Should I take AP World or AP US History?

There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to the curriculum of both subjects. However, I would encourage you to base your decision around the teachers at your school. Talk to people who have taken one class or the other and find out how well the teachers teach skills (not material, although that's important too). A good history class will help you develop strong writing skills, improve your research ability, encourage you to analyze perspectives and help you to make persuasive arguments. Find out which teacher is better at building these skills in their students and take that class without looking back.

(I see a lot of overachievers in the answers, so I'll try to add my own two cents.) I'm currently a Sophomore in AP World, taking APUSH next year. I took Honors World as a Freshman. First of all, it's not an either-or situation. Chances are, you'll be taking four years of social sciences. Freshman Year: Honors World (most people who take AP World don't take this, but you are) Sophomore Year: AP World Junior Year: APUSH Senior Year: AP Econ and AP Gov If you have other classes you want to get out of the way, you can skip to APUSH and have the required 3 Social Sciences. Otherwise, this 4-year is the flow that most everyone follows. Now, personally, AP World does not cover the same things as Honors World. This was one of the first things my sister told me about World. They're totally different. We all found Honors to be easy, but AP to be difficult (not heartbreaking like some AP sciences, just difficult in comparison) with the amount of content we'd have to cover. Both of these are courses that people have self-studied before. (I say people in italics because they're superhumans, how they balanced 3-5 AP's and self-studying and extracurriculars and SAT/ACT studying, I'll never know.) But you have requirements to fulfill, and if you have a good teacher, go for it. As far as taking them simultaneously, I talk anyone and everyone out of taking two of the same types of AP courses at once (except Stats and a Math, because I don't really consider Stats to be a math). It's difficult, it'll all boggle up in your brain. So, basically, follow the flow of progression unless you have some other all-important class that your history class is in the way of. Feel free to comment if you disagree or are confused about something, I tried to make this as brief as possible.

AP U.S. History is the more widely established test as it’s been around since the early 1960s. AP World History is a much broader exam that began in 2002. APUSH covers approximately 300+ yrs. of history while APWH covers 5,000+ yrs. The trend in history is definitely toward global history over national history. If you want to be ahead of that curve, take AP World. If you’re looking to maximize your college credit-earning potential, many colleges give 6 credits for a 4 or 5 score on the APUSH exam, while 3 credits is more common for AP World.There is no advantage in having taken AP World before APUSH, or vice versa. The content does not overlap much. On the other hand, there is an advantage in taking AP World prior to AP European History. Personally, I recommend taking as many APs as you can handle. If I had to choose just one, I’d go with the better teacher or else the one you have a greater interest in. As an educator, I see a lot of value in both courses.