During your first few weeks of AP World History you may feel like your teacher is trying to drive you nuts. DB what? Why are we talking about HIPPOs? Is SPICE-T a trade good?
Like it or not, AP classes have their own lingo. (Including "AP!") We'll tackle the most common abbreviations in this article so you can speak AP-ese with ease!
Note: This article will focus on abbreviations that are specific to AP World History. But I've got you covered if you're interested in abbreviations commonly found in primary sources. This includes CE, sic, and ca. These symbols are used by historians inside and outside of the AP curriculum. Just hop on over here for more information.
A lot of this information is the same as in AP US History. But I do have a separate article if you'd like something specifically tailored to that course. Click here for APUSH info!
Table of Contents
The Course
AP (Advanced Placement)
Advanced Placement is often abbreviated "AP."
Advanced Placement and AP are terms trademarked by the College Board. The College Board runs the AP program.
All AP classes and exams have a few things in common.
- AP courses cover the same content and skills as a introductory college course.
- The College Board determines a specific set of content for each course. They also determine how that content is tested. You can find this information in the Course and Exam Description. Click here to see the AP World History Course and Exam Description.
- Course teachers independently determine the best way to cover the content and determine student grades. These grades go on each student's transcript.
- The College Board develops a test to cover the content. The results of this test are reported as a single score between 1 and 5. A 5 is the highest score possible.
- Colleges use the exam score to determine if they will award college credit. Each college determines what scores they accept and what credit the award for each score.
APWH, WHAP (AP World History)
Both "APWH" and "WHAP" stand for AP World History: Modern.
Some people also use "AP World" as a shortened version. Modern is left off all of these because there's only one world history course in the AP suite. The College Board divided the old AP World History curriculum in half many years ago. Modern was released immediately. There haven't been any updates on the other half in several years.
Types of Questions
You'll spend a LOT of time talking about the different question types. So, we've got abbreviations for those too. If you're interested in a deep dive on the question types, click here! I'll focus on just the basics here so we don't get bogged down.
MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)
"Multiple Choice Question" is commonly abbreviated as MCQ.
Multiple Choice Questions are the most common type of question on the AP World History exam. Every MCQ has four options on the exam. MCQs are divided into groups of three or four questions. Each set of questions has a stimulus. A stimulus is a document from the past, a chart, a graph, or a map. You have to accurately interpret the stimulus in order to answer the questions correctly.
SAQs (Short Answer Questions)
SAQ stands for "Short Answer Question."
Short Answer Questions require a written response. This response is typically less than four sentences. Every Short Answer Question has three parts. They are labeled a, b, and c. Some short answer questions have a stimulus, and some do not.
DBQs (Document Based Questions)
The Document Based Question is often abbreviated as "DBQ."
It is the first of two essay questions on the AP World History exam. A finished DBQ is typically less than four paragraphs long. The Document Based Question always has seven stimuli. Some of these stimuli need to be included in the essay itself.
LEQs (Long Essay Questions)
The Long Essay Question is abbreviated "LEQ."
The Long Essay Question is the second type of essay question on the AP World History exam. Like the DBQ, a finished essay is typically less than four paragraphs long. Unlike every other type of question, the Long Essay Question does not have any associated historical stimuli. Instead, all of the information must come from your memory. Fun!
Niche and Esoteric Phrases
HIPPO (DBQ-Specific Points)
HIPPO stands for the following:
- Historical Situation
- Intended Audience
- Purpose
- Point of View
- Outside Evidence
HAPPE (DBQ-Specific Points)
HAPPE stands for the following:
- Historical Situation
- Audience
- Purpose
- Point of View
- Evidence Beyond the Documents
SPICE-T (AP World History Themes)
SPICE-T stands for the following:
- Social Organization
- Political Structures
- Interaction (Between People and the Environment)
- Cultural Interaction and Diffusion
- Economic Systems
- Technology and Innovation
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This material is based on my interpretation of the AP World History Course and Exam Description and my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.