On the AP History Exams, the DBQ, or document-based-question, is a somewhat strangely constructed timed essay on the AP US History, AP European History, and AP World History. Because of their unfamiliarity, many students are unsure how to prepare, much alone compose a good DBQ essay on test day. However, with some practice, anyone can write a strong DBQ essay that shows off their knowledge of historical events together with their ability to analyze evidence based on specific details brought up during the exam. A DBQ essay is different from other essays you may have written before because it is based mostly around documents available in the archives of your choice. These could be primary sources, such as letters, journals, or memoirs written by participants in an event who are still alive; they could also be secondary sources, such as articles or books. The key thing is that they must be applicable to the topic at hand. For example, if your topic is "causes of the American Civil War," then any article or book on the subject will do; there's no need to read up on this era of U.S. history specifically for the exam. But if your topic is "how women affected the course of the American Revolution," then the only source you could use would be actual information taken from women involved in this event. Each document is given a specific weight when calculating your score, depending on the nature of the question.