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About the Exam
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.
3hrs
Update: Roe v. Wade
Although the Supreme Court recently overturned Roe v. Wade, it remains required course content and is part of Topic 3.9, “Amendments: Due Process and the Right to Privacy” along with two additional cases, Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022). Any of these cases can be the focus of AP Exam questions related to this topic, but none of them will be the focus of Free Response Question 3.
Exam Date
Exam Components
Section I: Multiple Choice
55 questions 1hr 20mins 50% of Score
The multiple-choice section includes individual, single questions as well as sets of questions. You’ll be asked to:
- Describe, explain, and compare political concepts and processes
- Apply Supreme Court decisions in real-life scenarios
- Analyze data in graphs, charts, tables, maps, or infographics
- Read and analyze foundational documents and other text-based and visual sources
Section II: Free Response
4 questions 1hr 40mins 50% of Score
In the free-response section, you’ll respond to four questions with written answers. The section includes:
- 1 concept application question: You’ll describe and explain the effects of a political institution, behavior, or process, and apply concepts in a new situation.
- 1 quantitative analysis question: You’ll analyze data in the form of a table, graph, map, or infographic to find patterns and trends and reach a conclusion.
- 1 SCOTUS comparison question: You’ll compare a nonrequired Supreme Court case with a required one, explaining how information from the required case is relevant to the nonrequired one.
- The prompt specifies 1 required SCOTUS case, and you are asked to identify how that required case is related to the case given in the scenario.
- 1 argument essay: You’ll write an evidence-based essay supporting a claim or thesis.
Exam Essentials
Exam Preparation
Credit and Placement
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