AP United States Government and Politics
Sign in to My AP to access free online support in AP Classroom, including AP Daily videos.
Sign in to My AP to access free online support in AP Classroom, including AP Daily videos.
Go to AP Central for resources for teachers, administrators, and coordinators.
Study the key concepts and institutions of the political system and culture of the United States. You'll read, analyze, and discuss the U.S. Constitution and other documents as well as complete a research or applied civics project.
Connecting political concepts to real-life situations
Explaining the impact and implications of certain U.S. Supreme Court decisions
Analyzing data to find patterns and trends and draw conclusions
Reading and analyzing text and visual sources
Developing a claim or thesis and supporting it in an essay
A one-semester introductory college course in U.S. government
None
Mon, May 3, 2021,
8 AM Local
This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP United States Government and Politics Exam.
The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences.
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:
15%–22% of multiple-choice score
You’ll continue to explore how the government sets and administers policy, and you’ll learn about the complexities of this process.
Topics may include:
25%–36% of multiple-choice score
You’ll connect what you’ve learned about the founding principles of our government to the debates over how best to balance freedom and order.
Topics may include:
13%–18% of multiple-choice score
You’ll explore the various beliefs that U.S. citizens hold about government, how these beliefs are shaped, and how they affect which policies citizens support.
Topics may include:
10%–15% of multiple-choice score
You’ll learn about the many ways that U.S. citizens can influence the decisions the government makes.
Topics may include:
20%–27% of multiple-choice score
Find colleges that grant credit and/or placement for AP Exam scores in this and other AP courses.
AP Classroom Resources
Once you join your AP class section online, you’ll be able to access AP Daily videos, any assignments from your teacher, and your personal progress dashboard in AP Classroom. Sign in to access them.
AP United States Government and Politics Course and Exam Description
This is the core document for the course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the exam and the AP Program in general.
AP United States Government and Politics can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors