I say this as someone who got a five out of five on my APUSH exam and then went on you major in History (along with Economics) in college.
- Have a good overview of American History, do not get so wrapped up in remembering a lot of specific dates just get the order of events and their general timeperiod straight.
- Have at least a few very specific facts in your back pocket. I am blessed with a great memory and I know that other are not so try to have a few verydetailed sets of facts from across US History.
- If you are faced with essay writing, argue your position with conviction. You may not care much for the topic, but write as if you did. You take up aposition and you act as though you are that position's lawyer and you are making a case on its behalf.
- Do not try to get very fancy in your writing style. Stick to the standard essay writing format and within that format, sprinkle in a few burst of creativitybut overall, stick to the general essay writing plan.
- Relax, do not think about the ramifications of what happens if you pass or fail, just be there, focus on the task at hand and let your year of work pay offfor you.
You will have to write a lot of these types of essays in college, no matter what your major is so start getting good at it now.