2022 AP US Government & Politics Exam Guide

Your guide to the 2022 AP US Government & Politics Exam

Format of the 2022 AP US Gov Exam

• Multiple Choice (accounts for 50% of your score) 📃
• 55 questions
• 80 minutes

• Free Response (accounts for 50% of your score) ✍
• 4 questions
• #1—Concept Application 📝
• #2—Quantitative Analysis 📈
• #3—Supreme Court Case Comparison Essay ⚖
• #4—Argumentative Essay 🗳
• 100 minutes

Argument Essay Scoring Rubric for the 2022 AP US Gov exam

Courtesy of College Board

Courtesy of College Board

When is the 2022 AP Gov exam and how do I take it?

How should I prepare for the AP Gov exam?

• First, you need to take stock of your progress in the course so far so that you can build your study plan according to your needs. Download a 1-page Cram Chart PDF for AP Gov so that you can see a map of the entire course and quickly spot your weak areas that you need to focus on.
• Then, create your study plan by focusing on your learning styles and areas to improve. Which types of questions do you need to practice more? We’ve put together this plan to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam.
• Importantly, don't only study by yourself. Social learning is highly effective and helps you solidify what you are studying. Join Hours 🤝to talk to real students just like you studying for this exam!
• Finally, build your study schedule in advance! We highly suggest making your study schedule ahead of time so that you can easily join interactive study sessions such as live streams, voice chats, and study groups.

Pre-work: set up your study environment

AP US Government & Politics 2021 Study Plan

Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy

Big takeaways:

Definitely do this:

• Intro to American Government, models of Representative Democracy: A full review of the types of democracy, the difference between government and politics as well as the functions of government are discussed. 
• Foundational Documents Review: A deep dive into the foundational documents you need to know for the exam.
• Ratification of the Constitution: Constitutional Convention: A review of the compromises leading to the ratification of the Constitution. 

• Unit 1 Overview: Foundations of American Democracy 
• 1.0 Required Founding Documents
• 1.1 Ideals of Democracy 
• 1.2 Types of Democracy 
• 1.3 Federalist No. 10 & Brutus 1 Summary 
• 1.4 Challenges of the Articles of Confederation
• 1.5 Ratification of the US Constitution
• 1.6 Principles of American Government
• 1.7 Relationship Between States and the Federal Government
• 1.8 Constitutional Interpretations of Federalism
• 1.9 Federalism in Action 

• Foundations of Democracy Trivia
• Best Quizlet Deck: AP Gov Unit 1 by bryce_s

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

• 👻 Check out Too Late to Apologize: An Ode to the Declaration of Independence (YouTube)
• Types of Federalism Part 1 - Dual vs Cooperative
• Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland and US v. Lopez
• The Powers - Expressed, Implied, Concurrent, Denied...

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

Big takeaways:

Definitely do this:

• Legislative and Judicial Branch Review: This stream provides a review of the legislative and judicial branches including their powers and role within the federal government.
• Powers of the Presidency This stream provides a review of the executive branch including its powers and role within the federal government.
• Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances: This video from Crash Course reviews the separation of powers between the three branches of government. It also looks at the ways each branch “checks” the other. 

• Unit 2 Overview: Interactions Among Branches of Government
• 2.1 Congress
• 2.2 Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress
• 2.3 Congressional Behavior
• 2.4 Roles and Power of the President
• 2.5 Checks on the Presidency
• 2.6 Expansion of Presidential Power
• 2.7 Presidential Communication
• 2.8 The Judicial Branch
• 2.9 Legitimacy of the Judicial Branch
• 2.10 The Court in Action
• 2.11 Checks on the Judicial Branch
• 2.12 The Bureaucracy
• 2.13 Discretionary and Rule-Making Authority
• 2.14 Holding the Bureaucracy Accountable
• 2.15 Policy and the Branches of Government

• Best Quizlet Deck: Unit 2 – AP Gov by k8te13

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

• Bill to Law Process
• Review and Application of Iron Triangles and Issue Networks
• Selection and Nomination of Federal Judges

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Big takeaways:

Definitely do this:

• First and Second Amendments: This stream looks at what the first and second amendments say, how they have been interpreted and some of the major Supreme Court cases around them.
• Civil Liberties and Civil Rights: This video from crash course provides a review of the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed to US citizens. It also looks at the way the Bill of Rights has been interpreted since its inception in relation to liberties and rights.
• The 14th Amendment: This stream breaks down the 14th amendment and many of the key terms associated with it: due process, equal protection, incorporation, citizenship, and privileges or immunities clause. 
• Required Supreme Court Cases from 1st-10th Amendments: This stream reviews Supreme Court cases about the 1st-10th Amendments and how they protect civil liberties today!

