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Acing the Document Based Question on the AP US History Exam

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Taking the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams and accompanying coursework while you’re in high school is a great way to demonstrate your academic skill and prepare for college coursework. If you do well on your AP exams, those high scores will be valuable assets when it comes time for you to apply to college.

One of the most popular AP exams is AP United States History , which was taken by nearly half a million high school students in 2016. This exam consists of 55 multiple-choice questions, four short-answer questions, a longer essay with a choice of two prompts, and a special type of essay question: the Document Based Question, or DBQ.

The DBQ doesn’t have to be intimidating, but you may not be familiar with its expectations, so it pays to get well acquainted with its format beforehand. Read on to learn what to expect from the AP US History DBQ, as well as some advice for getting prepared for this type of question and formulating your plan of attack for test day.

AP US History: a brief introduction

As its title indicates, the AP US History exam and its accompanying course curriculum deal with the history of the now-United States, starting in the 1490s with the arrival of European colonists and extending until the present day. It covers not only events and people from this time and place, but also broader historical trends that have shaped US history.

In its role as an Advanced Placement course, AP US History exists not only to teach you historical facts, but to help you understand how to approach and analyze historical content in the way that college-level courses will eventually expect you to be able to do. The AP US History exam is intended to test your skill at this type of analysis, and the DBQ is an important part of this assessment.   

While many students take AP US History courses at their high schools in preparation for the exam, you can also study for the exam independently. Check out our blog posts Which AP Should I Self-Study? and The Ultimate Guide to Self-Studying AP Exams for more information about whether and how to self-study for this and other AP exams.  

Since AP US History is so popular, there’s no shortage of study guides and other preparatory materials for this exam on the market. However, you should be aware that in 2015, this exam was updated, and some significant changes were made in how it approaches historical material.

When you’re studying on your own, either instead of or in addition to taking an AP course at your high school, seek out materials specific to this most recent version of the test. Older study materials will no longer be accurate.

For CollegeVine’s overview of this exam, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to the US History AP Exam . You can also find a very detailed overview of the exam and curriculum in the official College Board AP United States History Course and Exam Description, available on the College Board’s website .

What is the Document Based Question?

The DBQ is the first of two essay questions you’ll face on the AP US History exam. Unlike the other essay question, in which you’ll choose between two essay prompts that rely heavily upon your memory of the course content, the DBQ asks you to answer a question with specific reference to a number of documents that are provided for you within the exam booklet.

You’ll be given 55 minutes to complete the DBQ. It’s recommended that you spend 15 minutes reading the documents and planning your essay, and the remaining 40 minutes writing. Your DBQ score will account for 25% of your overall score on the exam.

In requiring you to analyze primary and secondary sources on your own, the DBQ mimics the work that professional historians do in assessing historical documents. This is how the AP US History exam determines how well you’ve acquired not only historical facts, but methods of approaching the study of history.

The documents provided for the DBQ will vary a great deal from year to year and topic to topic. Most of them will be the type of written sources you’re used to seeing in history classes, such as letters, speech transcripts, newspaper articles, or passages from scholarly works.

However, the term “document” is used broadly here, and the documents you’re given could also include such diverse sources as song lyrics, graphs of data, maps, political cartoons, or photographs. You’ll have to be ready to tease meaning out of whatever type of source you’re given.

The DBQ’s documents will provide you with a lot of useful information, which can make writing your essay easier in certain ways—you won’t be coming into this essay trying to work from memory alone. On the other hand, the more complicated format and high expectations of the DBQ can present some unique challenges.

For one thing, you’ll still need to employ a great deal of the knowledge you accrued in your  AP US History course or self-studying experience. You’ll be expected to understand the various historical contexts in which your documents were created, the events and issues they reference, and the possible impact of authorial biases on their composition.

Practically speaking, writing a successful DBQ essay requires you to read, comprehend, and assimilate into your larger historical understanding a number of new and unfamiliar pieces of information within a very short period of time. This can be done, but it’s not an easy task.

Also, as we’ll go over in greater detail below, the DBQ has high expectations. While the question in the test booklet will come with a long list of specific, stated requirements in terms of what you need to address and how, you’ll also need to come into the test being already familiar with the goals and standards of the AP US History curriculum.

How is the DBQ evaluated?

The AP US History DBQ is always designed to test a certain set of skills that it considers essential to historical study. The readers will judge your essay upon how well it demonstrates solid argumentation, analysis of evidence, contextualization, and synthesis.

In addition to these skills, each year’s DBQ requires test-takers to demonstrate understanding of one additional theme from a set provided by the College Board. The DBQ you receive will focus either on historical causation, patterns of continuity and change over time, comparison, interpretation, or periodization.

Aside from these factors, a successful DBQ response will fully address the question that you’ve been asked, which can sometimes be complex or have multiple components. In composing your essay, you’ll need to follow the provided directions exactly as they’re given, and watch out to make sure answer all parts of a multi-part question.

A successful essay will also make full use of the documents you’ve been provided. You should do your best to address all the documents in your essay, though it’s acceptable to use all but one. Mentioning these documents isn’t enough—you’ll need to show that you really understand them, from the meaning of the text to the historical context of the authors’ identities and points of view.

It’s very important to remember that a high-scoring DBQ essay is an essay, not just a list of comments on your sources. It should have the same components as any other short essay, including a strong thesis statement and ample supporting evidence for this thesis. Most of all, it has to be coherent and make sense as an argument for your point.

For more specific details of how the DBQ is evaluated and scored, the rubric that’s used for all the AP history exams is available on the College Board website.

Preparing for the DBQ

When you’re studying for your DBQ, it’s important for you to keep in mind that the question and accompanying documents may come from any part of the AP US History curriculum. There’s no way of knowing what material your DBQ will involve, so it’s essential that you have a strong overall strategy for reviewing the full scope of what you’ve learned.

As we’ve mentioned, the purpose of the DBQ is to teach you how to approach historical data and documents in a way that’s similar to how a real historian would do it. You’ll be given specific details, but it’s up to you to place those details in their proper historical context and develop a well-supported interpretation of the materials you’re given.

It’s essential, then, that you build up your ability to interpret sources, making use of the concepts and skills you’ve learned through the AP US History curriculum. You can’t simply rely on memorizing your textbook’s explanations of historical events; you also have to develop this skill and make your understanding of the material your own.

On a more specific, practical level, when preparing for your AP US History exam, and specifically for the DBQ, completing practice test questions and full practice tests is always helpful. At the moment, practice test options are limited due to the recent exam updates, so if you do get to take a practice test, it’s especially important for you to take it seriously.

Whatever practice you’re able to accomplish, make sure you do it with correct timing and a testing environment that mimic the real exam. Time management in the silence and stress of the exam room is a difficult thing, and timed practice questions will help you get a better feel for how quickly you need to work to complete your essay on time.

Your test day plan of attack for the DBQ

Finally, it’s time for the moment of truth: test day. In the span of three hours and fifteen minutes, you’ll answer multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions that might address any topic in the broad-ranging AP US History curriculum. Sandwiched in the middle of this test will be, of course, the DBQ.

Studying the material that will appear on the test is important, but with a timed, standardized test, it’s also important to be prepared for the particular testing environment. Here are some tips for approaching the real AP US History exam in the moment, when stress levels are high and time is of the essence.

