CLEP History of the United States II Exam Prep Course
Full course with 450+ practice questions and a practice exam
Self-paced prep for the CLEP History of the United States II exam. 17 chapters running from Reconstruction to the twenty-first century, covering all 5 topical areas the exam tests, with a quiz after every subchapter. 120 questions, 90 minutes. A score of 50 earns 3 transferable college credits.
- Backup ACE/NCCRS credit path — earn the credit even if you don't pass
- Lifetime access — no deadlines, no expiry, study at your own pace
- Credits accepted at 2,900+ U.S. colleges
Pricing
$19 for this course with lifetime access, or $29 a month for all 28 CLEP subjects. Every plan also unlocks the ACE/NCCRS course in the same subject.
- All 17 chapters and 77 lessons
- Five-question quiz after every subchapter
- Readiness score tracker
- Reconstruction to the present, in order
- Lifetime access, no expiry
- All 28 CLEP prep courses
- Every chapter, lesson and quiz
- Readiness tracker per subject
- Backup ACE/NCCRS credit path
- Cancel or pause anytime
- Lifetime access to all 28 subjects
- All current and future courses
- 12-month ACE/NCCRS backup path
- Pay once, never renew
What are ACE and NCCRS?
Two independent bodies that review online courses and recommend them for college credit. The American Council on Education (ACE) and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) put courses through faculty panels that assess rigor and learning outcomes, then publish a credit recommendation. When you complete one, the credentialing body issues an official transcript you send to your college — the same kind of transfer credit a student moving from another university would bring with them.
- Reviewed by faculty panels, not by the course provider
- Official transcript issued on completion
- Recognized at 2,100+ colleges, many of which also take CLEP and DSST
Both routes, one plan
Buying CLEP History of the United States II prep also opens the ACE/NCCRS course in the same subject — U.S. History II — at no extra cost. So exam day isn't the only way through. If the score doesn't land, the course is already sitting in your account: complete it self-paced, no proctor and no 90-minute timer, and earn the three credits through coursework instead.
- Same subject, same 3 semester hours, different path
- Unlocked automatically — no extra fee, no application
- CLEP can still be retaken after three months
Each college sets its own transfer policy, so confirm yours accepts the route you plan to use.
Check your college's policy before you buy. We keep 280+ school pages listing accepted exams, required scores and credits awarded.
Check your collegeCLEP History of the United States II exam format and topics
The exam covers the second semester of a two-semester U.S. history survey, from the end of the Civil War to the present. About 120 questions in 90 minutes, some of them unscored pretest items. Most questions fall after 1915. Pass mark is 50.
| Content area | Weighting | Questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political institutions and public policy | 30% | ≈36 | Parties, movements and realignments; constitutional amendments and major Supreme Court cases; the changing role of the federal government; liberalism and conservatism |
| Social developments | 30% | ≈36 | Immigration and racial and ethnic minorities; urbanization; women and the family; civil rights, women's rights and protest movements; demographic trends |
| Cultural and intellectual developments | 20% | ≈24 | Major movements and figures in American arts and culture; education, science and technology and their impact on society |
| Economic developments | 10% | ≈12 | Industrialization, economic growth, depressions and recessions, the changing nature of work and labor organization |
| Diplomacy and international relations | 10% | ≈12 | Expansionism and imperialism, the causes and effects of major wars, and U.S. engagement with the world |
| 5 content areas | 100% | ≈120 | 90 minutes · multiple choice · score 50 for an ACE recommendation of 3 semester hours |
College Board also sets a chronological split: about 30% of questions cover 1865–1914 and about 70% cover 1915 to the present.
How hard is the exam?
Expect a fast pace: 120 questions in 90 minutes is about 45 seconds each. Political and social history together are 60% of the exam, and seven in ten questions fall after 1915, so the twentieth century carries most of the weight. Questions ask you to explain change over time, not just recall events.
- Weight your study toward 1915 to the present — about 70% of the exam
- Political and social history are 30% each
- Civil rights, the New Deal and the Cold War recur across areas
Exam fee and booking
Register with College Board for $97. Test centers may add an administration fee. You can test at a center or remotely with a proctor, year-round. Scores are reported immediately for multiple-choice exams, and you send them to your college yourself.
- Passing score 50, for 3 semester hours
- Retake permitted after three months
- Free for active-duty military via DANTES
The exam is multiple choice only. The chapters run in the same chronological order, from Reconstruction to the twenty-first century.
