AP United States Government and Politics

Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov or AP GoPo and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course surveys the structure and function of American government and politics that begins with an analysis of the United States Constitution, the foundation of the American political system. Students study the three branches of government, administrative agencies that support each branch, the role of political behavior in the democratic process, rules governing elections, political culture, and the workings of political parties and interest groups.

Topic outline

The material in the course is composed of multiple subjects from the Constitutional roots of the United States to recent developments in civil rights and liberties. The AP United States Government examination covers roughly six subjects listed below in approximate percentage composition of the examination.

Foundations of American Democracy (15–22%)

• Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
• Separation of powers
• Federalism
• Theories of democratic government

Interactions Among Branches of Government (25–36%)

• The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power; the Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (13–18%)

• The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
• Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
• The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties

American Political Ideologies and Beliefs (10–15%)

• Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders

• Processes by which citizens learn about politics
• The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
• The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
• Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of political beliefs and behaviors

Political Participation (20–27%)

• Political parties and elections
• Functions
• Organization
• Development
• Effects on the political process
• Electoral laws and systems
• Interest groups, including political action committees (PACs)
• The range of interests represented
• The activities of interest groups
• The effects of interest groups on the political process
• The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
• The mass media
• The functions and structures of the media
• The impact of media on politics

Public Policy (Part of the Units, embedded within all five units)

• Public policy making in a federal system
• The formation of policy agendas
• The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
• The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
• Linkages between policy processes and the following:
• Political institutions and federalism
• Political parties
• Interest groups
• Public opinion
• Elections
• Policy networks

Required Supreme Court cases and Foundation Documents

Supreme Court cases

Starting from 2019 Administration of the Test, the College Board requires students to know 15 Supreme Court cases. After the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Roe v. Wade was removed from the required case list. The 14 required Supreme Court cases are listed below:

Foundation Documents

College Board requires students to memorize foundational documents. The nine documents are listed below:

Exam

The Multiple-Choice section is analytical and the Free-Response questions are as follows.

• Section I: Multiple-Choice (80 minutes, 55 questions, 50% of Total Exam Scores)
• Section II: Free-response (100 minutes, 4 questions, 50% of Total Exam Scores)

Grade distribution

The grade distributions since 2007 were:

References

External links

• AP United States Government and Politics at CollegeBoard.com