Earn the DBQ Complexity Point! (AP World 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 World 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.​

Evaluate the extent to which economic systems changed in the period between 1450 and 1750 CE.

For this prompt, y should discuss both changes and continuities.  Changes include the rise in plantation agriculture and cash cropping in the Americas.  You could reference specific systems that supported these economic activities. For example, the encomienda and chattel slavery were changes in the Americas. 

Then, you should pivot to discussing continuities.  Trade in the Indian Ocean flourished during this time.  In the Americas, some colonial powers exploited existing labor systems.  This includes the Spanish adoption of the Incan mit'a system.

Writing a counterargument often sets you up to earn the point in this way, but it is not required.

A downside of this technique is that you have to take care to stay focused on the prompt.  In particular, sometimes the prompt asks for causes or effects.  In this situation, trying to write about cause and effects can take you off topic.  I recommend using a different technique for that type of prompt.  ​

You earn this point by making connections between time periods or geographic regions.  In AP World History, there are four main time periods and at least thirteen major regions.  The time periods are 1200-1450 CE, 1450-1750 CE, 1750-1900 CE, and 1900 to roughly 2001.

There are thirteen major regions. The regions in the Americas are North America and Latin America. In Africa there is North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and South Africa. The regions in Asia are the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia. Europe is a region. The last region is Oceania.

Some of these regions have smaller regions within them.  Latin America contains Mexico, Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, and South America. 

You can also use the continents as regional divisions.

Let's use this prompt:

Evaluate the relative importance of the effects of the Industrial Revolution after 1750 CE.

The Industrial Revolution affected every corner of the globe. This makes it ideal for focusing on different regions.  You could discuss how Europe and North America were able to industrialize first.  This changed the economy and social structures in these areas. 

Then, you could use another region of the world to show different impacts.  For example, many land-based empires struggled to remain independent as Europeans gained power. You could discuss the Qing Dynasty and Tokugawa Japan. The corresponding region would be East Asia. This frame shows that the impacts were not uniform, and that shows complexity.

This strategy also works for prompts that span many periods like this one. This prompt would allow us to discuss two periods. On is 1750-1900 CE, and the other is 1900 to the present.  For the first period, we could focus on the legacy of imperialism and the rise of Marxism. One way to show contrast would be to examine the role of technology in creating a global culture. Industrialization in the Soviet Union and China is another option.

This strategy is not the best choice for all prompts. If the prompt limits you to a specific period or geographic region.  In that case, trying to pull in other time periods or locations can pull the whole essay off topic.  In that situation, I would fall back on the "more of the same" method.  ​

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 World 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 World 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 World 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.​

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.