Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, also known as AP US Gov & Pol, AP US Gov, AP NSL, AP Go Po or AP Gov, 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.[1]
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. [2]
The exam consists of two sections:
In all a total of 120 points are attainable, with each section being worth 60 points. [3]
In the 2007 administration, 160,978 students took the exam from 6,306 schools.[4] In the 2008 administration, 177,522 students took the exam.[5] In the 2009 administration, 189,998 students took the exam.[6] In the 2010 administration, 211,681 students took the exam.[7] The grade distributions for 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 were:
| Final Score | Percent (2007) | Percent (2008) | Percent (2009) | Percent (2010) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 6.0% | 12.2% | 13.1% | 12.5% |
| 4 | 18.9% | 13.1% | 17.0% | 13.3% |
| 3 | 26.9% | 25.2% | 25.4% | 25.4% |
| 2 | 32.1% | 25.8% | 24.2% | 24.0% |
| 1 | 16.1% | 23.7% | 20.2% | 24.7% |
| Mean Score | 2.67 | 2.64 | 2.78 | 2.65 |