• Read and re-read the question carefully. Make sure you understand exactly what you’re being asked to do—a misunderstanding can derail your entire essay.
• Read the test’s list of requirements for your answer. You don’t need to guess at what to include in your response—the test will tell you exactly what the readers are looking for.
• Read the documents carefully, keeping the question and requirements in mind. Take note of the author, the date, the location, and any other facts that frame the document, and think about how these may have affected its creation.
• Plan wisely—it makes a difference. Taking a moment to plan ensures that your essay will contain all its required parts and makes the writing process go much more smoothly.
• Make sure your planned answer is cohesive and analytical. It needs to be a coherent essay with depth and a strong thesis, not just a list of the sources.
• Write quickly and stay focused. Follow the plan you’ve made, watch for mistakes that obscure your meaning, and make sure your handwriting is legible.
• Save a few moments to review your essay briefly for errors. You can’t make any major changes at this point, of course, and minor spelling or grammar errors won’t count against you, but you’ll want to make sure that your essay makes sense.

For more information

Here at the CollegeVine blog , we’re no strangers to the demands of AP exams and courses. Take a look at our other blog posts about the AP program for more information about AP course offerings and how to prepare for your AP exams.

• Ultimate Guide to the AP Chemistry Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP Biology Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP Calculus AB Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP World History Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP Statistics Exam

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, what is a dbq the document-based question explained.

Advanced Placement (AP)

The dreaded DBQ, or "document-based question," is an essay question type on the AP History exams (AP US History, AP European History, and AP World History). For the DBQ essay, you will be asked to analyze some historical issue or trend with the aid of the provided sources, or "documents," as evidence.

The DBQ is an unfamiliar type of in-class essay for many students, but it does not need to be a source of dread or panic. In this guide I'll go over the DBQ's purpose and format, what the documents are and how to use them, how this type of essay is scored, and how to prepare. I'll tell you everything you need torock this unique type of essay!

Note: The rubric, guidelines, and skills tested for all of the History APs are identical; only the historical source material is different.

The DBQ Essay Explained

As a veteran of the DBQ, I'm here to answer all your questions. Why do the AP History exams even have a document-based question? What will it look like on the exam? What are these documents, anyways? Let's dive right in.

This baby is too young to be diving into the DBQ!

Why the DBQ?

The point of the document-based question is not to torment you but actually to put you in the historian's shoes as an interpreter of historical material. Cool, right?

The DBQ is testing your ability to:

• create a strong thesis and support that thesis with the aid of the documents provided
• analyze sources for characteristics such as author's point of view, the author's purpose, the audience, and context
• make connections between the documents
• bring in outside knowledge to strengthen the argument

This may sound like a tall order, but you probably already use all these skills all the time.

Here's an example:

Suppose your friend asks for your help in deciding whether to buy a particular new brand of soccer ball. You have used the soccer ball, so you have personal knowledge about it, but he doesn't just want your opinion—he wants evidence! (Your friend takes buying soccer balls very seriously).

So first, you collect information (your "documents"). These could include:

• online reviews of the soccer ball
• your brother's opinion
• the price at the store
• the cost of other soccer balls
• ads for the soccer ball

Next, you'll analyze these "documents" to make a decision about whether the ball is a good purchase for your friend or not. For that, you might:

• Assess bias (also known as the author's point of view): Maybe the soccer ball ad isn't the most objective measure of the ball's quality. Maybe your brother hates soccer.
• Consider the author's audience: Maybe that review of the soccer ball was written for professional soccer players, and you want to know how it is for casual players!
• Think about the context of your friend's decision: What time of year is it? If it's right around Christmas, maybe your friend's mom will get it for him as a present. What you already know about soccer is part of the context as well--you know your friend won't want a ball that's too bouncy, for example.

Buying the right soccer ball might have higher stakes than the AP exam.

If you were going to go back and write an essay for your friend about this after you've reviewed your "documents," your thesis might be something like one of these examples:

• "This soccer ball is a good purchase for my friend because it has all the elements of a good soccer ball at a great price point."
• "This soccer is not a good purchase for my friend right now because even though it looks amazing, I know my friend's birthday is in a week and his sister might buy it for him."

Then you would use the "documents" and your outside knowledge (for example, your experience with the soccer ball and your knowledge about soccer) to support that claim.

That's a document-based question! In fact, I would assert that the DBQ is the easiest essay to score highly on in the AP History exams. As overwhelming as it might be now to think about all of that information getting thrown at you at once, think of it this way:

Instead of relying primarily on your knowledge, the DBQ gives you a bunch of sources to use in your analysis. This means you don't have to be worried you'll waste five minutes racking your brain trying to remember the name of that guy who did that thing. It's important to bring in some outside information for a top score, but the main thing you need to do is analyze.

95% of the info you really need is there. You just have to learn how to use it.

Let's move on to test formatting so you know what to expect from document-based questions.

What Does the DBQ Format Look Like?

Each of the AP history tests has one DBQ, and it is always the first question in the test booklet for the writing section (Part II of the exam). When you open your booklet and turn to the DBQ, you will see the instructions, the prompt, and then the documents.

You will have a 15-minute reading period, with a recommended 40 minutes of writing time. The test has two essays, and you will have 90 minutes total to plan and write them. You won't be forced to move on from one essay to the other, so be sure to budget your time carefully.

You are not required to use the entire reading/planning period. You can begin writing whenever you wish. However, be sure you plan carefully because the writing will go much faster if you have a good outline.

That covers the general format, but no doubt you want to hear more about these mysterious documents. Stay tuned!

What's the Deal With These Documents?

You will receive up to seven sources. These could be primary or secondary, and they could take almost any form: letters, newspaper articles, maps, pictures, cartoons, charts, and so on.

You will need to use all or all but one of the documents in your essay. You should go further in-depth on at least four of the documents. (See the rubric breakdown section below for more details).

For US History, no DBQ will focus exclusively on the time period prior to 1607 or after 1980, although they may focus on a broader time period that includes one of those time periods.

Don't worry, they won't be original copies.

Now that we've discussed the purpose, format, and document protocol of the DBQ, we need to discuss scoring.

How Is the DBQ Scored?

How much is the DBQ worth on your exam? And how do those pesky AP graders even score it?

How Much Is the Document-Based Question Worth?

The DBQ is 25% of your total grade. The entire second section of exam is 50% of your grade, and there are two equally weighted essays.

What Does the Rubric Mean?

The rubric the graders use is freely available to you on the College Board website.

• Click here for the rubric.

Don't worry if these look like gibberish to you. I'll break it down briefly here, and go even more in-depth on my article about how to prepare for and write a DBQ .

DBQ Rubric Breakdown

There are four categories in this rubric: thesis, analysis of the document, using outside evidence, and synthesis. You can score up to seven points.

Thesis and Argument—2 points

The breakdown:

• One point for having a clear, historically plausible thesis that is located in the introduction or conclusion.
• You can get another point here for having a particularly good thesis that presents a nuanced relationship between historical factors, and doing a good job supporting that thesis in your essay.

Document Analysis—2 points

• One point for using 6-7 of the documents in your essay. Easy-peasy.
• author's point of view
• author's purpose
• historical context

Just be sure to tie any further analysis back to your main argument!

Using Outside Evidence—2 points

• One point is just for context—if you can locate the issue within its broader historical situation. You do need to write several sentences about it but the contextual information can be very general.
• One point is for being able to name an additional specific example relevant to your argument that is not mentioned in the documents. Don't stress if you freeze up and can't remember one on test day. This is only one point and it will not prevent you from getting a 5 on the exam.