Check your collegeCourse chapters and lessons
17 chapters across 78 instructional hours. Expand any chapter to see the lessons inside it.
Chapter 1 Rebuilding a Nation: The Reconstruction Era, 1865–1877
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1.1 Reuniting the Union After the Civil War
Reuniting the Union, Presidential and Radical Reconstruction, and why Reconstruction ended — the starting point of the exam's 1865–1914 period.
- 1.2 Congressional Efforts to Reshape the South, 1865–1866
- 1.3 Radical Reconstruction: Progress and Challenges, 1867–1872
- 1.4 The End of Reconstruction and Its Legacy
Chapter 2 Westward Bound: Expansion and Transformation, 1840–1900
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2.1 The Spirit of Westward Expansion
The drive west, homesteading, mining and ranching booms, the destruction of American Indian ways of life, and what expansion meant for Chinese and Hispanic communities.
- 2.2 Homesteading: Aspirations and Challenges
- 2.3 Prosperity in Gold Mining and Cattle Ranching
- 2.4 The Erosion of American Indian Culture and Lives
- 2.5 Westward Expansion’s Effects on Chinese Immigrants and Hispanic Communities
Chapter 3 The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Corporate America, 1870–1900
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3.1 Pioneers of Innovation in the Industrial Age
The inventors and industries of the Gilded Age, the workers who built them, and the consumer culture that followed.
- 3.2 From Inventions to Expanding Industries
- 3.3 Constructing Industrial America Through Labor
- 3.4 The Emergence of a Consumer-Driven Culture
- 3.5 Lab 1: Reconstruction, Expansion, and Industrial Capitalism, 1865–1900
Chapter 4 The Struggles of Urban Growth, 1870–1900
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4.1 The Complexities and Challenges of Urbanization
Rapid urbanization, the Great Migration and new European immigration, city life and reform, and the shifts in literature and philosophy that came with them.
- 4.2 The African American Great Migration and the Wave of European Immigrants
- 4.3 Finding Solace Amidst Urban Turmoil
- 4.4 Shifts in Perspective: Changes in Literature and Philosophy
Chapter 5 Power and Politics in the Gilded Age, 1870–1900
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5.1 Corruption and Scandals in Post-Civil War America
Scandal and patronage, tariffs and the gold standard, the Populist revolt, and the labor conflicts of the 1890s.
- 5.2 Central Political Debates: Patronage, Tariffs, and the Gold Standard
- 5.3 The Populist Movement and the Farmers' Revolt
- 5.4 Social Strife and Labor Unrest in the 1890s
Chapter 6 Pioneering Change: The Progressive Movement, 1890–1920
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6.1 The Beginnings of the Progressive Spirit in America
The Progressive impulse, grassroots reform, advocates for women and African Americans, and Progressive presidents from Roosevelt to Wilson.
- 6.2 Progressivism and Grassroots Activism
- 6.3 Emerging Advocates for Women and African Americans
- 6.4 Progressivism’s Influence in Presidential Leadership
Chapter 7 The Age of Empire: U.S. Foreign Policy, 1890–1914
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7.1 Turner, Mahan, and the Foundations of American Imperialism
Turner, Mahan and the case for empire, the Spanish-American War, the Open Door in Asia, Big Stick diplomacy and Dollar Diplomacy.
- 7.2 The Spanish-American War and the Expansion of Overseas Territories
- 7.3 Economic Influence and Imperialism in East Asia
- 7.4 Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” Approach to Diplomacy
- 7.5 Taft’s Strategy of “Dollar Diplomacy”
Chapter 8 Americans and World War I, 1914–1919
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8.1 Isolationism and the European Roots of the Great War
Neutrality and entry into the Great War, mobilization and the home front, the peace settlement, and the difficult return to peacetime.
- 8.2 Preparing America for the Battlefront
- 8.3 Transformations on the Home Front
- 8.4 Transitioning from War to Peace
- 8.5 Demobilization and the Challenges of Postwar Adjustment
- 8.6 Lab 2: Urbanization, Reform, and America’s Emergence as a Global Power, 1870–1919
Chapter 9 The Roaring Twenties: Redefining America, 1919–1929
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9.1 Economic Prosperity and the Rise of Popular Entertainment
Prosperity and mass entertainment, cultural conflict and backlash, a new generation, and Republican dominance in the 1920s.
