AP® US Government can be one of the hardest classes a high school student takes. Since the exam is notoriously difficult, why do students make it even harder by neglecting multiple choice questions? Students who perform well on multiple choice also perform well on the test, so use this handy guide to understand what you’re getting into and to max out your score on the exam!
What is the Format of AP® U.S. Government?
The AP® US Government Exam consists of two sections. The first is a multiple choice test which has 60 questions and lasts for 45 minutes. This section is 50% of your final scaled score. The second section is the free response, it has four questions and lasts for 1 hour 40 minutes. The free response section makes up the other 50% of your scaled score. This chart should provide a good visualization.
| Questions | Time | Value | |
| Section I – Multiple Choice | 60 | 45 Minutes | 50% |
| Section II – Free Response | 4 | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | 50% |
As you can see, you’ll answer many more multiple choice questions than you will free response questions, and the sections count for the same value toward your total score.
Why is the AP® U.S. Government Multiple Choice Section Important?
There are a few reasons why the AP® U.S. Government multiple choice section is so important. First and foremost is your score; the multiple choice section counts 50% of your final scaled score, so doing well on it is essential if you want to get a 5 on the test.
The second reason the AP® US Government multiple choice section is so important is that it will cover a much broader range of topics than the free response section will. This means you are more likely to encounter something that you covered in class as a multiple choice question than as a free response question. Finally, the score you get on the multiple choice test tends to be a good predictor of the score you will get overall. Data from the CollegeBoard shows that almost no students who missed more than 17 multiple choice questions got a 5, and only 4.1% of them got a 4. However, students who received a 5 missed 7 or fewer questions 75.2% of the time. Students that missed between 8 and 16 questions received a 5 a respectable 13% of the time, and they earned a 4 a solid 46% of the time. These numbers demonstrate the importance of the multiple choice section to your overall score as well as demonstrating how powerful it is as a predictor of your final exam score.
What Content is Covered in the Multiple-Choice Section of AP® U.S. Government?
The AP® US Government multiple choice section covers a range of material that you learned in the class. Students will have to demonstrate that they understand core class concepts, policies, and institutions. This material covers everything from the Federalist Papers, which you learn about at the beginning of the class, all the way through to the end. You will also have to be able to recall key facts and events then be able to compare and interpret different concepts, as well as theories explained in the course.
All of this information means that you will have a lot of potential material that can be covered on the test. This task can be especially tedious given the number of different court cases and important historical events and policies that students must remember. Therefore, it is important to make sure you do your best to prepare for the AP® US Government multiple choice section.
How to Prepare for AP® U.S. Government’s Multiple Choice
The best way to prepare is to make an AP® US Government study plan. Planning out your AP® US Government review will ensure that you cover all the concepts that are important to your success on the exam. Start by making a list of each concept in the class, broken down chapter by chapter. Highlight or make a note of which things you are most comfortable with and where you think you need improvement.
One problem that some students have is that they look for little things like AP® US Government tips, rather than focusing their energy on a well thought out and thorough AP® US Government review. Any good study plan will include plenty of AP® US Government practice questions. Practice questions make sure that you are familiar with the type of questions you will answer, as well as helping you get a feel for the material that will provide the questions. This action will let you isolate your strengths and weaknesses, so you know where to allocate your limited prep time.
Some students prefer to use an AP® US Government study guide. These guides are helpful, but they are not efficient if you use them to work through the whole class again. If you come up with a plan and can determine where you need help, it is better to to spend time looking at articles online that cover different aspects of AP® US Government. Using specific resources to focus on weak areas is a much more efficient use of your time than leafing through a 400-page study guide to find the info you’re looking for.
Finally, an excellent way to make sure you’re ready for the AP® US Government multiple choice section is to design your own questions. Try to come up with at least 20 questions for every chapter you cover, and there’s a good chance that you’ll predict at least some of the questions on the test. Moreover, even if your questions aren’t exactly the same, they will still cover the same concepts, increasing the chance that you know the answer.
How to Answer AP® U.S. Government Multiple-Choice Questions
There are many different ways to answer AP® US Government multiple choice questions, but one of the most popular is the process of elimination. Instead of searching for the right answer, try to eliminate incorrect answers first. This action will help you focus on the remaining options and will provide a check to falling for trap answers. These are answers that seem correct but contain an error.
Another popular approach is called anticipating the answer. For this strategy, you should come up with an answer to the question before you look at the answer choices, and then select the answer choice that most closely matches your answer. This tactic will help prevent you from second guessing yourself. It will also keep up your confidence and pace, which is important given that you need to answer 60 questions in 45 minutes.
These two strategies can be combined to create even more effective results. Answer the question in your head, and start crossing out all the answer choices that aren’t even close to your answer. This will narrow down your prospects for matching your answer with the multiple choice options.
What are AP® U.S. Government Multiple Choice Questions Like?
AP® US Government questions will ask you about a concept, event, theory, or policy involving the US government. You will then be asked to pick the best answer from 5 choices. A typical question might look like this:
The goal of the American Revolution was:
- Social Justice
- Liberty
- Equality
- Fraternity
- Friendship
The correct answer here, of course, is liberty. However, students might be tempted to pick one of the other answer choices if they have not adequately prepared their knowledge of the foundation of the US Government. Another question helps further demonstrate:
Which of the statements about the Articles of Confederation is correct?
- There was no Supreme Court
- To add amendments to the Articles of Confederation, the 13 states had to unanimously agree
- Each state had one vote in Congress
- It was designed to favor decentralized Government
- All of the above
In this case the correct answer is E, all of the above, as the Articles of Confederation were designed to have a very weak central government. This question demonstrates that not only will the test cover current US Government policies, but also test alternative theories of government related to the beginning of our constitutional system.
How can I Practice AP® US Government Multiple Choice?
Many students decide that their study plan should include many practice questions. You should make sure to take practice multiple choice questions on every section and concept in the class. Another popular method of practicing is the use of flashcards. This strategy can be particularly effective for things that require memorization, such as court cases. Still, other students benefit more from reading more material than from taking actual practice questions. Those students should do targeted research and find articles that are written to help them understand different aspects of the course so that they can maximize their score.
As you can see, AP® US Government multiple choice isn’t something that should be taken lightly. It is important that you make a plan that identifies your weaknesses and works to overcome them. This should include plenty of practice questions, as well as other types of AP® US Government review. If you do so, then you will find that your score goes up, and the free response section even becomes a little easier.
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