Synthesis—1 point

• All you need to do for synthesis is relate your argument about this specific time period to a different time period, geographical area, historical movement, etc.
• It is probably easiest to do this in the conclusion of the essay.

Still with me? Just remember: the most important thing is having a strong thesis that is supported by the information in the documents and whatever other related information you have around in your brain.

If you are an auditory learner, I recommend this video , which breaks down all the components you need to get a seven.

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Parting Thoughts on Scoring

If this seems like a lot to take in, don't worry. You don't have to get a perfect score on the DBQ to get a five on the AP. Somewhere in the 5-6 range can definitely get you there. To get a 3 on the exam (which still gives you course credit at a lot of colleges), you only need a 3 on the DBQ. (See page eight of this document .)

Additionally, overall historical accuracy is important but not 100% necessary for every tiny detail of the essay. Anything that is in the documents should be correct, but when you start to bring in outside sources for your DBQ essay on unionization and working conditions and you can't remember if the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was in 1911 or 1912, just pick one and don't sweat it. If minor details are incorrect and don't detract from the overall meaning of the essay, you won't lose points.

Now that you understand the purpose, format, and rubric for document-based questions, I'll give you some tips on how to get the score you're aiming for.

How Can I Rock the DBQ?

Two things will help you crush the DBQ: prepping beforehand, and hitting all the right notes on test day!

Rock the DBQ like Jimi rocked the 1960s.

Preparing for the DBQ

As you might expect, the most important thing you can do to prepare is to practice writing this type of essay.

• Try out the practice DBQs available online at the College Board website: look here for AP US History (and here for a complete APUSH practice test ), here for AP European History , and here for AP World History . You don't necessarily have to write an entire essay every time you practice—it's also helpful to read the question and texts and then create outlines with a thesis.

Ask a trusted teacher or advisor to look over your practice drafts and/or outlines with the rubric and advise what you might be missing.

Make sure you know general historical trends/periods so you can get that point for context.

You can find more prep tips in my article on how to write a DBQ .

During the Test

• Read the question carefully . Make sure you know what is being asked before you start trying to answer.
• While you read the documents, take notes on what they mean, who is writing, etc.
• Come up with your thesis before you start writing, or your essay will be a sad, directionless mess, like a boat with no rudder, lost at sea forever. If you aren't sure of your thesis yet, brainstorm in your notes—not while you are writing.
• Once you have a thesis, stay on topic. If you're writing about how Smaug wrecked the Forbidden Mountain, don't start talking about how amazing and clever Bilbo is, even if it's true.
• Make sure you use all the documents—doing so gets you easy points.
• However, don't simply regurgitate sources with no analysis. If you find yourself doing a lot of "Source A says blah, and Source B says blah, and Source C says blah..." make sure you are using the documents to make a point , and not letting the documents use you.
• A great way to analyze the documents is to make connections between them! Who agrees? Who disagrees? Why?
• Don't forget to provide context, one outside example, and a connection to another period/area/historical theme if you can! That's three points right there.

And there you have it! You are ready to start prepping for success.

Abraham Lincoln believes in you!

Final Thoughts

I know I just threw a lot of information at you. So here are some key takeaway points:

• The document-based question is a way for the AP to test your skills as a historian!
• Don't panic! It doesn't have to be overwhelming, even though you are getting tons of information thrown at you in a short time.
• The DBQ is based on skills that you can learn and practice: writing a strong thesis, using given evidence to support an argument, making connections between different documents and pieces of evidence, placing specific information in a broader context, analyzing an author's intent, bias, audience, etc.

What's Next?

Need more study resources for AP World History ? See our Best AP World History Study Guide or get more practice tests from our complete list.

Need more resources for AP US History ? Try this article on the best notes to use for studying from one of our experts. Also check out her review of the best AP US History textbooks !

Or just looking for general information about your upcoming APs ? See here for instructions on how to register for AP exams , complete AP test dates , and information on how much AP tests cost (and how to get AP financial aid).

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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Top 10 Study Tips for AP US History

This article will provide 10 study tips for AP US History on how students can prepare to pass the AP USH exam.

The AP US History (APUSH) exam is a difficult test. It is important for students to study for the exam in order to be able to pass it. The Advanced Placement (AP) US History exam is one of the most popular AP exams administered by the College Board. It is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and consists of two sections: multiple choice/short answer and free-response. There are 55 multiple choice questions which count for 40% of the test. In addition, there are 4 short answer questions that account for 20% of the grade. The other 40% is made up of two types of essays: standard and document-based (DBQ). Students answer one standard essay (25% of the overall grade) and one DBQ (15%).

What is AP United States History?

Early in the school year, establish a daily study routine..

Establishing a routine early in the school year can help you stay on track and meet your study goals. Creating a routine will also allow you to take control of your time and start learning how to manage it more efficiently. Once you have a routine in place, this will help you to balance your other rigorous coursework in parallel with your AP US History test prep. You must get an early start on preparing for your APUSH exam to avoid cramming. Within the first month of the school year, create flashcards on Quizlet for each unit covered, form study groups with friends, consult our study modules, and take practice exams from the College Board .

Make an APUSH course study guide outline for the year.

The College Board has put together a complete outline for AP® US History , which is a wonderful place to start planning your exam. Update and personalize the outline for your schedule and study personality. This is useful since it divides the course into nine distinct periods, from 1491 to the present. These pre-set time periods make it simple to study these sections of history one-at-a-time. This will help you have a better grasp of what you need to learn and what you should expect.

When studying, use a large whiteboard.

This is one of our most popular study tips ideas, especially for APUSH. Whiteboards allow you to understand history holistically by thinking about topics on a large scale. Not to mention, if you’re a visual learner, this will really help you map things out to see the bigger picture. Whiteboards are also perfect for group study situations when each student is in charge of a review of specific eras, topics, or motions. When you diagram historical ideas on a whiteboard, they get embedded in your visual and auditory memory. A large whiteboard allows you to “plan out” history in the form of a diagram of events and periods, making the massive amount of historical information more understandable. If you’re lucky, you might be able to convince your parents to let you paint one of your bedroom walls to become a whiteboard! If not, you can always use an online whiteboard, such as the virtual classroom on Learnt .

Studying with a group of pals.

This is a big gamble because friends may be a major source of distraction when it comes to studying. They can, however, be big assistance if you choose the right group of friends. Being able to discuss concepts allows you to gain a deeper understanding of them. And if there’s a particular aspect of history that you’re having trouble grasping, chances are you have a friend who knows a lot about it and can help explain it in a way that resonates more with your way of thinking. When studying with friends, using a whiteboard or a course outline can be quite helpful. Just make sure you choose your pals carefully and don’t squander your time together watching YouTube videos of hilarious cats. Unless, of course, the cats are teaching you history!

Take a Full-Length AP US History Exam Practice Test

Take a full, legitimate AP US History practice test and simulate realistic testing conditions. Time yourself according to the actual test, and complete both essays (DBQ and Long Essay). Mark any multiple-choice questions on which you had to guess—even if you guessed correctly— it’s crucial to review and brush up on this information later.

When you’re through, grade your practice test to determine how well you’d perform on the real AP exam if you took it now.

You may need to allocate more or less study time depending on how much you want to enhance your AP US History test score. If you’re already near to a 5 (or a low 5), you may only need to go through these procedures once and be satisfied with your results.

