With the 2025 AP Human Geography exam fast approaching, now is the time to start prepping! Having a well organized study plan can make all the difference in how you approach this test and earn your best score. That’s why we sat down with expert tutor Sarah Newport to learn more about what it takes to earn a 5 on the AP Human Geography Exam.
Test Day: Tuesday, May 5th, 2026
Time: 8 a.m. local time
Exam Format and Content
The AP Human Geography exam is divided into two sections, each designed to assess your understanding of geographic concepts and their application to real-world scenarios.
- Number of Questions: 60
- Duration: 1 hour
- Percentage of Total Score: 50%
The multiple-choice section includes questions that feature maps, graphs, images, infographics, landscapes, charts, and tables. These questions are evenly divided between quantitative and qualitative sources, but you’ll need to be able to analyze these sources and apply your knowledge of various geography concepts.
- Number of Questions: 3
- Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Percentage of Total Score: 50%
The free-response section requires you to apply your knowledge in more depth. Each question presents authentic geographic scenarios and judges your ability to describe, explain, and analyze geographic concepts, processes, or models as they analyze geographic patterns, relationships, and outcomes in applied contexts. Questions may include maps, images, or data.
There is also at least one free-response question that assesses a student’s ability to analyze across geographic scales to explain spatial relationships.
The Exam is Based on Seven Key Units of Study:
Unit 1: Thinking Geographically 8-10%
Unit 2: Population and Migration Patterns and Processes 12-17%
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes 12-17%
Unit 4: Political Patterns and Processes 12-17%
Unit 5: Agricultural and Rural Land Use Patterns and Processes 12-17%
Unit 6: Cities and Urban Land Use Patterns and Processes 12-17%
Unit 7: Industrial and Economic Development Patterns and Processes 12-17%
Tips for Preparing for the AP Human Geography Exam
1. Start Studying 6 Weeks in Advance
The most common issue we see when it comes to AP exam prep is students not budgeting enough time. Trying to cram everything in the week or two before will not only be stressful, but also less likely to work. You want to be sure that you’ve reviewed every unit— which means you should start at least 6 weeks in advance. We tend to recommend that students break the content into manageable chunks to best digest and apply the information.
Below, we suggest how to cover the material in six weeks.
You’ll notice that we’ve recommended you address the first two units of the AP Human Geography Exam in the first week. Why? Units 1 and 2 are both focused on vocabulary and foundational concepts. Most students can easily cover these units in the first week of studying; however, everyone is different. Feel free to mix and match however you see fit.
Here is how you might structure your 6-week study plan…
Week 1: Unit 1 & Unit 2: (Thinking Geographically) & (Population and Migration Patterns and Processes)
Week 2: Unit 3 Cultural Patterns and Processes
Week 3: Unit 4 Political Patterns and Processes
Week 4: Unit 5 Agricultural and Rural Land Use Patterns and Processes
Week 5: Unit 6 Cities and Urban Land Use Patterns and Processes
Week 6: Unit 7 Industrial and Economic Development Patterns and Processes
2. Practice Actively, Not Passively
It’s important to study actively. Simply reading your textbook or passively reviewing your notes without quizzing yourself isn’t enough to reinforce your understanding. You’ll likely just be wasting precious time. Instead, actively quiz yourself as you encounter the terms and models in the text. Turn textbook headings into questions and then answer the questions. Take the time to practice describing the models out loud, or, if possible, explain the model or concept to a friend or family member. Teaching someone else is a great way for you to learn the material yourself. Use flashcards to test yourself on key terms. Make sure that for each term or model you learn, you can describe a real life example.
Check out more of our blogs on active learning strategies:
How to be a More Effective Reader
Time Management Tips for Busy Students
Test Taking Tips for Peak Performance
I Can’t Believe That Happened During My Test
3. Master Geographic Models and Concepts
One of the most important aspects of the AP Human Geography exam is your understanding of the geographic models. There are a few models that are just central to the course. You have to be able to describe, apply, and analyze them to get a good score. There is no way around it. Be sure to focus on:
Population Models: You need to be able to explain the demographic transition model and how it shows the transition of a country’s population from high to low birth and death rates. You’ll also need to understand population pyramids and how they represent population structure.
You can view a sample of a Demographic Transition Model here.
Urban Models: Be sure to familiarize yourself with the concentric zone model, sector model, and multiple nuclei model. They describe how urban areas grow and the spatial patterns that emerge in cities. You need to know them and be able to apply them to the real world examples that they give you.
Agricultural Models: Don’t forget to also familiarize yourself with von Thünen’s agricultural model and make sure that you understand how it explains land use patterns, specifically around transportation costs and agricultural goods.
4. Practice Past Free Response Questions
As you study, know that the college board has previous free response questions to help you study and learn the test’s style. We recommend that students plan to complete at least two free response question sets before the exam— but as always, the more the merrier!
5. Use Multiple Resources
Sometimes, just using your textbook or class notes isn’t enough– but luckily, we live in the 21st century where there are treasure troves of valuable online resources out there to help you prepare. If you would like to supplement your textbook reading, consider online resources such as Heimler’s History, a YouTube series offering AP Human Geography review. These videos break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand segments that can be listened to on the go!
We also recommend that students take advantage of the College Board’s official resources, such as the AP Daily videos, specifically designed to help you prepare for the exam. These resources guide you through content and question formats, helping you understand exactly what to expect. This is a great way to make use of your social media time!
6. Incorporate Practice Exams into Your Routine
As you study, it’s helpful to incorporate practice exams into your routine. They’re great progress checkers, but also helpful in your getting to know the exam’s timing.
The College Board doesn’t actually provide a complete multiple-choice practice exam, but there are many reliable test prep books that include sample multiple-choice questions for you to practice with.
Conclusion
The AP Human Geography exam is a challenging test! We encourage students interested in doing well to use active study methods, practice their flashcards, and review the necessary models and graphs regularly.
But don’t forget– you shouldn’t have to struggle alone! Marks Education offers AP Tutoring packages for AP Human Geography and most other tests! Check out our AP resources page or read the bios of our AP Tutors to learn more about the expert tutors ready to coach you or your student to success on the test. Contact us to schedule a FREE consultation to learn more about how our team can help.