This is a great strategy if you've mastered your sourcing skills.  You repeat the process you've already done two more times.  Sourcing more documents than you need to also lets you build in a buffer.  That means that you can earn the sourcing point even if you make a mistake while analyzing the documents. You won't earn the complexity point, but you've locked up a different point in the process.

Sourcing is a challenging skill for many students.  If you are not earning this point during most of your attempts, a different strategy would be better.  You always want to play to your strengths and not your weaknesses.​

This method requires describing many perspectives or themes related to the topic.  A perspective refers to how different groups of people view events.  Themes are recurring patterns in history.

Let's use this prompt as an example:

Evaluate the relative importance of the causes of conflict between American settlers and Native Americans in the 1800s.

An essay focused on perspectives would consider the groups involved. Because the essay should be about causes, we want to explore what caused each group to act. In this case, American settlers included many groups. You could consider the motivations of recent immigrants, Northerners, or Southerners. You could also focus on more specific groups, like the Mormons or Exodusters. Even within this one group, there are many different perspectives.

Native Americans also had different motivations for their actions. You could consider specific tribal groups, like the Sauk and Fox or the Dakota. You could also write about leaders like Wovoka or Tecumseh. Each of these groups or people has a unique perspective.  The focus should still be on their motivations, concerns, or actions.

If you wanted to focus on themes, you would look at the bigger picture.  You could consider the role of culture in these conflicts. A single paragraph could describe the conflicts between American ideals and indigenous religions. You could describe the influence of people who shaped these ideals. Other paragraphs could describe the role of land, economic, or political factors.

I like this option because it plays to one of the strengths of the AP US History curriculum.  The course itself emphasizes themes and perspectives. Many students internalize these ideas, so this method works well for them.​

This option is like the previous option, but it focuses on evidence. This technique requires using evidence to show different perspectives.

Most of the information in the previous section applies here. You still need to explore different perspectives to earn this point.  The emphasis is on how you use evidence to make your argument more complex. 

Let's use the same prompt as last time:

Evaluate the relative importance of the causes of conflict between American settlers and Native Americans in the 1800s.

One perspective we could consider is that of religious leaders and their followers. We could develop this argument by citing specific religious movements. We could discuss the role of new religious movements. This could include the Second Great Awakening or the Ghost Dance movement. We could look at how those events led to specific instances of conflict. For example, the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Again, these ideas should be well-developed. That means that mentioning evidence isn't enough. You want to develop these ideas over several paragraphs. Each piece of evidence should relate to your thesis.​

The final option requires you to use all seven documents to support an argument.

Many students are attracted to this option.  It's understandable because using seven documents is more concrete than any other option.  It's countable, and therefore it seems simple.

Many students have successfully earned the complexity point using this method.  However, there are a few pitfalls that I think students don't always appreciate.

First, it takes a lot of time to analyze all seven documents, group them together, explain them, and analyze them.  If you use fewer documents, you can move through the Document-Based Question more quickly.  You can skim several documents when reading.  You can omit any documents that are confusing or don't fit with your groups.  You pick up a lot of time that can help you write a higher quality Document-Based Question.  This also ensures that you have sufficient time to write your Long Essay Question.  After all, it doesn't make sense to spend extra time earning one point on the Document-Based Question if that causes you to lose several point on the Long Essay Question.

In addition, sometimes the College Board includes a document that is a curve ball.  For example, on the AP World History exam in 2019, the seventh document was an ornate, inlaid box.  This box spawned a thousand memes.  Was it possible to include this document?  Yes, absolutely.  Did it throw off a lot of people?  Yes, absolutely.  If you shoe-horn this document in and fail to clearly explain it's connection to the prompt, you won't earn the complexity point.  And you'll waste time.

I have a love-hate relationship with counterarguments.  If you write one, great.  If you don't, great.  They are not required to earn any point on the AP US History exam.

Write a thesis statement with a counterargument is a great tool.  The counterargument forces you to think about the topic in a different way.  That often leads to a more nuanced argument.  It also gives you a great road map for the essay.  You write two paragraphs talking about one side. Then you shift and write one paragraph talking about the other.  Bam!  Complexity point!

Counterarguments can backfire.  I've met many students who thought they had to write a counterargument.  Some of them spent hours agonizing over the counterargument. Then, they could only to come up with one that was difficult to defend.  It's not hard to see how that's a disaster on exam day.

The reality is that not every topic has two polar opposites.  There are times when things change way more than they stay the same.  There events that are different from each other, despite seeming similar.  There's no guarantee that you'll be able to think of a counterargument on the day of the exam.  If you can't, roll with it.  A complex argument can be talking about many aspects of the same thing.  It's more important to keep going than spend time thinking of a counterargument.

There's an old saying about how if you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. One of my goals for this article was making sure you have many tools you can use.​

Many people think they need to get perfect scores on all sections of the exam to earn a 5.  This is false.

The College Board establishes cut points for each exam before its given. Everyone scoring above a specific point earns the same score.  This is important for two reasons.

First, it means that the AP exam is not scored on a curve.  You are not in competition with everyone else who takes the exam.  You do not need to score better than everyone else to earn the top score.  If everyone else does better than expected, that has zero impact on your score.

Second, those cut points are much lower than they would ever be in a high school class.  Scores on comprehensive exams tend to be lower than on unit exams.  The College Board sets the cut points with this in mind.  Let's look at this in more detail.

You can earn a 5 even if you miss the complexity points on the Document Based Question and the Long Essay Question.  Albert.io has a great AP US History exam score calculator.  The cut points change every year, so this isn't perfect.  It is a great resource for getting a general idea what a "good" score looks like.  

It can take a weight off your shoulders if you experiment with the numbers.  I found that a student who got 38/55 on the Multiple Choice, 6/9 on the Short Answer Questions, and missed both complexity points would earn a 5.  The bar for this exam has never been perfection, or anything close to it.​

Every point on the AP US History exam is independent of the other points.  It is possible to miss other points, and still earn the complexity point.

A paper with a weak thesis, evidence, or argumentation is less likely to earn the complexity point.  The complexity point measures the strength of the evidence and argument. It's hard to develop a more sophisticated argument without a good foundation.  The thesis is the argument itself. It's tough to set up a good argument if you're unclear about what you're arguing.​

The most important point on the exam is the next one that you can learn how to earn.

For some people, it's the complexity point.  Other people may be better served by working on the evidence points.  Other people would benefit from focusing on the on the Multiple Choice Questions.  Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.

This claim doesn't make sense based on math.  The entire Document-Based Question is worth twenty-five percent of your total score.  If we divide twenty-five percent by seven points, we get 3.5 percent per point.  This means that 3.5 percent of your entire exam score comes from the complexity point on the Document-Based Question.  That's about the same as five Multiple Choice Questions.  It's just not sensible to put this point on a pedestal.  The math doesn't support the claim.

Most of the guidance for this point focuses on crafting a good thesis and a good argument.  That's reasonable because that's how you earn the point.

But I always like to highlight that the complexity point is about content knowledge.  You must understand the content. This allows you to explore many perspectives, regions, periods, or aspects of a topic.  The best situation to be in is to know more about the topic than what made it into the essay. This allows you to pick the best options and avoid spending extra time thinking of examples. 

Sometimes, content knowledge is what holds people back in this area.  That means it's time to review your study skills and habits to ensure a high-level of mastery of the content.