Make a list of your errors and guesstimates.

Examine your mistakes and lucky guesses after you’ve completed your practice AP US History test. Try to group your errors by content area so you can look for patterns and figure out which portions of the course you need to focus on the most. Move on to reviewing the actual content once you’ve determined what you need to study. Make a list of the themes that correspond to the most missed multiple-choice questions and points on short-answer and free-response questions, in descending order.

Create a historical era learning game

Regardless of how intriguing (or boring) you think APUSH is, studying any type of content for an extended period of time can be exhausting. Sometimes you just need to shake things up, and turning it into a game is a great way to do so. Many people use Jeopardy-style reviews for world history, and it may be very effective for unit reviews and other purposes. You may create your own Jeopardy-style game using JeopardyLabs . It’s also possible to make your own game. For example, in your study group, go through a series of questions with each other, and for each question one of us get wrong, we must do three push-ups. Alternatively, for each correct answer, we win a couple of Skittles. Whatever it takes to keep things interesting. It doesn’t have to be funny as long as it works.

Practice Planning and Writing Essays

Before taking the AP US History test, you should practice writing essays so that you are familiar with the time limitations and standards. This is particularly true for the Document-Based Question, which has its own format. Practice your skills on extra free-response questions after evaluating the flaws in your writings from the original diagnostic test. You don’t have to write out full essays to save time, but you should at least construct rough outlines that incorporate all of the components of a great essay. If you have trouble with time on your first AP practice test, I’d recommend going through another timed free-response part in its entirety so you can practice moving faster.

Discuss challenging times, topics, or units with your teacher.

If you get lost, make an appointment with your teacher either before or after school. For example, if you’re having trouble understanding the Gold Standard Act, send an email to your teacher detailing your challenges and questions about this time in history. Before the meeting, let the teacher know about your problem. Your teacher is in charge of the class for a reason, and they are likely to be not just quite competent but also really enthusiastic about the material. Most teachers would be delighted to lend a helping hand or offer guidance. Students rarely meet with their teachers 1-on-1, making them such an underutilized resource. If your AP USH teacher provides any form of after-school assistance or study hours, make use of it! It won’t harm, and if nothing else, it’s always nice to have a good relationship with your teacher. If you end up meeting with your teacher but find that you’re not able to make it over the hurdles of preparation for test day, then consider working with a professional AP USH tutor . A tutor can help personalize your study process and prepare you for test day.

Take a full-length practice test a second time.

Take a second complete AP practice test to measure your progress once you’ve become more familiar with the APUSH material. You could stop there and only do some light review till the exam if you find that you’ve improved to a decent level. Remember that practice makes perfect! Even if you score a 5 on the practice test, keep your flashcards or study materials close. Review them regularly to keep the content fresh in your mind. And of course, the night before the test, sleep with your flashcards underneath your pillow! If you’re still unhappy with your results, repeat the process and make sure you’re actually taking in the information.

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AP® US History

How to write a new ap® us history dbq.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

Hey! We wrote an updated version of this post here . Check it out for helpful videos and FRQ tips.

The dreaded AP® US History Document Based Question. For years it has struck fear in the hearts of many, turned boys into men and rookie students into old, weathered veterans. Rumor has it that little Jimmy Walker once took the AP® US History exam and when he got to the DBQ section, proceeded to spontaneously combust. Okay, so maybe that is a little dramatic. But the DBQ can be a really intimidating process that stands in the way of success for many students. Lucky for you, with this comprehensive guide, it can be relatively painless, and you will be well on your way to academic success and glory.

To start with, it is a good idea to figure out what exactly you are trying to  accomplish on the DBQ .  The quickest way to a high score is to know what the test scorers are looking for, and then do it! The rubric for grading the AP® US History DBQ can be found  here . Also lucky for you, we broke down the rubric to make it easy to understand. Before you continue through the rest of this how-to guide, be sure to go check out the DBQ rubric guide  here .

All right, so now you know what they are looking for and what you are trying to accomplish. Let’s get started.

The DBQ Layout:

Okay, so here’s how it works. Basically, you will be given an essay prompt, a set of primary source documents (never more than 7), and only 60 minutes to come up with a well written, clear and coherent essay response. The general rule of thumb, recommended by the good people at CollegeBoard, is to dedicate about 15 of those precious minutes to planning and the last 45 to writing. That may seem a little overwhelming, but it is totally doable! Especially with these 6 easy steps!

1. Read the Question.

Then figure out what the question is asking you. I can’t stress this enough, figuring out what the prompt is asking you is critical. No matter how good of a writer you are, or how much history you may know, if you don’t answer the question, you are sunk. A neat tip might be to write out in your own words what the question is asking.

As you are reading the question, be on the lookout for which skills they are trying to test you on. Every DBQ is looking to test your skills of historical argumentation, use of historical evidence,  contextualization , and synthesis. These things are outlined in the rubric and are consistent parts of every good DBQ. In addition to these critical skills, a DBQ will be looking to analyze one of a number of certain skills. These include: causation, change/continuity over time, comparison, interpretation, or periodization. Don’t waste too much time trying to figure this out, and don’t get so caught up in it that you forget to answer the actual question, just be sure to keep it in mind as you plan out your answer.

That probably seems like an insanely long first step, but all of that will really only take a couple of minutes and set you up to breeze through the rest of the process. Once you have thoroughly read and interpreted the question, you are ready for step number 2!

2. Dig into the Sources

While you want to make sure that you read each document, don’t waste your time on too focused of a reading. Underline or highlight things that stand out, and make notes out to the side. One suggestion is to write a quick sentence or two that summarizes the main idea of each document. And again, this is all just part of the 15-minute planning period; so don’t get too caught up on any document. You are just looking for main ideas and details that really stand out. To take this one step further, you can organize the documents into groups based on their main point. (For highest score possibilities, make sure to use either all or all but one of the primary source documents).

3. Make an Outline.

First decide on a thesis, and from there think about how you want to use your primary source documents to support that thesis. Think about what kinds of outside information you might want to bring in to further support your argument, and where it will fit into your essay as a whole. Once more, don’t get stuck mapping out every single thing that you are going to say, but be sure that you include documents where they fit in the response. This will make it much easier to incorporate them into your answer. Hopefully it has only been 15 minutes or less at this point and you are now ready to write!

4. Start Writing!

Most of your highly intensive, critical thinking type stuff should already have happened and now it is just all about putting those thoughts into words. If you played your cards right and made good use of the first 15 minutes, this part of the process should be pretty straightforward. Start with a brief introduction that gives a little context to the subject matter and shows that you know some of the details surrounding the subject matter. Introduce your thesis, then a few of your main ideas that support your thesis. This part of your paper is not much different than a regular essay response.

5. Keep Writing!

As you get going on some longer paragraphs and stringing together lots of sophisticated and smart sounding sentences, it can be easy to lose sight of the main points of your paper. I have said it a couple times already, but it is absolutely essential that you answer the question!

A few key things to keep in mind as you write your body:

1. Use specific references from your documents, and always show where you are getting the information. At the same time, don’t just use huge block quotes to take up a bunch of space. Use what you need to answer the question.

2. Make sure you use some outside knowledge to support your argument, along with your documents. Specific examples that aren’t on the documents are super helpful in making your argument stronger, and just showing that you know what you are talking about.

