Study Prioritisation — What to Study First (Unit 2: America)

🎯 Study Prioritisation — What to Study First (Unit 2: America)

Not all topics are equally likely to appear in your exam. Use this guide if your revision time is limited.

Tier 1 — MUST study (appear in nearly every sitting):

• Economic Boom (Topic 4) — WCRAM causes, Model T, credit, 5/5 sittings
• Causes of the Depression (Topic 10) — Wall Street Crash, bank failures, 5/5 sittings
• Segregation (Topic 16) — Jim Crow, Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board
• Birmingham 1963 (Topic 18) — Children's Crusade, fire hoses, March on Washington
• Voting Rights (Topic 19) — Selma, Voting Rights Act 1965, Mississippi 7% to 67%

Tier 2 — SHOULD study (appear frequently):

• Prohibition (Topic 8) — organised crime, Al Capone, 18th and 21st Amendments
• New Deal (Topic 12) — Three Rs, CCC/WPA/TVA, what it failed to do
• Direct Action (Topic 17) — Montgomery, Greensboro, Freedom Rides
• Black Power (Topic 21) — Carmichael, Black Panthers, Malcolm X

Tier 3 — IF TIME (appear less often but still valuable):

• America in 1920 (T3), Life Changes (T5), Wealth Inequality (T6), Women (T7), Intolerance (T9), FDR Election (T11), New Deal opposition and success (T13-T14), WW2 and Post-War (T15), Legacy (T22)

Time guide: 5 hours of revision → focus on Tier 1 only. 10 hours → Tiers 1 and 2. 15+ hours → all topics. Remember: AQA can set questions on any topic, but Tier 1 topics almost always appear.