Today we will go over essential information that you need to prepare for your AP Government exam.
Today we will go over essential information that you need to prepare for your AP Government exam. We start by looking at important exam information including potential dates and formats for the exam (0:22). Then there is a refresher on format (1:43) followed by a detailed breakdown of each section of the test (2:01). Additional time is spent going over the different FRQ questions (3:05), including SCOTUS analysis(6:35), and essay (7:49). Each part of our discussion includes both information and tips to help you navigate the exam.
Today’s question of the day (9:43): The first FRQ is the equivalent of how many multiple choice questions?
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Hi and welcome to the APsolute Recap:US Government Edition. Today’s episode will recap tips for taking the exam.
The 2021 AP US Government and Politics exam will be offered both on paper and digitally. Both exams will have the same MC and FRQ Sections, but the College Board has advised that “on the SCOTUS Comparison question (FRQ 3) on the digital exam, the first task will be worded slightly differently than on the paper and pencil exam. On the digital exam, the student will be asked to choose 1 required SCOTUS case from a provided list, and describe how the required case they choose is related to the case given in the scenario.” Schools were allowed to choose the format/date of the exams to be given. The AP Government paper exam will be administered in schools on Monday, May 3rd at 8am local time. There are two dates for the digital exams which can be taken both in school and at home: Thursday, May, 20th and Thursday, June 3rd. Both digital exams start at Noon Eastern time. Schools may also choose to administer the paper exam on the digital dates as well. Please make sure you account for time changes depending on what time zone you live in.
Lets Zoom out
The AP US Government exam is 3 hours long - Deep breath! It includes multiple choice questions and FRQs, or free response questions. There are 9 required foundational documents and 15 required SCOTUS cases.
Lets Zoom in:
The first section of the test consists of 55 multiple choice questions that students have an hour and 20 minutes to complete and is worth 50% of your overall AP score. Of those 55 questions, ~30 will be rote questions without any stimulus components. The remainder are quantitative, qualitative, or visual analysis questions. These questions will have some sort of stimulus component: a secondary or primary reading, political cartoon, data set, or even an infograph. While these questions can be drawn from any of the 5 units, you can guess where to focus some of your studying energy by looking at the percentage range breakdown. Units 2 and 5 have the greatest exam weighting at around 25% each while unit 4, American Political ideologies and beliefs has the least, at 10 to 15% You should spend between 60-90 seconds on each question to stay on pace to finish Section 1 on time.
Section 2 is the FRQ or Free Response question section. You will have an hour and forty minutes to complete the four sections that make up this part of the test: Concept Application, Quantitative Analysis, SCOTUS Comparison, and Analytical Essay. Each question is worth 12.5% of your FRQ score which is then 50% of your final score. For each of these questions, make sure you label each part of your answer to the corresponding number or letter in the exam. You do not have to label any sub parts for your analytical essay. The FRQ questions can be done in any order as long as you clearly label the question being answered.
Question1 is a concept application and is worth three points. Although each FRQ is worth 12.5%, the other questions are worth more points. This means that each individual point on question one is worth more! So what will this question be? You will be given an authentic scenario you haven’t previously studied and be asked to describe and explain effects of political institution, behavior or process. You will then be asked to apply that concept to a new situation. Question 2 is a quantitative analysis, usually of a visual. Question 3 will be your Supreme Court analysis where you will take information about one of the 15 required Supreme Court cases and apply the line of reasoning there to another unknown case. Finally, Question 4 is an argumentative essay worth 6 points.
Ok. Let’s talk about some tips for tackling these questions. First, the length of your answers doesn’t matter. You can answer in single sentences for some of the questions and receive full points. In fact, I would recommend being as succinct and to the point as possible. AP readers spend multiple days grading hundreds of exams. The less they have to work to find your answer, the better off you will be. It is also important to pay attention to what the question is asking. Identifying something can often be done in one or two words. Describing means you are giving the definition or summary of how something works. This should only be 1 or 2 sentences. Finally, explaining or analyzing is finding the why or the how and takes the longest, usually 3-4 sentences.
Now we are going to look more closely at the SCOTUS comparison. In this question, you will be asked to take the relevant facts of a case you do not know and compare and apply them to one of the required cases. For a list of these cases and the foundational documents, you can consult the exam page on the College Board site, or find it on the supplemental study guide for this episode available on our website.
For each of the required court cases you should know: the relevant facts of the case, how the Court ruled, the Constitutional principle applied, and the reasoning of the Court for ruling the way it did. You will be asked to identify the amendment in question, or another idea of the Constitution like the Supremacy Clause, or implied powers. Next you will explain how the decisions/reasoning behind each case are similar or different and why. Finally, you will be asked to apply the ideas of the case to another political process, policy, principle, or institution. It is important that as you are writing it, you do not assume the reader has any background knowledge. Even though the readers are government teachers, you should write this answer assuming that anyone who picks it up can follow your logic and explanation.
Finally, the fourth question on the FRQ section is the argumentative essay, which is worth 6 points. You earn 1 point for your claim or thesis, 3 points for your evidence, 1 point for your reasoning, and 1 point for your counterpoint. In order to earn your evidence points, you need to earn the point for your claim. YOU CANNOT EARN ANY EVIDENCE POINTS WITHOUT A CLAIM. For this reason, it is strongly encouraged that you put your thesis/claim statement as the first sentence of your essay. Remember, this is a timed exam, not your Literature class. There is no need for a standard five paragraph essay with an introduction and conclusion. Once you have stated your claim give a piece of evidence followed by the reasoning for each. In order to make it easier for the reader, but in violation of good writing, it is encouraged to use such phrases as “The first piece of evidence is” and “This supports my claim because…” As much as it makes classroom teachers want to die inside, it is crucial that you make it as easy as possible for your readers to identify and add up the points you earn in your essay. At some point in your essay you will need to add a counterpoint. There is no specific place you have to put it, but acknowledging a different opinion or perspective is worth one point. For more essay writing tips and the full list of required documents and cases, see the accompanying study guide.
To recap……
The government exam consists of two sections. The first, a multiple choice section, is 80 minutes long and contains 55 questions. The second is free response questions. This is 100 minutes long and contains 4 questions. Parts 1 and 2 are equally weighted and will both contribute toward your score. Remember, AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5.
Today’s Question of the day is about exam structure.
Question: Part A of FRQ 1 is equivalent in value to how many multiple choice questions?