3. Don’t forget to contextualize. Things that happen in history are not isolated events, and the circumstances surrounding things matter. Don’t forget to address that.

6. Wrap it up with a ballin’ conclusion.

Don’t draw it out and don’t introduce new ideas in the conclusion. Make it short and to the point. Summarize what your main thesis and arguments were and leave it at that. Don’t try to be too clever or witty or trite and you actually don’t have to use the term “In conclusion” every time you write a conclusion. (Mind blown, I know).

If you follow these 6 easy steps and  ANSWER THE QUESTION , you will demolish the DBQ section of the  AP® US History  exam. (That’s a good thing). And at the very least, you will make it out better than poor Jimmy Walker.

Looking for AP® US History practice?

Kickstart your AP® US History prep with Albert. Start your AP® exam prep today .

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4 thoughts on “how to write a new ap® us history dbq”.

This says it was updated in May of 2020, bull crap! YOu are telling students they have 15 min to read the documents and 45 to write. Thats wrong! They have a total of 45 min. on the new 2020 online DBQ. So Im telling students to spend no more than 19 min with reading the docs. Come on guys! get this updated

I meant 10 min on reading Docs.

Paul, this was written several years ago as noted by the disclaimer. For the 2020 exam, please review our new guide here: https://www.albert.io/blog/ap-us-history-review/

Thanks for the comment!

Paul, this is an article from a few years ago (note the disclaimer). The updates made to this were just images, not core content. Our 2020 AP® US History guide can be found here: https://www.albert.io/blog/ap-us-history-review/

Comments are closed.

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Score Higher on AP World History 2024: Tips for DBQs

1 min read • march 22, 2024

Mixed AP Review

Endless stimulus-based MCQs for all units

This guide organizes advice from past students who got 4s and 5s on their exams. We hope it gives you some new ideas and tools for your study sessions. But remember, everyone's different—what works for one student might not work for you. If you've got a study method that's doing the trick, stick with it. Think of this as extra help, not a must-do overhaul.

• Students will be presented with seven documents that give various perspectives on a historical development or process and asked to develop an argument based on these documents and their own knowledge.
• 25% of Exam Score
• Recommended Time: 1 Hour (Includes a 15-minute reading period)
• Thesis/Claim (1)
• Contextualization (1)
• Evidence from 6 documents (2)
• Evidence beyond documents (1)
• Analyze 3 documents (1)
• Complexity (1)

💭 General Advice

Tips on mindset, strategy, structure, time management, and any other high level things to know

• You will technically have the DBQ and LEQ at the same time with 1 Hour and 40 Minutes total. However, the DBQ is worth more than the LEQ, so make sure to give yourself enough time to write your DBQ.
• A lot of students stress out over a DBQ because it has so many documents and seems so complex! To help mitigate this, try to think of this way the documents are helpful tools. You don't need to remember content, it's all right there for you! Don't stress over the outside evidence because it will come to you as you are using the documents and interacting with historical content.
• First, Source your documents in the thesis statement (ex: ...and resulted in a growth in capitalism (3, 4, 5), horrible working conditions (1, 2)... etc.).
• Do the same in your topic sentence of each body paragraph, and then, of course, source them when you refer to them the passage. Overall, you should source each document a total of 3 times.
• Secondly, include each source analysis "keyword" in your essay (ex: ...the POV of this document is.../the intended audience of this document is.../the historical context of this document is.../the purpose of this document is... ).
• Lastly, include the "keyword" of anything else you need to include in your essay (ex: "some outside historical evidence/knowledge that supports this is...").
• Make it clear to the reader/grader that you know what you are talking about and make it easy for them to check off every item from the rubric. This also helps you know if you completed everything you needed to get full points.
• Do a little extra in the essay as insurance. For example, instead of doing only 1 outside history evidence, do 2 or 3 in case you get one of them wrong. Do extra source analysis in case one of them isn't good enough, etc.
• It is essentially the "What?" and "Why?". Using a document's general idea to make your point not only helps organize your essay but makes it faster while writing it as well because most of the documents are linked in some way (same time period, about the same event, or an event that impacted another). So they will all often have a similar "What" and "Why," or any of the other big W's (who, what, when, where, why).
• Take a deep breath! Take your time reading through the documents and making the connections between each of them. You know more than you think!

🕛 Before You Write the DBQ

What should a student do in the first few minutes, before they start writing?

• Before you even look at the documents, you have to annotate the prompt! Make sure you know what it is asking, like is it an extent question? What’s the topic or the time period?
• Circle or underline certain different parts of the prompt just to make sure you understand.
• Skill of the prompt (what are they asking you to do with the topic?) This may be direct or vague - are they asking you to compare or contrast? Are they asking for a change or continuity? Are they asking for a cause or effect?
• READ THE PROMPT FIRST!!! You spend a lot of time reading through all of the documents and you NEED to know what you're looking for right from the start.
• Categorize the documents as you read. Based on the question, sort the documents based on their relevancy to your position or in any other way you see fit.
• When grouping/categorizing your documents ask yourself this question: Do those documents share the same value as the first document? If not, put them into a separate category and if they do put them in the same category as the first document! This will be the gateway into making your thesis with contrasting examples.
• Or if you’re a visual person, similar to the advice above, make a chart with two columns: one that is for the argument presented in the prompt and one that is against. It can be as simple as a check and and X. Organize the sources into which side they demonstrate best, then use the side that has more sources for your thesis and associated evidence, while the other side can be used in your counterclaim.
• While you're reading them, jot down ideas next to them. If you notice that Document 1 focuses on one perspective while Document 2 and 3 focus on another perspective, WRITE IT DOWN!!!
• Other things that you can note down is the purpose, perspective, biases, and context.
• Adding onto the above, being able to condense and re-express the documents is crucial to support whatever claim or main topic your essay will be about.
• When you are reading the documents, your eyes should ALWAYS go to the SOURCE FIRST!!! The source is so important. Many times the author, title, and especially the time period can tell you so much about the document BEFORE you even start reading.
• Take a few deep breaths and look at the documents. Make sure to comprehend the question first and then branch off on what possible controls can be used. If you have no idea what to do, gather evidence from the docs immediately and go from there.
• When reading look for key words in each document. Anything that sticks out to you can be underlined, such as who the document is addressed to, if it’s stated.

💡 Tips for Each DBQ Rubric Point

Thesis/claim.

• You can score up to 1 point for having this in your DBQ!
• After reading the question, take 30 seconds to think about how you plan to respond to the prompt.
• Before starting writing your introduction, write your claim off to the side so that you know what to write leading up to it.
• If time constraint is an issue for you, you can reduce it to 2 points as long as you make them strong. This is the foundation for the rest of your paper, so the thesis should be very clear on what it's about.
• Pick something defensible. You should be making your thesis after a strong understanding of what each of the documents says. Create a thesis that can be supported by at least 3 of the documents and don't be afraid to really flesh it out with the 'why' of your claim.
• “Within TIME PERIOD OF DBQ, three significant SKILL AND TOPIC OF PROMPT were the ARGUMENT/BP #1, ARGUMENT/BP #2 and ARGUMENT/BP #3.

