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United States · Exam

The US history CLEP exams: History I and History II

There are two, split at the Civil War. History of the United States I runs from early European colonization to the end of Reconstruction in 1877, and History II from 1865 to the present. Each US history CLEP exam has about 120 questions in 90 minutes, and ACE recommends 3 semester hours for a score of 50.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

History I and History II side by side

History I: to 1877History II: 1865 to today
Political institutions and public policy25%30%
Social developments25%30%
Cultural and intellectual developments20%20%
Economic developments15%10%
Diplomacy and international relations15%10%
Time split30% 1500-1789, 70% 1790-187730% 1865-1914, 70% 1915 to today

History I puts its colonial questions mostly on the English colonies, with a few on the Americas before 1500. History II is mostly 20th century.

Which US history CLEP exam do you need?

Match it to the course you want to skip. College Board says History II is usually taught as the second semester of a two-semester US history course, and each exam has its own 3-hour recommendation. Your college’s CLEP policy says which one counts for what.

Both ask you to identify events, explain them, and compare them. Our free practice test has one question from each exam.

What colleges accept CLEP exams →Free CLEP practice test →CLEP American Government exam →Free sample questions: History of the United States I ↗Free sample questions: History of the United States II ↗
Sources: College Board and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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