1. Course Topics The AP Exam AP US
The course is divided into six major content
areas covered by the U.S. Government &
Politics Exam. The percentages refer to the
You are strongly encouraged, but not re-
quired, to take the AP Exam. While it’s not
fun paying for the exam in the spring, taking
Government
portion of the AP test that covers that area.
I. Constitutional
Underpinnings (5-15%)
Poli Sci 101 in a year or two could cost you
thousands. Generally, most colleges will ac-
cept a score of 3
or above.
& Politics
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors of The examination
the American Public (10-20%) is 2 hours and 25
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, minutes long.
and Mass Media (10-20%) • Section I:
IV. Institutions of National Students have
Government (35-45%) 45 minutes to complete 60 multiple-
choice questions (50% of score).
a. The Congress
• Section II:
b. The Presidency
Students have 100 minutes to complete
c. The Judiciary four free-response questions (50% of
d. The Bureaucracy score).
V. Public Policy in the
Federal Government (5-15) Score 2009 2008 2007
VI. Development of Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties (5-15%) 5 13.1% 12.2% 3.0%
4 17.0% 13.1% 18.9%
See more details at:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/
testing/ap/usgov/topics.html 3 25.4% 25.2% 26.9%
2 24.2% 25.8% 32.1% For more information:
Mrs. Trullinger
1 20.2% 23.7% 16.1%
Room: 222
Phone: 381-3308 ext. 2222
lina.trullinger@fayette.kyschools.us
http://trullinger.wordpress.com

2. What You Need to Know About This Course
ther college credit or college placement if
About This Course: True peace is not you score at least a 3 on the exam.
AP US Government & Politics is an ad- merely the absence
Q: Can I choose not to report the score to
vanced course designed to enable stu- of tension: it is the colleges if I don’t do well?
dents to gain as much knowledge as they
would in an introductory political science presence of justice. A: Yes, there is a way to withhold your
course at the college level, and to qualify score on a particular exam if you don’t do
the student for college credit. well. There is also the option of canceling
Q: I took citizenship my freshman year.
the score after you take the test but before
Students will be assigned challenging How is this class different?
the test is scored, in which case you will
tasks involving reading, research, analy- A: The curriculum for freshman citizenship never know what the score would have
sis, synthesis, writing and speaking. Lec- covers much of the same general material— been.
tures are given, and current public issues how the government works, elections, politi-
are frequently used to illustrate concepts cal parties, economics, foreign policy, etc. Q: So, how do I know for sure that I’m
covered in class. But the AP Government curriculum goes ready for this class?
into much greater depth in all of these areas. A: Here are some guidelines…
To perform well in this class, students
The textbook we use is a standard text in
will need to keep up with assignments, • Have you done well in your other so-
many introductory college government
participate in class discussions and main- cial studies classes?
classes, and will probably be more difficult
tain an understanding of current events. • Are you prepared to have homework
to read than any textbook you have used in
This course is designed for the highly or reading every
Social Studies before.
motivated student. Only students who single night?
are willing to devote the time and effort Q: I’m new to the AP program. What is an • Are you willing Man is by nature a
necessary should register for this class. AP class, anyway? to come to class political animal.
A: AP stands for Advanced Placement, and every day pre-
the main goal of an AP class is to prepare pared to listen,
participate, and
you to take a national, standardized test in a
There is nothing take notes?
particular subject area. The AP tests are
wrong with America given in May. They are graded by teachers If you can answer “yes”
from around the country and they are to most of these ques-
that cannot be cured tions, you are probably
scored on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being
with what is right the highest possible score. A score of 5 is ready to accept the chal-
roughly equivalent to a grade of A in an in- lenge of AP US Govern-
with America.
troductory college course in US Govern- ment.
ment; a score of 4 is like a B; and a score of 3
is like a C. Most colleges will give you ei-
Aristotle