AP United States Government and Politics
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About the Exam
Important: Because of school closures due to COVID-19, we’re offering at-home testing for the 2020 AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam as well as free resources to help you prepare. For more details, visit the 2020 AP Coronavirus Updates AP U.S. Government and Politics exam page. Note that any related adjustments to 2020 AP Exams, such as length or content covered, may not be reflected on all AP Students pages.
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
3hrs
Exam Dates
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Mon, May 11, 2020,
4 PM ETAP United States Government and Politics Exam
May 11, 2020 is the updated date for the AP United States Government and Politics Exam.
Exam Components
Section 1: 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 2: 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.
- 1 argument essay: You’ll write an evidence-based essay supporting a claim or thesis.
Exam Essentials
Exam Preparation
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Practice in AP Classroom
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2019 AP United States Government and Politics Free-Response Questions and Scoring Guidelines
Review the released free-response questions and the scoring guidelines.
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2019 AP United States Government and Politics Free-Response Questions
Review the released free-response questions to get an idea of the exam format and content.
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2019 AP United States Government and Politics Scoring Guidelines
See the guidelines that the AP Program used to score the free-response questions.
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AP United States Government and Politics Exam Free-Response Question and Scoring Information Archive
Review free-response questions, sample student responses, and scoring guidelines from 2018 and earlier.
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