If you’re looking for the best AP® US Government review guide, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to score a 4 or 5 on the 2025 AP® US Government and Politics online exam. 

We’ll review the latest exam changes, cover what’s on the test and what isn’t, and share review resources you can start using today. 

Ready to get started? Let’s begin.

What’s the Format of the 2025 AP® US Government and Politics Exam?

Section	Questions	Time	% of Exam Score
Section 1: Multiple Choice	55 MCQs	1 hour and 20 minutes	50%
Section 2: Free Response	4 FRQs	1 hour and 40 minutes	50%

What Units are on the 2025 AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam?

The 2025 AP® United States Government and Politics exam will cover topics from all 5 units as described in the course and exam description.

Use the following list to make sure you are prepared for any topic that may show up on your exam!

Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy

• explain how democratic ideals are reflected in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence
• explain how models of representative democracy are visible across American political institutions, events, policies, and debates
• compare and contrast Federalist and Anti-Federalist views on central government and democracy, as reflected in U.S. foundational documents
• explain the relationship between parts of the Articles of Confederation and the debate over centralized government vs. individual state power
• explain the long-term effects of the Constitutional Convention on the development of the American constitutional system
• define and explain the implication of separation of powers and checks and balances 
• explain how societal needs affect the distribution of power between national and state governments, and explain how balance of power has been interpreted over time
• explain how the distribution of power between the three branches of government and the national and state governments can impact policymaking

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

• describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress, as well as how they affect the policymaking process
• explain how congressional behavior is influenced by election processes, partisanship, and divided government
• explain how the president can implement a policy agenda, as well as how the president’s agenda can create tension and confrontations with Congress
• explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers
• explain how technology changed the president’s relationship with the national constituency and the other branches of government
• explain the principle and process of judicial review, and describe how the exercise of judicial review (as well as life tenure) can lead to debate about the legitimacy of the Supreme Court’s power
• explain how other branches of government can limit the power of the Supreme Court
• explain how the bureaucracy carries out the responsibilities of the federal government
• explain how the federal bureaucracy uses discretionary authority for making and implementing rules
• explain how Congress uses oversight power over the executive branch, as well as how the president ensures that the executive branch carries out its responsibilities
• explain the extent to which governmental branches can hold the bureaucracy accountable, particularly when there are competing interests between Congress, the president, and the federal courts

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

• explain how the U.S. Constitution protects individual liberties and rights
• describe which rights are protected under the Bill of Rights
• explain how SCOTUS’ interpretations of the First and Second Amendments reflect a commitment to individual liberties
• explain SCOTUS’ balancing act between the protection of individual liberties and public order and safety
• explain the implications of the doctrine of selective incorporation, which imposed limitations on state regulation of civil rights and liberties
• explain how the due process clause protects individuals’ rights and liberties
• explain how social movements have drawn on constitutional provisions for support and inspiration
• explain how the government has responded to social movements
• explain how SCOTUS has sometimes restricted and sometimes protected the rights of minority groups

Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

• explain the relationship between the core beliefs of the US citizens and attitudes about the role of government
• explain how cultural factors influence political attitudes and socialization
• describe the elements of a scientific poll
• explain the quality and credibility of claims based on public opinion data
• explain how ideologies of the two major parties shape policy debates
• explain how different ideologies impact policy on social issues

Unit 5: Political Participation

• describe the voting rights protections in the Constitution and in legislation
• describe different models of voting behavior
• explain the roles that individual choice and state laws play in voter turnout in elections
• describe linkage institutions
• explain the function and impact of political parties on the electorate and government
• explain how various political actors influence public policy outcomes
• explain the media’s role as a linkage institution

 

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Test Your Understanding: AP® U.S. Government and Politics Multiple Choice Practice Questions

Use the following links to Albert’s AP® U.S. Government and Politics course to see if you truly understand each of the units:

• Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy
• Unit 2: Interaction Among Branches of Government
• Unit 3: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
• Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs
• Unit 5: Political Participation

2025 AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam FRQ Practice

The 2025 AP® United States Government and Politics exam will include 4 FRQs. Here are the 4 different FRQs that will be included:

• Concept Application: Respond to a political scenario, describe and explain the effects of a political institution, behavior, or process
• Quantitative Analysis: Analyze quantitative data, identify a trend or pattern, or draw a conclusion from a visual representation and explain how it relates to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior
• SCOTUS Comparison: Compare a nonrequired Supreme Court case with a required Supreme Court case, explaining how information from the required case is relevant to the nonrequired one
• Argument Essay: Develop an argument in the form of an essay, using evidence from required foundational documents and course concepts

NOTE: Although the Supreme Court recently overturned Roe v. Wade, this case is still required course content and is part of Unit 3, along with Griswold v. Connecticut and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Any of these cases can be assessed in AP® questions, but none of them will be the focus of Free Response Question 3.