• Unit 3 Overview: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
• 3.0 Required Supreme Court Cases
• 3.1 The Bill of Rights
• 3.2 First Amendment: Freedom of Religion
• 3.3 First Amendment: Freedom of Speech
• 3.4 First Amendment: Freedom of the Press
• 3.5 Second Amendment: Rights to Bear Arms
• 3.6 Amendments: Balancing Individual Freedom with Public Order and Safety
• 3.7 Selective Incorporation & the 14th Amendment
• 3.8 Amendments: Due Process and the Rights of the Accused
• 3.9 Amendments: Due Process and the Right to Privacy
• 3.10 Social Movements and Equal Protection
• 3.11 Government Responses to Social Movements
• 3.12 Balancing Minority and Majority Rights
• 3.13 Affirmative Action

• Best Quizlet Deck: AP Gov – Civil Liberties and Rights by Sandy_Midgley

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

• 📜 Check out Bill of Rights and Bill of Rights (YouTube)
• Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (Fiveable stream)

Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Big takeaways:

Definitely do this:

• Political Socialization and Political Ideology: This stream discusses what influences people's political views and a few different dominant political ideologies.
• Political Parties and Their Platforms: This stream dives into the major beliefs and ideologies of the Republican and Democratic party platforms, the history of political parties, their impact on voters and the government, and third parties were also discussed.
• Economic Ideology - Keynesian vs Supply Side: In this stream we dived into fiscal economic theory and policy, looking at the liberal take on Keynesian theory and the conservative look at supply-side theory. 

• Unit 4 Overview: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs
• 4.1 American Attitudes about Government and Politics
• 4.2 Political Socialization
• 4.3 Changes in Ideology
• 4.5 Measuring Public Opinion
• 4.6 Evaluating Public Opinion Data
• 4.7 Ideologies of Political Parties
• 4.8 Ideology and Policy Making
• 4.9 Ideology and Economic Policy
• 4.10 Ideology and Social Policy

• Best Quizlet Deck: AP GOV Unit 4 by MARGARET_CYLKOWSKI

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

• A Review of Public Policy (Social Policy)
• A Review of Public Policy (Economic Policy)
• Social Security, Healthcare, and Education Policy
• Polling

Unit 5: Political Participation

Big takeaways:

Definitely do this:

• Voting and Voter Behavior: Who votes and why do they vote? This stream answers these questions and explains the process of voting in the US in this stream.
• Campaign Finance: Campaign finance isn't as scary as you think! This stream looks at the Federal Elections Campaign Act, hard vs soft money, Buckley vs Valeo, Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, Citizens United vs FEC, 501(c)s, and more!
• Media Ownership and Bias:  This steam discusses the growing concentration of media companies and how bias in media affects both policy-making and public interest.

• Critical Elections: Realignments and Dealignment: Often, students are confused on the differences between a party realignment and dealignment. This stream covers those around the five critical elections in US history. 

• Best Quizlet Deck: AP Government - Political Participation by Carpenter-Economics

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Definitely do this:

• AP US Government Multiple Choice Questions
• AP US Government Multiple Choice Help (MCQ)

AP US Government - Free Response Questions (FRQ)

Definitely do this:

• Breaking Down the Supreme Court Case Comparison Essay: This stream discusses how exactly to write the Supreme Court Case Comparison Essay, FRQ #3, on the AP Gov exam! We talked about the elements of a good response, and wrote one ourselves!
• Writing Workshop on the Argumentative Essay: This stream explores the Argumentative Essay, looking at the rubric and then using the remainder of the time to practice our skills. 

• AP US Government Free Response Help - FRQs
• FRQ: Conceptual Analysis
• FRQ: SCOTUS Application
• AP Gov FRQ: Argument Essay Review (2020)
• AP Gov FRQ: Quantitative Analysis Review (2020)

• AP Gov SAQ Practice Prompt Answers & Feedback
• AP GoPo Free Response Questions (FRQ) – Past Prompts
• AP Gov Federalism Practice Prompt Answers & Feedback