As a high school student, you’re trying to choose between AP English Language and Composition and AP U.S. History. You’ve heard some things about both classes, but you’re still unsure about the answer to, “Is AP Lang harder than APUSH?”
Long story short, there is no definitive answer. This is probably an unsatisfying answer… but before you go, this article will guide you through choosing an AP class based on your personal circumstances.
I took both classes in high school, and in this article, I’ll be providing:
- A comparison of the two classes
- Questions you can ask yourself to decide which one to take
Ok, let’s dive in!
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Overview of AP Lang and APUSH
AP English Language and Composition
In AP Lang, you’ll be focusing on rhetoric, which is the art of constructing persuasive arguments.
Throughout the year, you’ll analyze many nonfiction passages, speeches, cartoons, and other works of rhetoric. You’ll use what you learn to write your own persuasive essays.
Check out the AP English Language Course at a Glance for more on the curriculum.
AP U.S. History
In APUSH, you’ll learn about the history of the United States from its founding to the modern-day. Since the course focuses on the history of one country, you’ll delve into much greater detail than you would in other AP History classes.
You’ll learn about things like the political, social, cultural, and technological trends throughout American history. You’ll learn about significant historical documents and figures. Nevertheless, it’s important not to get too caught up in the details and miss out on the bigger picture.
Check out the APUSH Course at a Glance for more on the curriculum.
You may also like “Most Impressive AP Classes + Useful Tips to Succeed in Them”
AP Lang vs. APUSH Exam Format
AP English Language Exam
For the AP Lang exam, you will have one hour to complete 45 multiple-choice questions, which account for 45% of the exam score.
Then, you’ll have 2 hours 15 minutes to complete 3 FRQ questions, which account for the other 55% of the exam score. You will need to write a complete essay for each of the FRQs.
AP U.S. History Exam
For the APUSH exam, you’ll have 55 minutes to complete 55 multiple-choice questions, which account for 40% of the exam score. The FRQ section is split into two parts.
In the first part, you’ll have 40 minutes to complete 3 short answer questions, which account for 20% of the exam score. In the second part, you’ll have an hour and 40 minutes to complete 2 essays, which account for 40% of the exam score.
| Exam Section | AP English Language | AP U.S. History |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | 45 questions in 1 hour (45% of exam score) | 55 questions in 55 minutes (40%) |
| FRQs | 3 essays in 2 hours 15 minutes (55%) | 3 SAQs in 40 minutes (20%); 2 essays in 1 hour 40 minutes (40%) |
For the most part, the breakdown of the exams is quite similar. You’ll have about an hour for multiple-choice questions and over two hours for FRQs.
As you can tell, there is a lot of reading comprehension, writing, and critical analysis involved in both exams. You’ll be reading many passages and analyzing them. Also, you’ll need to plan and write essays quickly.
Multiple Choice Comparison
Since AP Lang and APUSH assess very different skills, it is rather difficult to compare the questions on the exams. However, I will try to provide a comparison based on my personal experience.
AP English Language Multiple Choice
In AP Lang, I did lots of practice multiple-choice questions inside and outside of class. At first, I had difficulty identifying rhetorical elements and understanding how they contributed to an author’s message.
However, with practice, I became more attuned to noticing and understanding rhetorical strategies. By the time I got to the exam, I did not find the AP Lang multiple-choice questions to be difficult at all (although we did much harder questions in class, so that probably helped).
AP U.S. History Exam
In APUSH, I had to spend lots of time memorizing information. I found that most multiple-choice questions asked about trends within and across time periods.
However, there would occasionally be questions about specific details, like a particular historical event or piece of legislation. As a result, I had to study how the details fit into larger historical trends.
Overall, I spent more time doing actual practice questions in AP Lang than in APUSH. In APUSH, I spent way more time memorizing information.
You may also like “The Ultimate Guide to Get a 5 on APUSH”
FRQ Comparison
Again, the two exams assess very different skills, but I will do my best to provide a comparison based on my personal experience.
AP English Language FRQs
In AP Lang, you need to write 3 essays within 45 minutes. It is just as much of a time crunch as it sounds. You need to think critically, outline an essay, and logically argue your position on the spot.
