Time and Format

The Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Examination is two hours long and consists of the following:

Section 1 — 60 multiple-choice questions (45 minutes)
Section 2 — Free-response essay questions (75 minutes)
                    Part A — One out of two free-response essays (45 minutes)
                    Part B — Two out of three stimulus-based free-response essays (30 minutes)

Part A of the free-response section should take around 45 minutes. Students are given a choice of two essay questions. They must choose one, develop a thesis, and give concrete examples to support it. Part B of the free-response section, which is stimulus-based (consisting of graphs, charts, cartoons, excerpts of documents, etc.), should take 30 minutes. Students are given a choice of three questions and must choose two. The responses in the Part B essay are much shorter than those in the Part A essay.
          Each section is worth 50 percent of the grade. Section 2 Part A is worth 30 percent and Part B is worth 20 percent of the grade. Thus, each section has equal weight. In Section 2 the longer thesis-oriented essay is worth ten percent more than the stimulus-based short-answer question.

Test Outline and Range of Percentages for Each Area

I.       The Constitutional Foundations of the United States (5 to 15 percent)

A.    Historical development and adoption of the Constitution
B.    Separation of powers
C.    Checks and balances
D.    Federalism

II.      The Branches of Government, the Bureaucracy, and the Development of Public Policy           (40 to 50 percent)

A.    Characteristics and power of each institution
B.    Relationships among each institution
C.    Linkage between these institutions and the political process, political parties,         interest groups, the media, and public opinion
D.    How public policy is formulated and implemented

III.     Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (5 to 15 percent)

A.    The Bill of Rights and how it evolved
B.    The incorporation of the Fourteenth Amendment
C.    Judicial review and key Supreme Court cases
D.    The fight for minority rights

IV.     Political Theory and Beliefs and Their Influence on Individuals (10 to 20 percent)

A.    The theories of modern government including elitist, pluralist, and hyper-pluralist
B.    Views that people have about government and their elected officials
C.    Characteristics and impact of public opinion
D.    Voting patterns of citizens
E.    Characteristics of political beliefs and the differences between liberals and         conservatives

V.      The Development and Philosophies of Political Parties (10 to 20)

A.    Voting patterns and the effect on the political process
B.    Interest groups and political action committees
C.    Legislation affecting the political process

Skills Needed to Take the Test

     Students taking the Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Examination should be able to demonstrate proficiency and competency in the following areas:

• the institutions of U.S. government and politics,
• political theories and political processes,
• voting patterns and the manner in which political parties operate,
• the relationship between U.S. government and politics,
• the impact that governmental institutions and politics have on public policy development and   implementation.

Furthermore, they should be able to:

• analyze, interpret, and respond to stimulus-based data including charts, graphs, cartoons,   and quotes,
• interpret data, develop a thesis, and support it through written essays.

How the Test Is Scored

     The Educational Testing Service sends students their scores in July. Depending upon the student's choice, the scores are also sent to colleges and universities. The scores are reported on the following scale:

• 5 - Extremely well qualified
• 4 - Well qualified
• 3 - Qualified
• 2 - Possibly qualified
• 1 - No recommendation

     Most colleges and universities accept a score of 4 or 5 for credit and placement. Many colleges and universities may accept a score of 3 for credit and/or placement. Scores of 1 or 2 are not accepted by colleges and universities for either credit or placement.
     The rule of thumb in determining how well you will probably do on the exam is to look at the number of multiple-choice questions you answer correctly. If you consistently get between 5 0 and 60 percent correct, you should be able to score a minimum of a 3. if you score consistently between 66 and 75 percent of the multiple-choice questions, you should be able to achieve a 4, and if you score 80 to 100 percent correctly you can get a 5. (This assumes, of course, that you adequately answer the questions in the free-response section.)
     The test is scored so that random guessing for multiple-choice questions is taken into consideration. In a statistical breakdown of the multiple-choice section of a sample test, approximately 32 percent of the students taking the test achieved a 1 or 2, 38 percent achieved a 3, 20 percent achieved a 4, and ten percent of the student achieved a 5. In the free-response section, Part A is scored on a scale of 0 to 9 and then converted to a weighted scale to equal 30 percent of the test. On the Part A free response essay section of a sample test, approximately 40 percent of the students taking the exam achieved a 4 or 5 on this 9-point scale. This corresponded closely to the 38 percent whom achieve a final grade of 3. Part B is scored on a scale of 0 to 5 and then converted to a weighted scale worth 20 percent of the test based on how complete a response is given to the stimulus.

Strategies for Studying United States Government and Politics  

     Unlike courses in American history or European history, United States government and politics has a more contemporary approach. Even though you must understand the historical perspective of each topic in the review chapters, more often than not examples are drawn from 1960 to the present.
     In a United States government and politics course, the structure and goals of government are explained in much greater detail than in the typical government course. There is an in-depth approach to the organizational components of the institutions of government as well as the application of how government works in relation to achieving public policy goals.
     Reading a daily newspaper, including columns and editorials, and a weekly newsmagazine and watching the Sunday morning political discussion television programs is as important as any, text or supplementary reading on United States government and politics. Through those media you will develop a complete understanding of the nature and function of government and politics in America. Additionally, it is anticipated that you will get involved in the political process by conducting public-opinion polls at Cathedral during the November election period.