Use this list of questions that mimic what will appear on the online exam to start your studying!

Practice Argument Essay #1

Example: FRQ #4 from the 2019 exam administration

Scoring Guide: Scoring Guideline

Practice Argument Essay #2

Example: See page 179 of the Course and Exam Description

Scoring Guide: Scoring Guideline

Practice Concept Application Essay #1

Example: FRQ #1 from the 2019 exam administration

Scoring Guide: Scoring Guideline

Practice Concept Application Essay #2

Example: See page 177 of the Course and Exam Description

Scoring Guide: Scoring Guideline

More Practice FRQs for AP® US Government

For more examples of previous FRQs, check out the College Board archive for AP® U.S. Government and Politics.

Get FRQs with included sample responses with a license to Albert’s AP® U.S. Government and Politics.

To stay up to date and adjust your study plan accordingly, read our How to Study for Online AP® Exams guide.

You may also find our guide on How to Answer AP® US Government FRQs helpful here.

 

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6 AP® U.S. Government and Politics Tips and Tricks to Study and Prepare

1. Familiarize yourself with the rubric. Spend time reviewing the examples in this article with the rubrics so you can optimize your studying.
2. There’s no way to “wing” FRQs. These essays are hard to write and require a lot of content knowledge. Don’t forget that the rubric awards more points if you have multiple pieces of evidence, so be sure that you know the content backwards and forwards so you can score the greatest number of points!
3. Don’t forget to brush up on your court cases, because they show up all over the first three units! Units 1-3 in the Course and Exam Description reference the following cases in the following order: McCulloch v. Maryland (1819); United States v. Lopez (1995); Baker v. Carr (1962); Shaw v. Reno (1993); Marbury v. Madison (1803); Engel v. Vitale (1962); Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972); Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969); Schenck v. United States (1919); New York Times Co. v. United States (1971); McDonald v. Chicago (2010); Gideon v. Wainwright (1963);  Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
4. Don’t forget to brush up on your foundational documents, because they show up all over the first three units! Units 1-3 in the Course and Exam Description reference the following documents in the following order: The Declaration of Independence; Federalist No. 10; Brutus No. 1; The Articles of Confederation; The Constitution of the United States; Federalist No. 51; Federalist No. 70; Federalist No. 78; “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
5. Take advantage of your friends and classmates — practice together and use the rubrics to score each other’s essays! You can learn a lot from your peers, so study together — just keep in mind that you will NOT be able to talk or work together the day of the exam.
6. Set a timer every time you practice. You must hand in your work once your 25 and 15 minutes (respectively) are up, or else your score won’t be counted. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the CollegeBoard’s interface for submitting your work BEFORE test day!

Additional AP® U.S. Government and Politics Resources

If you’re looking for more AP® U.S. Government and Politics review materials aside from Albert and the College Board, you may find the following resources helpful.

Oyez.org/Justia: Oyez is a student-friendly resource that breaks down every SCOTUS case, giving a summary of each case as well as links to the actual text of the cases, including minority and majority opinions. The site links back to Justia as well as University of Cornell Law School.

Steve Heimler’s AP® US Government YouTube Channel: Steve Heimler has been teaching history and government for many years. His website and YouTube channels provide very helpful reviews of concepts that you will need to know before taking the AP® U.S. Government and Politics exam (and other AP® Histories)!

Summary: The Best AP® U.S. Government and Politics Review Guide of 2025

We’ve covered a lot in this review guide for the 2025 AP® U.S. Government and Politics exam. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• The exam will test topics across all course units. View all topics on the AP® US Gov course and exam description.
• Use Albert or a comparable practice tool to check your understanding of the key concepts that will appear on this year’s test.

We hope you’ve found this AP® U.S. Government and Politics review guide helpful. If so, please share it with your friends and classmates!