Although I wrote many essays during the school year, it was still difficult to meet the time limit on the exam. In the year I took the exam, the rhetorical analysis essay (which is arguably the most difficult essay) was placed last, so it was quite a test of stamina.
The rhetorical analysis essay, which requires you to identify and explain the rhetorical elements in a passage, requires attention to nuance. This can be difficult under stress, but is a skill that can be improved through practice.
AP U.S. History FRQs
The APUSH short answer questions are fairly straightforward. They can be answered using an exact format, and as long as you know your historical facts, they should not be difficult to answer.
The document-based question (DBQ) and long essay question (LEQ) require more critical analysis. However, if you know your historical trends and supporting details, you should be able to construct cohesive essays.
Similarities in FRQ Styles
On the AP Lang exam, you will need to write a synthesis essay. For this essay, you’ll be provided with several documents and 15 minutes to read them. Then, you’ll need to construct a persuasive essay that references these documents.
On the APUSH exam, the DBQ is quite similar to the synthesis essay. For this essay, you’ll need to read, analyze, and reference several historical document excerpts.
For both of these essays, you’re provided with the facts. Therefore, your job is to come up with a cohesive argument that references the given documents. With practice, you can get better at quickly reading and organizing sources into a logical argument.
Differences in FRQ Styles
The AP Lang argument essay requires you to come up with details on your own. Although the APUSH LEQ similarly requires you to come up with historical details on your own, it’s not quite the same. For the APUSH LEQ, you’ll still be drawing on facts you learned in class.
However, for the AP Lang argument essay, you won’t know what you’ll need to argue your point with until you see the prompt. As a result, it’s easier to answer the essay prompt if you’re well-read and updated on current events. This provides you with a larger base of knowledge to pull from.
Final Thoughts on FRQ Comparison
In conclusion, here’s my take on the FRQs: I found the AP Lang FRQs to be harder because of the time crunch and the fact that I had to brainstorm supporting examples for the argument essay on the spot. If you don’t know much about your prompt (although they usually ask general questions), it can be difficult to come up with examples.
For the most part, if you know your historical facts, you should have no trouble coming up with concrete examples for the APUSH FRQs.
Nevertheless, a lot of critical analysis and writing is involved in both. You’ll need to build up these skills and your stamina over the school year.
AP Lang vs. APUSH Passing Rates
Here are the passing rates in AP Lang and APUSH from 2022:
| Score | AP English Language | AP U.S. History |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10.2% | 10.7% |
| 4 | 21.0% | 15.6% |
| 3 | 24.3% | 21.9% |
| 2 | 30.0% | 23.0% |
| 1 | 14.5% | 28.7% |
As you can see, the distributions of scores are quite similar. As a result, it’s hard to determine whether AP Lang is harder than APUSH based on these numbers.
AP Lang vs. APUSH Time Commitment
Based on my personal experience, APUSH is much more time-consuming than AP Lang. Over the year, you learn about nine time periods, all of which are quite detailed (apart from the last period).
Also, you’ll need to do a lot of textbook reading and note-taking. You’ll need to read and annotate for AP Lang outside of class, but that is nothing compared to the workload for APUSH.
I also spent much more time studying for each APUSH test than I did for AP Lang tests. For APUSH, you need to memorize a lot of information. However, for AP Lang, there’s nothing to memorize in preparation for tests (apart from some rhetorical strategies and the essay format).
At the end of the year, I spent much more time preparing for the APUSH exam. In addition to doing practice questions, I had to make sure I knew all nine time periods well.
In contrast, for AP Lang, I was already familiar with different rhetorical strategies by the end of the year, so I jumped right in with practice questions.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Although I’ve done my best to provide a comparison of AP Lang and APUSH, the class best suited for you ultimately depends on your personal circumstances.
In this section, I’ll provide a list of questions you can ask yourself to narrow down a class.
What are my strengths?
Consider how you’ve done in English classes in the past. If reading comprehension and/or essay writing are things you struggle with, then AP Lang might not be a good choice. Reading comprehension and essay writing form almost the entirety of the course.
If you’ve taken AP World History or AP European History before, consider how you did in those classes. If you’re good at memorization and making connections between historical events, then APUSH could be a good choice.
What do I want to major in?
Personally, I believe both classes are quite useful, no matter your major.
