I can't imagine taking APUSH online, so that might be part of the problem. My dd19 had an amazing history teacher for APUSH and it was definitely NOT all about multiple choice or "quick" essays (although being able to make those connections concisely certainly was valued). I've read so much about APs being hated, and people preferring the CC classes in HS, but I loved the APs for my kids. The CCs were much more basic, and filled with a mix of students. The AP courses seemed deeper and more geared towards gifted. Dd19 is now a senior in college, with a dual major, >3.9 GPA, honors track, etc and she credits her skill at writing and analyzing all to her APUSH, Honors World History (when she was a freshman in HS, AP World History wasn't offered) and AP Euro classes. In fact, she's said several times that the Honors/AP Eng courses offered were nowhere near as helpful to her writing ability as the history courses. She definitely had to write longer essays, but she did have to do some multiple choice and shorter responses/DBQs in the class, and I thought it was a great mix. When the top students in the HS were honored, they had to choose a "most influential educator" and she chose her APUSH teacher and says that she still would, as a senior in college.
I truly, truly think that it's mediocre teachers who are killing these classes. High schools are clamoring to offer every AP course but don't have enough qualified teachers. Personally, that's why I liked our large HS (4,000 students when dd went there) even it was a bit impersonal.
I don't know how our HS did as a whole (they only report students getting 3 or higher) but dd got all 5s and she really didn't study that much. Through the years (since APUSH was her 3rd in-depth history course) I think she just developed those skills. It did help that dd is a very fast reader and doesn't really view reading as homework, but I do know a few of her friends who also got 5s who weren't cramming. Dd finished her set takedown from the spring musical about midnight the night before the 8am APUSH test and had been doing rehearsals 5-6 days a week for the two months prior to it.
