What are your chances of acceptance?
Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.
Your chancing factors
Extracurriculars.
Ultimate Guide to the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam
Do you know how to improve your profile for college applications.
See how your profile ranks among thousands of other students using CollegeVine. Calculate your chances at your dream schools and learn what areas you need to improve right now — it only takes 3 minutes and it's 100% free.
The AP U.S. Government and Politics exam, more commonly referred to as simply the AP U.S. Government exam (or AP Gov Exam), is one of the harder exams to pass and earn a 5 on. Whether you’ve taken the AP U.S. Government course or decided to self-study for the exam, we’ve put together our expert advice and compiled some of the best resources to help you study.
When is the AP AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam?
The AP U.S. Government exam is the first AP exam offered in 2020, taking place Monday, May 4, at 8 am. For more information on AP test times, along with advice on registering, study tips, and more, check out our blog post 2020 AP Exam Schedule: Everything You Need to Know .
About the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam
The AP U.S. Government exam measures your understanding of American political culture—in particular, your knowledge of key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. You’ll explore these topics through five disciplinary practices:
- Concept Application: The application of political concepts to scenarios in context.
- SCOTUS Comparison: Understand how Supreme Court cases relate to one another.
- Data Analysis: Analyze and interpret data represented in charts, graphs, etc.
- Source Analysis: Read, analyze, and interpret documents.
- Argumentation: Develop a strong argument and present it clearly in an essay.
In addition to the disciplinary practices, students will explore five big ideas that serve as the foundation of the AP U.S. Government course, using them to make connections between concepts throughout the course. The five big ideas are:
1. Constitutionalism: The system of checks and balances—based on law and majority rule and minority rights—between the branches of government and allocation of power between federal and state governments.
2. Liberty and Order: The effects different interpretations of the U.S. constitution have on the laws and policies balancing order and liberty.
3. Civic Participation in Representative Democracy: Considerations such as popular sovereignty, individualism, and republicanism and their effect on U.S. laws and policy.
4. Competition Policy-Making Decisions: Interaction between multiple actors and institutions to produce and implement potential policies.
5. Methods of Political Analysis: The methods political scientists use to measure U.S. political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and institutions over time.
You can check out the College Board website for more information about the exam.
AP U.S. Government and Politics Course Content
The AP U.S Government course is organized into five units. Below is the sequence of the units suggested by the College Board, along with the percentage each unit accounts for on the multiple-choice section of the AP U.S. Government exam.
AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam Content
The AP U.S. Government exam lasts three hours and is divided into two sections, multiple choice and free response.
Section 1: Multiple Choice
1 hour 20 minutes | 55 questions | 50% of score
There are two types of questions in the multiple-choice section—there are about 30 individual questions (with no stimulus) and about 25 questions grouped in sets of two to four questions that respond to the same stimulus. You’ll encounter three different types of questions within the sets:
Section 2: Free Response
1 hour 40 minutes | 4 questions | 50% of score
The second section of the AP U.S. Government exam contains four free response questions. Students receive 20 minutes to answer the first three free response questions and get 40 minutes to answer the final question. Each question is worth 12.5% of your total score. The four free response questions each test a unique skill.
Concept Application: You’re provided with a political scenario and are tasked with explaining the effects of a political institution, behavior, or process.
Quantitative Analysis: You’re given quantitative data represented in a table, graph, map, or infographic. You’ll need to identify a trend, pattern, or draw a conclusion and explain its relation to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior.
SCOTUS Comparison: You’re given a non-required Supreme Court case and must compare it with a required Supreme Court Case—explaining how the required case is relevant to the non-required one.
Argumentation: Develop an argument in essay form using evidence from required foundational documents and course concepts.
AP U.S. Government Score Distribution, Average Score, and Passing Rate
According to the College Board , 12.9% of students who took the exam in 2019 earned a 5, and 12.4% of students earned a 4. Overall, 55.1% of students who took the AP U.S. Government exam received a “passing” score of 3 or higher. The AP Gov exam is known as one of the harder exams to pass and get a 5 in.
For more information about what the AP U.S. Government course is like, check out the course description from the College board website .
Best Ways to Study for the AP U.S. Government Exam
Step 1: assess your skills.
You should start studying for the AP U.S. Government exam by taking a practice test to assess your current knowledge. The practice test from the College Board offers an excellent starting point. Score your own multiple-choice section and free response, and then ask a teacher or friend to score your free response as well—then, average the two scores since this area is subjective. After you’ve taken your practice test, you can better identify the areas in which you need to improve.