AP Lang taught me effective persuasive writing, and writing is essential no matter your future career of choice. More immediately, the writing skills you learn can help you with upcoming college applications.
In APUSH, I learned to find patterns when presented with lots of details. This has helped me in synthesizing information across lots of sources.
When reading current events, I also find myself frequently recalling information I learned in APUSH. APUSH has helped me more critically assess social, cultural, technological, and other trends in the modern-day.
However, if you have to choose one and you’re not majoring in history, then AP Lang would probably be the more useful class. After all, you’ll more likely need to know how to convince your audience of your position than how the Industrial Revolution transformed the U.S.
Which schools will I be applying to?
Both AP Lang and APUSH are rigorous AP classes that will look impressive to admissions officers.
However, the number of AP classes you take is most definitely not the only thing colleges look for. College admissions is not a competition of who takes the most AP classes.
When choosing between AP Lang and APUSH, it is more important to consider which class you’ll actually enjoy and whether the class will reasonably challenge you. (You don’t want to spend all your time stressing over a class that accentuates all your weaknesses.)
However, you may want to consider credit transfers. For example, let’s say a college you want to apply to accepts APUSH as credit toward a humanities requirement. If you want to pursue a STEM major, you may want to get a head start on fulfilling the humanities requirement.
Will I have the time?
As I discussed before, APUSH is a very time-consuming course. Since I already had experience with AP World History, I was able to learn the information and take notes for APUSH in a more time-effective way.
Nevertheless, there was no getting around the textbook reading and memorization necessary for the class. Since I knew my junior year would be busy, I actually started preparing for APUSH the summer before.
This is, admittedly, a bit overkill, but it definitely saved me lots of time during the school year and made my course load more manageable.
In your junior year, you’ll be juggling extracurriculars, SAT/ACT studying, and college application prep alongside your classes. Therefore, you need to consider whether you’ll have the time for a class like APUSH.
AP Lang is comparatively less time-consuming. Although you’ll need to do some required readings outside of class, most work is done in class.
How is the class taught at my school?
AP exams may be standardized, but the teaching of AP classes varies from school to school. Therefore, it’s important to understand how AP Lang and APUSH are taught at your school.
Speak to upperclassmen who’ve taken the classes. Everyone’s experience is subjective, so you need to speak to several people and take each opinion with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, you should still be able to get a grasp on the relative workload and rigor of each class.
Also, you can ask your guidance counselor for a course syllabus and data on past passing rates at your school.
Is AP Lang Harder Than APUSH, and Which Should You Take?
In conclusion, both AP Lang and APUSH require strong critical thinking and writing skills. Both have their challenges.
AP Lang’s notorious FRQ section (3 essays, each written in 45 minutes) requires you to think fast on your feet and brainstorm supporting examples on the spot.
APUSH requires a lot of memorization. Since it only covers the history of one country, you’ll delve into greater detail than you would in other AP History classes. Nevertheless, you can’t get so caught up in details that you miss the broader trends.
The answer to the question, “Is AP Lang harder than APUSH?” really comes down to your personal strengths and weaknesses.
If you’ve done well in past English classes and know essay writing won’t be a major struggle, then taking AP Lang is a great way to improve your critical thinking and writing skills.
If you’ve done well in another AP History course or know that you’re good at memorization and finding patterns in details, then APUSH could be a good choice.
Additionally, you should consider your future major, the schools you’ll be applying to, the time commitment, and how each class is taught at your school.
You should consider all these factors when deciding whether to take AP Lang or APUSH:
- Personal strengths and weaknesses
- Intended major
- Schools you’ll be applying to
- Time commitment
- How the classes are taught at your school
I hope this article helped you decide which class to take. Let me know whether it did, and if so, your decision in the comments below!
For more posts on high school advice, check out:
- Most Impressive AP Classes + Useful Tips to Succeed in Them Part 1—math, sciences, and computer science
- Most Impressive AP Classes + Useful Tips to Succeed in Them Part 2—humanities, social sciences, and foreign language
- AP Bio vs. AP Physics: How to Decide Which to Take
- The Ultimate Guide to Get a 5 on APUSH
- How to Take APUSH Notes—Improve Speed, Memory, and Grades
- What Do Colleges Look for? A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Into Your Dream College
- Why Junior Year is Not Too Late to Start Extracurriculars
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