Contextualization

• Before even looking at the documents, you need to brainstorm your contextualization! Nothing from the docs counts as context so it’s best to do it before, based on what the prompt is asking. Try to make a flow chart of at least 3 events that led up to the topic of the prompt and your context will already be done!
• If you get stuck/start blanking out about the time period, work backwards! First pick a year and then start jotting down key historical events/figures of that time. From there, you will be able to remember a lot of important topics that are relevant to the contextualization. Make sure that it is complete but do not spend too much time on it or going too far back. 2 sentences is plenty for contextualization.
• One thing: if you use information in your contextualization, you are no longer allowed to reuse it for outside evidence.
• Go 50-100 years back from the time of the prompt, but make sure that the information is relevant and does not go back further than a century.
• If you have been doing vocab lists throughout the year try and use some of those words (around 3-4) in this section. Think about the era of the DBQ and what major shifts had occurred or are in the process of occurring during that time period. This means that for this point periodization is an important skill to have for each unit. However, if you are extremely lost on the DBQ there are ways to try and earn the contextualization point by picking up on cultural norms or political tensions from the sources.
• When coming up with contextualization, you need to really think about telling a story. What major events led to the event/topic that is the focus of my essay?
• One way to think about it was like an upside-down pyramid where your most broad evidence goes at the top and your most specific evidence goes at the bottom, right before your thesis. Ideally, one should have about 3-4 good pieces of information in contextualization. 4 is recommended in case something is not correct. It's the same reason why you'd want to do extra HIPPs just in case you mess up.
• Another way to think of this is if it was a 'on last weeks episode' recap. So what happened to cause this or what were some developments that contributed to this topic? Or it’s similar to a lawsuit, there are a series of events that lead to the trial. There are always a set of factors or events that create the path to a certain development, which is easily applicable to the content in AP World.
• Context should never be more than two sentences. Pay attention to the time period given in the prompt and make a general statement describing what was going on before or during this time period. Don’t be too general and instead focus on information relevant to the prompt. For example, if the prompt asks about the Ottomans in the 1800s, you can contextualize by mentioning the Ottomans in the 1700s and how they had changed by the 1800s.
• As far as organization, contextualization can fit nicely after your thesis and before evidence since it offers background information. To write a more complex essay it is critical that your context matches the theme within the argument you are making.

Evidence from the Documents

• You can score up to 2 points for having this in your DBQ!
• Briefly review the documents prior to starting the essay and label which specific documents will support your thesis.
• Make note of the date!! If you misattribute a document to an incorrect time period, you will lose a lot of points.
• Remember to condense each document into a 1-2 sentence commentary in your own words, which will make drawing from each document much easier.
• Then you need to connect it to your argument. You can accomplish by saying “This shows or this illustrates” and then how it connect a to your argument. This is a format that you can use “Document X explains blah blah blah. This shows that blah blah blah”.

Evidence from Beyond the Documents

• Study and learn as much general knowledge as you can about Women’s’ Suffrage, WWI and WWII and big, HUGE events and timeframes like those because when it comes to their evidence, it will be a lot easier to connect it to topics like this in order to get points.
• There's not much to this other than knowing each of your units really well. If you have a solid foundation of the entire curriculum, this will not be particularly difficult. It is always worth the time to work backward and write down the key events/figures from a given period and then use that to support your claim.
• Cram sheets helps a lot for this because if you’re on a time crunch, knowing basic knowledge can help a lot on DBQ’s. With the help of a mentor (teacher), remember key units that are mentioned in the exam a lot like the Industrial Revolution or Pre-Modern Era. If you have more time in your hands, take a practice DBQ from the previous years found in college board and try to think of outside evidence on the spur of the moment to train yourself.
• If you know quite literally anything about the topic, just shove it in. The only requirement is that it must be relative to the prompt! Don't know what's going on with women in Cuba? Then say what's going on with women in America! It's much better than nothing. The good thing about AP World is that your range of usable information is much broader than in AP Euro or APUSH.

Document Analysis

• FRAME OF REFERENCE This is influenced by a person's gender, occupation, class, education, religion, personal interests, and other aspects of their being.
• HISTORICAL SITUATION This is made up of society's influences on a person. It can be societal values, economic pressures, political conditions, or other things which influence society. Examples: gas prices, war, theocratic government, revolution, etc.
• Having some kind of paper aside can help you the most on my exam. Write what your claim is, your 2/3 points, and the document you’d like to use. Then list 1-7 for each document provided on this aside and write POV, Purpose, Context, and Intended audience per document. This makes it clear on how to set up your essay and when to use what document.
• Remember, you don't need these specific analysis points for every single document. Usually, you unconsciously think through things like POV, purpose, context, and intended audience while reading. If one factor jumps out at you while reading, WRITE IT DOWN! It shouldn't be a stretch to make these analysis points work, most of the time they just make sense to include while paraphrasing evidence or when providing explanation.
• The idea is to put it in the form of "While [counter argument], it was ultimately [main argument]".
• For example, "While the Mongols played a large role in spreading the bubonic plague, it was ultimately trade routes such as the Silk Roads that were the main cause of the Black Death". Then, you can easily add a paragraph at the end discussing your counterargument, which counts as considering multiple perspectives!
• The easiest ways to get complexity is by introducing counterarguments and weaving together multiple pieces of evidence to create a narrative. The documents are intentionally supposed to contain views from many points, and by comparing the documents and doing sourcing to assess their validity, you have a very good shot of earning the complexity point.
• Adding onto the point above, if you have enough time, try to write a counterargument against your thesis that you then disprove. You can do this by bringing up the counterargument and then saying "while this and this may be true, my point is better due to this and this." If the rest of your DBQ is solid, then you have a very good shot of getting the complexity point with this format.

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Our Trump reporting upsets some readers, but there aren’t two sides to facts: Letter from the Editor

• Updated: Apr. 03, 2024, 11:22 a.m. |
• Published: Mar. 30, 2024, 8:16 a.m.

Some readers complain that we have different standards involving Donald Trump and Joe Biden. (AP Photo, File) AP

• Chris Quinn, Editor, cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer

A more-than-occasional arrival in the email these days is a question expressed two ways, one with dripping condescension and the other with courtesy:

Why don’t our opinion platforms treat Donald Trump and other politicians exactly the same way. Some phrase it differently, asking why we demean the former president’s supporters in describing his behavior as monstrous, insurrectionist and authoritarian.

I feel for those who write. They believe in Trump and want their local news source to recognize what they see in him.

The angry writers denounce me for ignoring what they call the Biden family crime syndicate and criminality far beyond that of Trump. They quote news sources of no credibility as proof the mainstream media ignores evidence that Biden, not Trump, is the criminal dictator.

The courteous writers don’t go down that road. They politely ask how we can discount the passions and beliefs of the many people who believe in Trump.

Chris Quinn's recent Letters from the Editor

• Let’s hang it up on polling. In election after election, they get it wrong: Letter from the Editor
• Most of us readily acknowledge when our slip is showing. Why can’t Ohio politicians? Letter from the Editor
• I made a presentation Wednesday while wearing two different shoes. Read on to see how common that is.

This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle is hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people.

The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.

The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.

This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it.

As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost.

Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it?

The March 25 edition of the New Yorker magazine offers some insight. It includes a detailed review of a new book about Adolf Hitler, focused on the year 1932. It’s called “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power” and is by historian Timothy W. Ryback. It explains how German leaders – including some in the media -- thought they could use Hitler as a means to get power for themselves and were willing to look past his obvious deficiencies to get where they wanted. In tolerating and using Hitler as a means to an end, they helped create the monstrous dictator responsible for millions of deaths.

