DBQ stands for Document-Based Question. The document-based question appears on select AP exams including the AP U.S. History, AP World History, and AP European History exams. Each exam incudes one DBQ section. If you plan to take any of these tests, it’s important to understand what DBQ stands for and how to write the essay to ace the test.
AP or Advanced Placement courses can help boost your chances of getting into the college that you want. They give you the competitive edge over other applicants and improve your acceptance odds. However, they are not a mandatory requirement for admission into college.
What is a DBQ Essay?
A DBQ is a timed essay. It is a mandatory component in all AP History exams, although the questions vary depending on whether you’re taking the U.S., World, or European History course.
To answer this section, you will be given about 7 to 12 historical documents and a prompt. The exact number of questions can change from one year to the next.
You have one hour to complete this section -15 minutes to review these documents, followed by 45 minutes to write a thesis-driven assay that answers the prompt. You will need to cite a minimum of 6 documents in your answer. The DBQ sections accounts for 25% of the total score.
If you take 2 or all 3 AP history courses, you will have to complete two or three DBQ essays – one for each exam.
How the DBQ is Formatted
The DBQ is placed at the start of the writing section, which forms Part II of the AP exam. The instructions on how to answer the section appear at the top of the page, followed by the essay prompt and then the historical documents. You have 15 minutes to read and understand the documents and 45 minutes to compose your essay.
The DBQ is one of two questions that make up the AP history exam. The second question requires a longer response.
Historical Documents Provided on the DBQ
Here’s what you should know about the type of historical documents that are usually provided for the DBQ.
- The 7 or more documents that you receive may be a mix of images, source texts, maps, and graphs. All source content will cover a specific topic and time period that aligns with the curriculum.
- Although all documents will be related to the historical topic or theme addressed in the prompt, they all offer different viewpoints, perspectives, and purposes. You are required to analyze the documents, identify potential biases, and explore different perspectives in order to answer the prompt that’s provided.
- The documents alone do not give you all the information you need to answer the prompt. In addition to using the documents, you are expected to use your own knowledge and historical context to provide a more in-depth answer that will earn you the highest score.
- Each exam has a different set of documents related to a different time period and a unique historical event.
- The format of the documents also varies from one exam to another and may include any combination of written texts, charts, maps, and images. This makes it all the more important to practice analyzing all formats when preparing for the exam.
- The AP Central website publishes DBQ questions and documents from past exams that you can use for hone your skills.
What Does the DBQ Test?
The DBQ tests your ability to identify and extract key issues, patterns, and trends from the documents provided, and to analyze your findings. The main purpose behind the test is to assess your knowledge in the AP History course you’ve completed and to gauge your skills as a writer.
These are some of the main things that the test graders will look for in your answer:
- Did you accurately identify the connections between the different documents?
- Did you accurately assess the context of the documents, keeping in mind the author’s perspective and the target audience?
- Aside from the content provided to you, did you also apply your own knowledge of the historical context to draw a solid conclusion that answers the prompt?
- Did you develop a solid thesis statement based on the documents and your own knowledge?
Your historical knowledge and your ability to analyze the sources and draw a conclusion are the most important factors that go into earning a high score in the Document-Based Question section.
5 Steps to Writing an Effective DBQ
Step 1: Read and Reread the Prompt
With limited time to answer the question, it may be tempting to scan the question and start writing immediately. Don’t do that. No matter how good your essay is, you’ll lose points if it does not address the question.
You get 15 minutes to read and understand the prompt. Put that to good use. Read the prompt once, then reread it to make sure you’ve correctly understood what it is asking. The way these prompts are worded can often be tricky. You have to read it a couple of times to understand is it asking you to draw comparisons between different documents, describe a historical event, or compare sources?
Remember, your reading comprehension and analysis skills are more important than your essay itself. It’s critical that you take the time to understand the question being asked so you can stay focused on answering it correctly.
2.Skim the Document Titles
You have a minimum of 7 documents to read through and only 15 minutes in which to do that. What’s more, all documents contain vital and related information, and every document contains information that gives you some context. Diving into the details can get overwhelming very quickly. One way to avoid the overwhelm is to start by skimming the document titles and sub-titles.
Look for key words such as dates, incidents, names of people, and other details that give you a general idea of how to approach and format your answer.
3. Analyze the Documents In-Depth
After you’ve gotten the gist of what information the documents contain, it’s time to read over the details more thoroughly. Pay attention to how the documents compare with each other. Are they similar or different? Do they relate to the same time period or different eras? What is the point of view expressed in each document?
As you go through each document highlight important details that are relevant to the prompt and that you think best support the argument you want to make. Identifying key points from the documents will give you plenty of material to craft a strong thesis that addresses the prompt.
4. Outline Your Essay
The best way to structure an essay in the shortest time is to start with an outline. This helps you organize your thoughts and organize the content in a way that one idea builds on the other.
When creating the outline, try and include at least 5 sections in your essay. Start with an introduction, followed by three body paragraphs and finally, a strong conclusion. While the exam evaluators aren’t really grading your essay on its structure, creating one helps you to keeps your thoughts organized.
5. Formulate Your Thesis
You’ve scanned the documents, highlighted the key points, and created a solid structure for your thesis. You’re all set now to start writing your essay.
While working on your essay, make sure that point or comment you make in each paragraph or section should be relevant to the content from the documents. Remember, what the evaluators will be looking for is whether you’ve analyzed the documents correctly and that you’ve used the content from the documents to support your thesis.
Tips For Writing Your Essay
- Start with a strong introduction that catches the reader’s attention.
- Finish with a strong conclusion that impresses the reader and demonstrates your knowledge and understanding.
- Proofread and edit your essay before submitting it. It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing under pressure and sometimes a wrong word can change the meaning of the whole sentence. Keeping a few minutes for proofreading and editing can earn you a higher score and is well worth it.
AP classes can help you get college credit, helping you save both time and money. They also boost your chances acceptance odds into some of the top schools. If taking AP courses is part of your plan as you prepare for college, it helps to take time to understand how the DBQ works so you can better prepare to ace this section of the exam.
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