- 9.2 Social Transformations and Cultural Backlash
- 9.3 The Emergence of a Modern Generation
- 9.4 Republican Dominance: Politics of the 1920s
Chapter 10 The Great Depression: Hardship and Hope, 1929–1932
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10.1 The Stock Market Crash of 1929: Catalyst for Economic Collapse
The 1929 crash, Hoover's response, and how the Depression reached into every part of American life.
- 10.2 President Hoover’s Approach to the Crisis
- 10.3 The Widespread Impact of the Great Depression
- 10.4 Reflecting on Hoover’s Legacy at the Brink of Change
Chapter 11 Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Era, 1932–1941
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11.1 The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt as a Leader
Franklin Roosevelt's rise and the First and Second New Deals that reshaped the federal government's role.
- 11.2 The First New Deal: Initial Steps to Recovery
- 11.3 The Second New Deal: Expanding Reforms
Chapter 12 Battling for Freedom: World War II, 1941–1945
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12.1 The Roots of War: Europe, Asia, and America’s Entry
The road to war, the home front, victory in Europe, and the Pacific campaign that ended with the atomic bomb.
- 12.2 Life on the Home Front During Wartime
- 12.3 Triumph in the European Theater
- 12.4 The Pacific Campaign and the Use of the Atomic Bomb
- 12.5 Lab 3: Depression, War, and the Expanding Power of the American State, 1929–1945
Chapter 13 Prosperity and Tensions: America in the Post-War Era, 1945–1960
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13.1 Adjusting to Peace: Post-War Challenges
Adjusting to peace, the early Cold War, suburban prosperity, mass media, and the civil rights struggle of the 1950s.
- 13.2 The Cold War and Its Impact on Global Relations
- 13.3 Pursuing the American Dream
- 13.4 The Rise of Popular Culture and Mass Media
- 13.5 The Fight for Civil Rights: African American Struggles
Chapter 14 Shaping Change: America in the 1960s
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14.1 The Vision of Kennedy’s New Frontier
Kennedy's New Frontier, Johnson's Great Society, the civil rights movement at its peak, and the challenges to tradition in the 1960s.
- 14.2 Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society Initiatives
- 14.3 The Ongoing Struggle of the Civil Rights Movement
- 14.4 Questioning Traditions and Pushing Boundaries
Chapter 15 Political Turmoil and Change, 1968–1980
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15.1 Identity Politics in a Divided Nation
Identity politics, a divided nation, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the Carter years.
- 15.2 A Nation Fractured Yet Seeking Unity
- 15.3 The Vietnam Conflict: A Troubling Descent
- 15.4 Watergate: Nixon’s Scandal and Its Fallout
- 15.5 Jimmy Carter: Navigating the Post-Crisis Era
Chapter 16 Shifting Landscapes: From Cold War to Culture Wars, 1980–2000
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16.1 The Reagan Era: A Political Revolution
The Reagan revolution, the culture wars, the end of the Cold War, and the Clinton-era new economy.
- 16.2 The Intersection of Politics and Culture
- 16.3 The Emergence of a New World Order
- 16.4 Bill Clinton and the Rise of the New Economy
Chapter 17 Navigating the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Change
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17.1 The Global Fight Against Terrorism
The war on terror, domestic policy debates, conflicts old and new, the Obama years, and the polarization of recent politics.
- 17.2 Addressing Domestic Priorities
- 17.3 Old Conflicts in a New Century
- 17.4 A Vision of Hope and Change
- 17.5 Political Polarization and the Rise of Social Movements
- 17.6 Lab 4: Cold War, Civil Rights, and the Contested Meaning of American Democracy, 1945–Present
Practice exam Practice final exam
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Practice final exam — 100 multiple-choice questions
A full-length practice final that mirrors the exam's content areas and question style. Your score feeds the readiness tracker, so you know when you're ready to book the real exam.
These chapters make up the CLEP History of the United States II exam prep class. They cover every content area on the official exam outline, and some topics go further than the exam requires.
Take the CLEP exam for the fastest route to 3 credits. If it doesn't go your way, your plan also includes a backup course that earns the credit through coursework.
See pricingColleges that accept CLEP History of the United States II
CLEP is recognized at more than 2,900 U.S. colleges, but each one sets its own minimum score and decides how many credit hours to award. Check yours before you book the exam.
Browse college credit policies
Policies change. Every college page lists the date the policy was checked, and we recommend confirming minimum scores and credit awards with the Registrar before you schedule an exam. TransferCredit.org is an independent education service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the institutions listed.
Practice tests and study guides
Five questions in the style of the CLEP History of the United States II exam, drawn from the chapters above. No sign-up needed — see where you stand before you buy.