How are those German leaders different from people in Congress saying the election was stolen or that Jan. 6 was not an insurrection aimed at destroying our government? They know the truth, but they deny it. They see Trump as a means to an end – power for themselves and their “team” – even if it means repeatedly telling lies.

Sadly, many believe the lies. They trust people in authority, without questioning the obvious discrepancies or relying on their own eyes. These are the people who take offense to the truths we tell about Trump. No one in our newsroom gets up in the morning wanting to make a segment of readers feel bad. No one seeks to demean anyone. We understand what a privilege it is to be welcomed into the lives of the millions of people who visit our platforms each month for news, sports and entertainment. But our duty is to the truth.

Our nation does seem to be slipping down the same slide that Germany did in the 1930s. Maybe the collapse of government in the hands of a madman is inevitable, given how the media landscape has been corrupted by partisans, as it was in 1930s Germany.

I hope not.

In our newsroom, we’ll do our part. Much as it offends some who read us, we will continue to tell the truth about Trump.

I’m at [email protected]

Thanks for reading.

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Is a robot writing your kids’ essays? We asked educators to weigh in on the growing role of AI in classrooms.

R emember writing essays in high school? Chances are you had to look up stuff in an encyclopedia — an actual one, not Wikipedia — or else connect to AOL via a modem bigger than your parents’ Taurus station wagon.

Now, of course, there’s artificial intelligence. According to new research from Pew, about 1 in 5 US teens who’ve heard of ChatGPT have used it for schoolwork. Kids in upper grades are more apt to have used the chatbot: About a quarter of 11th- and 12th-graders who know about ChatGPT have tried it.

For the uninitiated, ChatGPT arrived on the scene in late 2022, and educators continue to grapple with the ethics surrounding its growing popularity. Essentially, it generates free, human-like responses based on commands. (I’m sure this sentence will look antiquated in about six months, like when people described the internet as the “information superhighway.”)

I used ChatGPT to plug in this prompt: “Write an essay on ‘The Scarlet Letter.’” Within moments, ChatGPT created an essay as thorough as anything I’d labored over in AP English.

Is this cheating? Is it just part of our strange new world? I talked to several educators about what they’re seeing in classrooms and how they’re monitoring it. Before you berate your child over how you wrote essays with a No. 2 pencil, here are some things to consider.

Adapting to new technology isn’t immoral. “We have to recalibrate our sense of what’s acceptable. There was a time when every teacher said: ‘Oh, it’s cheating to use Wikipedia.’ And guess what? We got used to it, we decided it’s reputable enough, and we cite Wikipedia all the time,” says Noah Giansiracusa, an associate math professor at Bentley University who hosts the podcast “ AI in Academia: Navigating the Future .”

“There’s a calibration period where a technology is new and untested. It’s good to be cautious and to treat it with trepidation. Then, over time, the norms kind of adapt,” he says — just like new-fangled graphing calculators or the internet in days of yore.

“I think the current conversation around AI should not be centered on an issue with plagiarism. It should be centered on how AI will alter methods for learning and expressing oneself. ‘Catching’ students who use fully AI-generated products ... implies a ‘gotcha’ atmosphere,” says Jim Nagle, a history teacher at Bedford High School. “Since AI is already a huge part of our day-to-day lives, it’s no surprise our students are making it a part of their academic tool kit. Teachers and students should be at the forefront of discussions about responsible and ethical use.”

Teachers and parents could use AI to think about education at a higher level. Really, learning is about more than regurgitating information — or it should be, anyway. But regurgitation is what AI does best.

“If our system is just for students to write a bunch of essays and then grade the results? Something’s missing. We need to really talk about their purpose and what they’re getting out of this, and maybe think about different forms of assignments and grading,” Giansiracusa says.

After all, while AI aggregates and organizes ideas, the quality of its responses depends on the users’ prompts. Instead of recoiling from it, use it as a conversation-starter.

“What parents and teachers can do is to start the conversation with kids: ‘What are we trying to learn here? Is it even something that ChatGPT could answer? Why did your assignment not convince you that you need to do this thinking on your own when a tool can do it for you?’” says Houman Harouni , a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Harouni urges parents to read an essay written by ChatGPT alongside their student. Was it good? What could be done better? Did it feel like a short cut?

“What they’re going to remember is that you had that conversation with them; that someone thought, at some point in their lives, that taking a shortcut is not the best way ... especially if you do it with the tool right in front of you, because you have something real to talk about,” he says.

Harouni hopes teachers think about its implications, too. Consider math: So much grunt work has been eliminated by calculators and computers. Yet kids are still tested as in days of old, when perhaps they could expand their learning to be assessed in ways that are more personal and human-centric, leaving the rote stuff to AI.

“We could take this moment of confusion and loss of certainty seriously, at least in some small pockets, and start thinking about what a different kind of school would look like. Five years from now, we might have the beginnings of some very interesting exploration. Five years from now, you and I might be talking about schools wherein teaching and learning is happening in a very self-directed way, in a way that’s more based on … igniting the kid’s interest and seeing where they go and supporting them to go deeper and to go wider,” Harouni says.

Teachers have the chance to offer assignments with more intentionality.

“Really think about the purpose of the assignments. Don’t just think of the outcome and the deliverable: ‘I need a student to produce a document.’ Why are we getting students to write? Why are we doing all these things in the first place? If teachers are more mindful, and maybe parents can also be more mindful, I think it pushes us away from this dangerous trap of thinking about in terms of ‘cheating,’ which, to me, is a really slippery path,” Giansiracusa says.

AI can boost confidence and reduce procrastination. Sometimes, a robot can do something better than a human, such as writing a dreaded resume and cover letter. And that’s OK; it’s useful, even.

“Often, students avoid applying to internships because they’re just overwhelmed at the thought of writing a cover letter, or they’re afraid their resume isn’t good enough. I think that tools like this can help them feel more confident. They may be more likely to do it sooner and have more organized and better applications,” says Kristin Casasanto, director of post-graduate planning at Olin College of Engineering.

Casasanto says that AI is also useful for de-stressing during interview prep.

“Students can use generative AI to plug in a job description and say, ‘Come up with a list of interview questions based on the job description,’ which will give them an idea of what may be asked, and they can even then say, ‘Here’s my resume. Give me answers to these questions based on my skills and experience.’ They’re going to really build their confidence around that,” Casasanto says.

Plus, when students use AI for basics, it frees up more time to meet with career counselors about substantive issues.

“It will help us as far as scalability. … Career services staff can then utilize our personal time in much more meaningful ways with students,” Casasanto says.

We need to remember: These kids grew up during a pandemic. We can’t expect kids to resist technology when they’ve been forced to learn in new ways since COVID hit.

“Now we’re seeing pandemic-era high school students come into college. They’ve been channeled through Google Classroom their whole career,” says Katherine Jewell, a history professor at Fitchburg State University.

“They need to have technology management and information literacy built into the curriculum,” Jewell says.

Jewell recently graded a paper on the history of college sports. It was obvious which papers were written by AI: They didn’t address the question. In her syllabus, Jewell defines plagiarism as “any attempt by a student to represent the work of another, including computers, as their own.”

This means that AI qualifies, but she also has an open mind, given students’ circumstances.

