1. The AP Government Exam: 3 Hours
Part I: Multiple Choice
80 minutes for 55 Questions
50% of Exam Score
Quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis (primary and secondary), visual analysis, concept application, comparison, knowledge
Four answer options
No points if unanswered and no points deducted for unanswered questions
Points only awarded for correct responses

2. AP Government Exam Part II: Free Response 4 Free Response Questions
1 hour and 40 minutes total

3. Concept Application FRQ
Apply concepts in real-world scenarios
Respond to a political scenario, explaining how it relates to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior
20 minutes (suggested)
3 points
12.5% of total exam score

4. Quantitative Analysis
Analyze quantitative data, identify a trend or pattern, draw a conclusion from the visual representation, and explain how the data relates to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior.
20 minutes (suggested)
3 points
12.5% of total exam score

5. SCOTUS Comparison
Compare a non-required Supreme Court case with a required Supreme Court case, explaining how information from the required case is relevant to that in the non-required one.
20 minutes (suggested)
4 points
12.5% of total exam score

6. Argument Essay
Develop an argument in the form of an essay, using evidence from one or more required foundational documents.
40 minutes (suggested)
6 points
12.5% of total exam score

7. Required Foundational Documents
Federalist No. 10
Brutus No. 1
Declaration of Independence
The Articles of Confederation
The U.S. Constitution
Federalist No. 51
Letter from a Birmingham Jail (MLK)
Federalist No. 70
Federalist No. 78

8. Required Supreme Court Cases
McCulloch v. Maryland 1819
United States v. Lopez 1995
Engel v. Vitale 1962
Wisconsin v. Yoder 1972
Tinker v. Des Moines 1969
New York Times Co. v. United States 1971
Schenck v. U.S. 1919
Gideon v. Wainwright 1963
Roe v. Wade 1973
McDonald v. Chicago 2010
Brown v. Board of Education 1954
Citizens United v. FEC 2010
Baker v. Carr 1961
Shaw v. Reno 1993
Marbury v. Madison 1803

9. I. Constitutional Underpinnings 5-15%
A. Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
B. Separation of powers
C. Checks and Balances
D. Federalism
E. Theories of democratic government

10. II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors 10-20%
A. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
B. Processes by which citizens learn about politics
C. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
D. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
E. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms of political beliefs and behaviors

11. III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media 10-20%
A. Political Parties and elections
1. Functions
2. Organization
3. Development
4. Effects on the political process
5. Electoral laws and systems
B. Interest groups, including PACs
1. The range of interests represented
2. The activities of interest groups
3. The effects of interest groups on the political process
4. The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
C. The mass media
1. The functions and structures of the news media
2. The impacts of the news media on politics
3. The news media industry and its consequences

12. IV. Institutions: Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, the Federal Courts 35-45%
A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power
B. Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances of power
C. Linkages between institutions and the following:
1. Public opinion and voters
2. Interest groups
3. Political Parties
4. The media
5. State and local governments

13. V. Public Policy 5-15% A. Policymaking in a federal system
B. The formation of policy agendas
C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation
E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:
1. Political institutions and federalism
2. Political parties
3. Interest groups
4. Public opinion
5. Elections
6. Policy networks

14. VI. Civil Rights and Liberties 5-15%
A. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial interpretation
B. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
C. The impact of the 14th Amendment on the constitutional development of rights and liberties