Step 2: Study the Theory
Ask the Experts: There are many helpful study guides in this area, including the Princeton Review’s Cracking the AP U.S. Government & Politics Exam 2020, Premium Edition —this offers a very good guide to the exam, although some people criticize it for having too much information. You should think of this study guide as a textbook, rather than a resource to help you cram the night before the test. Barron’s AP U.S. Government and Politics: With 2 Practice Tests has a fantastic reputation as the go-to resource for long-term studying.
Find Online Assistance: There are also many online study resources. Some AP teachers post complete study guides or hand out review sheets and test questions as preparation for the exam. You can check out these study guides from mrfarshtey.net and quizlet for more review.
Study on-the-go with an app: Apps are also a convenient way to study for AP exams. Just be sure to read the reviews before you purchase one, as you don’t want to end up spending money on an application that isn’t actually effective! Two highly regarded AP U.S. Government and Politics study apps are AP U.S. Government & Politics Exam Prep by Brainscape and AP U.S. Government: Practice Tests and Flashcards by Varsity Tutors.
Step 3: Practice Multiple-Choice Questions
After you’ve determined what your strengths and weaknesses are and have reviewed the theory, you should practice the multiple-choice questions. There are many practice multiple-choice questions available in study guides and online. You’ll also find numerous multiple-choice questions to practice answering in the College Board’s practice tests— 2018 , 2013 , 2012 , 2009 , and 2005 .
Be sure to focus on understanding what each question is asking, and keep a running list of any concepts that are still unfamiliar to you.
Step 4: Practice Free Response Questions
Next, practice the free response questions. Be sure to pay attention to task verbs in questions (words like “describe,” “define,” “discuss,” “explain,” “compare/contrast,” “evaluate/assess,” and “analyze”). Make sure that you understand what each question is asking you to do, and allow this to guide you when answering the free response questions.
You should also be extra careful when answering questions that have multiple parts. Underline each section of the question and check them off as you write—students often lose points by forgetting to include a given part of a multipart question.
When you’re working through the free response questions, use task verbs in your answer. If you are asked to “give a specific example,” start that part of your answer with “One specific example of this is…”
It’s helpful to review free response questions along with scoring and commentary to better understand where students often go wrong or how they might lose points on this section of the exam. The College Board’s website provides the free response questions used on the AP U.S. Government exam dating back to 1999, along with commentary and scoring distributions.
Step 5: Take Another Practice Exam
After you’ve taken a formative assessment, studied the theory, practiced the multiple-choice section, and worked on your free response writing skills, take another practice exam. Score it the same way as before, and repeat the studying process, making sure to target the areas that are still weak.
Step 6: Exam Day
If you’re taking the AP course associated with this exam, your teacher will walk you through how to register. If you’re self-studying, check out our blog post How to Self-Register for AP Exams .
For information about what to bring to the exam, see our post What Should I Bring to My AP Exam (And What Should I Definitely Leave at Home)?
CollegeVine can’t solve the mystery of how well you’ll score on the AP U.S. Government exam, but we can take the guesswork out of college admissions. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account to start using our chancing engine today to discover your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges and universities.
Looking for more information on AP exams and courses? If so, check out these other excellent posts:
2020 AP Exam Schedule
How Long is Each AP Exam?
Easiest and Hardest AP Exams
Related CollegeVine Blog Posts
If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.
If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.
To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.
AP®︎/College US Government and Politics
Unit 1: foundations of american democracy, unit 2: interactions among branches of government, unit 3: civil liberties and civil rights, unit 4: american political ideologies and beliefs, unit 5: political participation, unit 6: about this ap us government and politics course, unit 7: resources and exam preparation.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Welcome to Mr. Tredinnick's AP United States Government and Politics Class. "Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country." - Franklin Roosevelt.
AP U.S. Government and Politics is an introductory college-level course in U.S. government and politics. Students cultivate their understanding of U.S. government and politics through analysis of data and text-based sources as they explore topics like constitutionalism, liberty and order, civic participation in a representative democracy, competing policy-making interests, and methods of ...
The AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam will test your understanding of the political concepts covered in the course units, including your ability to analyze the foundational documents and to apply Supreme Court decisions you studied in the course to real-life scenarios. Exam Duration. 3hrs. Update: Roe v. Wade.
Studying AP U.S. Government & Politics in Advanced Placement? On Studocu you will find 831 assignments, 463 class notes, 142 practice materials and much more for. ... Assignments. Date Rating. year. Ratings. 2.1-2.3 AMSCO AP Government. 6 pages 2022/2023 100% (30) 2022/2023 100% (30) Save. Analytical Reading Activities Topic 2.6.