“My students want to do the right thing, for the most part. They don’t want to get away with stuff. I understand why they turned to these tools; I really do. I try to reassure them that I’m here to help them learn systems. I’m focusing much more on the learning process. I incentivize them to improve, and I acknowledge: ‘You don’t know how to do this the first time out of the gate,’” Jewell says. “I try to incentivize them so that they’re improving their confidence in their abilities, so they don’t feel the need to turn to these tools.”

Understand the forces that make kids resort to AI in the first place . Clubs, sports, homework: Kids are busy and under pressure. Why not do what’s easy?

“Kids are so overscheduled in their day-to-day lives. I think there’s so much enormous pressure on these kids, whether it’s self-inflicted, parent-inflicted, or school-culture inflicted. It’s on them to maximize their schedule. They’ve learned that AI can be a way to take an assignment that would take five hours and cut it down to one,” says a teacher at a competitive high school outside Boston who asked to remain anonymous.

Recently, this teacher says, “I got papers back that were just so robotic and so cold. I had to tell [students]: ‘I understand that you tried to use a tool to help you. I’m not going to penalize you, but what I am going to penalize you for is that you didn’t actually answer the prompt.”

Afterward, more students felt safe to come forward to say they’d used AI. This teacher hopes that age restrictions become implemented for these programs, similar to apps such as Snapchat. Educationally and developmentally, they say, high-schoolers are still finding their voice — a voice that could be easily thwarted by a robot.

“Part of high school writing is to figure out who you are, and what is your voice as a writer. And I think, developmentally, that takes all of high school to figure out,” they say.

And AI can’t replicate voice and personality — for now, at least.

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What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse

A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers are searching for survivors.

The Maryland Department of Transportation has requested an initial emergency relief funding of $60 million from the Biden Administration to pay for initial mobilization, operations and debris recovery from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. (AP video by Nathan Ellgren)

As investigators began collecting evidence from a cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Gov. Wes Moore says the bridge will be rebuilt.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board released footage of the cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore. NTSB investigators are collecting evidence from the vessel that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday morning.

Baltimore’s longshoreman’s union represents the workers who load and unload the giant container ships that call on the city’s massive port. The union is working to help members who may be impacted by the port’s closure.

A container ship rests against the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. After days of searching through murky water for the workers missing after the bridge collapsed, officials are turning their attention Thursday to what promises to be a massive salvage operation. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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In this image released by the National Transportation and Safety Board, a NTSB investigator is seen on the cargo vessel Dali, which struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in Baltimore. (Peter Knudson/NTSB via AP)

A cargo ship rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge , causing the span to collapse and presumably killing six construction workers. On Wednesday, a day after the early-morning crash, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board boarded the ship and planned to recover information from its electronics and paperwork while divers searched for the bodies of workers who were still missing.

Here’s what we know so far about the collapse:

WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?

The operators of the Dali cargo ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash early Tuesday saying the vessel had lost power. But the 985-foot-long (300-meter-long) ship still struck one of the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) bridge’s supports at 8 knots, which is roughly 9 mph (15 kph). That caused the span to break and fall into the water within seconds.

Eight construction workers were filling potholes on the bridge when the crash happened. Two were rescued soon after the collapse. Divers recovered the bodies of two others and the other four are presumed dead. Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said they were working in the middle of the span when it collapsed.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that the ship underwent “routine engine maintenance” in the port before it lost power.

An inspection of the Dali last June at a port in Chile identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, a shipping information system. The deficiency involved gauges and thermometers, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.

A “standard examination” conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September didn’t identify any deficiencies, according to the Equasis data.

Given the vessel’s massive weight, it struck the bridge support with significant force, said Roberto Leon, a Virginia Tech engineering professor. The post can resist the impact by bending, Leon said, but cannot absorb the energy brought by such a “humongous ship.”

Last June, federal inspectors rated the 47-year-old bridge in fair condition. But the structure did not appear to have pier protection to withstand the crash, experts said.

“If a bridge pier without adequate protection is hit by a ship of this size, there is very little that the bridge could do,” Leon said.

Federal and state investigators have said the crash appears to have been an accident.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE MISSING?

Two of the construction workers who were on the bridge were rescued. The bodies of four of the six others were still missing Thursday. Searchers recovered the bodies of 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera on Wednesday. They were in a pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet (7.6 meters) of water.

The workers came to the Maryland area from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries.

One worker, 38-year-old Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, came to the U.S. from Honduras nearly two decades ago. His brother described him as an entrepreneurial and hard-working husband and father of two. And El Salvador’s foreign minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, posted Wednesday on X that one Salvadoran citizen, Miguel Luna, was among the missing workers.

The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which said all crew members, including the two pilots, were accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.

The ship’s warning enabled authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span. Plus, the accident occurred at 1:30 a.m., long before the busy morning rush. The bridge carried an estimated 30,800 vehicles per day on average in 2019.

WHAT IMPACT COULD THIS HAVE?

The collapse will almost surely create a logistical nightmare, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore and snarling cargo and commuter traffic.

The port is a major East Coast hub for shipping. The bridge spans the Patapsco River, which massive cargo ships use to reach the Chesapeake Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean.

The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic.

President Joe Biden said he expects the federal government to pick up the entire rebuilding cost. His administration approved $60 million in emergency federal aid to pay for debris removal and other initial costs.

“This work is not going to take hours. This work is not going to take days. This work is not going to take weeks. We have a very long road ahead of us,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a commercial salvage company have been surveying the site as they plan the salvage operation, according to U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Cynthia Oldham.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said Friday that the first goals are to reopen the shipping channel and remove the ship. The Maryland Department of Transportation and U.S. Coast Guard surveyed the damage Friday morning. Teams worked through high winds while determining how to safely cut the trusses — which weigh between 3,000 to 4,000 tons — into lighter sections that can be removed by four heavy lift cranes supplied by the U.S. Navy, according to Moore.

In the coming weeks, the governor hopes to have 10 tugboats, seven floating cranes, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats in the water.

The collapse is not likely to have a big effect on worldwide trade because Baltimore is not a major port for container vessels, and proves more important when it comes to goods such as farm equipment and autos, said Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos.

But jobs for roughly 2,400 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333 could dry up until shipping traffic resumes, according to Scott Cowan, the union’s president. Cowan said union leaders are working with elected officials to fund compensation for longshoremen in the meantime.

Authorities must also now handle a sheen in the water after some of the 56 containers onboard that were carrying hazardous materials were breached. Among the hazardous materials were corrosives, flammables and lithium ion batteries, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. But the Key Bridge Joint Information Center said Thursday that there’s no immediate environmental threat and that air monitoring has shown no volatile organic compounds. Adam Ortiz, the EPA’s regional administrator in the Mid-Atlantic states, said Friday that ongoing monitoring has not given any indication that the water contains materials hazardous to humans.

HOW OFTEN DOES THIS HAPPEN?

From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

Eighteen of those collapses happened in the United States.

Among them were a 2002 incident in which a barge struck the Interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River at Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, sending vehicles plunging into the water. Fourteen people died and 11 were injured.

And in 2001, a tugboat and barge struck the Queen Isabella Causeway in Port Isabel, Texas, causing a section of the bridge to tumble 80 feet (24 meters) into the bay below. Eight people were killed.

This story has been updated to correct that there were more than 56 containers on the ship, but that 56 contained hazardous materials, and to correct that crews were working to cut up trusses of the collapsed bridge, not the vessel that ran into it.

Lea Skene, Brian Witte and Sarah Brumfield contributed reporting.