Starting in the 2023-24 school year, AP U.S. Government and Politics will have an updated course framework and instructional materials. AP resources are designed to support all students and teachers with daily instruction, practice, and feedback to help cover and connect content and skills.
Note: Some questions and scoring guidelines from the 2023 and earlier AP U.S. Government and Politics Exams may not perfectly align with the course and exam updates that take effect in the 2023-24 school year.These questions remain available because teachers say that imperfectly aligned questions still provide instructional value. 2023: Free-Response Questions
AP U.S. Government Score Distribution, Average Score, and Passing Rate. According to the College Board, 12.9% of students who took the exam in 2019 earned a 5, and 12.4% of students earned a 4. Overall, 55.1% of students who took the AP U.S. Government exam received a "passing" score of 3 or higher. The AP Gov exam is known as one of the ...
Collapse All. Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy. You'll learn how the men who created the U.S. Constitution set up a structure of government intended to stand the test of time, and how the compromises they made left some questions unresolved that continue to be debated today. Topics may include:
Learn AP US Government and Politics: videos, articles, and AP-aligned multiple choice question practice, covering the Constitution, the branches of government, political beliefs, and citizen participation. Review Supreme Court cases, study key amendments, and reflect on how the founders' intentions and debates continue to influence politics in the Unite States today.
The free-response section of the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam consists of four questions, each of which is worth 12.5% of the total score. The questions cover various topics and require students to demonstrate their understanding of political concepts and ability to apply this knowledge to real-world scenarios.
Welcome to Mr. Tredinnick's United States Government Class. This semester long course will examine the democratic foundations, structures, and institutions of American government at local, state, and national levels. Students will study the political processes to gain understanding of the role of the individuals in the decision-making process ...
Syllabus Development Guide: AP® Government and Politics: United States The guide contains the following sections and information: Curricular Requirements ... The syllabus includes an assignment where students write a research paper on political parties. 2. The course outline includes subtopics that include examination of trends in partisan ...
AP Classroom is a online platform that offers teachers and students access to AP courses, exams, and resources. AP Classroom helps students develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and beyond. AP Classroom also provides feedback, practice, and support for AP exams, as well as video lessons, assignments, and quizzes for various AP subjects.
Note: Some questions and scoring guidelines from the 2023 and earlier AP U.S. Government and Politics Exams may not perfectly align with the course and exam updates that take effect in the 2023-24 school year. These questions remain available because teachers say that imperfectly aligned questions still provide instructional value.
These sections in AP Classroom show all assignments from your teacher and give you detailed results on your learning progress with helpful links for further study. ... AP United States Government and Politics. AP United States History. AP World History: Modern. Math and Computer Science. AP Calculus AB.
This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP United States Government and Politics Exam. Your school's AP coordinator can tell you where your exam will be administered. Resources. Article. AP Exams Overview . Get an overview of AP Exams, including exam timing and structure and the best ways to practice.
AP Gov: Summer Assignment AP U.S. Government & Politics Current Event Rubric Directions: Complete two current event journals over the course of the summer. Each current event should include the following: • At least three articles over the course of 7 days about the same topic is ONE JOURNAL ENTRY • Each entry should relate to at least one of the three branches of United States government.
Your first assignment has. two parts; exploring the United States Constitution and analyzing current events that relate to our. government. Both parts are due on the first day of school. If you have any questions or. concerns regarding the assignment, please feel free to email me at [email protected] any time. over the summer.
AP U.S. Government Summer Assignment CONSTITUTION REVIEW AND GUIDE: Instructions: In order to have the necessary background knowledge needed to be successful as an AP Government student, it is important that you have a solid understanding of the U.S. Constitution. 1. Use the following website to access the U.S. Constitution:
AP ® United States Government and Politics: Sample Syllabus 2 . AP United States Government and Politics Syllabus Instructional Schedule This AP U.S. Government and Politics class is taught in one semester using a traditional school day schedule. Each class period is 47 minutes long. There are approximately 79 instructional days in each semester.
AP Government & Politics Summer Assignment The AP course for US Government is a college-level class that is designed to prepare you for the AP exam in May. In order to set you up for success in this class, the AP Government teachers are giving you a summer assignment to help you review the Constitution and major Supreme Court cases in our ...
an AP score of 5 is equivalent to the average score among college students earning grades of A in the college course. Similarly, AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to college grades of A-, B+, and B. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to college grades of B-, C+, and C. Using and Interpreting AP Scores
Unit 3 Study Guide: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights AP Government, 2022-23 Dr. Ludwig, 10 points AP Learning Objectives 3: Bill of Rights Explain how the U. Constitution protects individual rights and liberties Civil Liberties: The personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation.