AP Comparative Government & Politics

The Advanced Placement Comparative Government examination tests your knowledge and understanding of various types of government. Six specific countries are referred to throughout this test. These are Great Britain, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Iran. The topics included in all AP Comparative Government courses are:

• Introduction to Comparative Politics

• Sovereignty, Authority, and Power

• Political Institutions

• Citizens, Society, and the State

• Political and Economic Change

• Public Policy

Each of these topics will be related to the six countries discussed above, allowing you the opportunity to compare the governmental systems of these six with one another with relative ease. Modern public policy issues, in particular, will offer a helpful tool. This is a comparative course, so you will learn about governments, including the political and economic impact of government, within each of these countries. You should, after taking the course or preparing for the test, be able to consider the different types of government in relation to one another, their societies and how the government functions, both on a small and a larger scale.

According to the College Board, upon successful completion of the AP Comparative Government course, you should be able to do the following:

• Compare and contrast political concepts, themes, and generalizations across multiple governments and nations.

• Describe and explain typical patterns of political processes and behaviors and their consequences on the people and government.

• Compare and contrast political institutions and processes across countries and to make generalizations regarding political processes and governments.

• Analyze and interpret basic data relevant to comparative government and politics.

You will also be required to understand a variety of different types of tables, graphs and data. If you’re quite comfortable with this material, you may not feel a need for review; however, do expect test questions to include representations of various types of social science data on government spending or policies of various sorts.

There is no assigned textbook for the Comparative Government course, and teachers are free to take a variety of different approaches to the course. That said, the College Board does provide teachers with briefs specific to political conditions in several of these countries, which may not be included in your textbook. In this book, you’ll find a broad overview of the subject of comparative government. Depending upon your school, you may have taken this course in the fall or spring semester, and might have taken the U.S. Government course before or after it. While not comprehensive, this will provide you with the majority of the information you can expect to see on the AP Comparative Government test, as well as four practice tests. Information included in this guide, including contemporary political discussions dates to 2014. Students should seek out additional information as needed for the exam in future years to maintain a thorough understanding of any contemporary changes in government.

The Advanced Placement Comparative Government test consists of two parts, multiple choice questions and free response questions. There are 55 multiple choice questions, making up 50 percent of your total grade. You’ll have 45 minutes in total for this portion of the test. The free response portion of the examination takes up the majority of the test time, 100 minutes. There are eight free response questions in total. Five of these are short answer questions, requiring about a paragraph of response. You’ll have three longer essay questions as well. One requires you to answer a conceptual analysis question, while the remaining two questions are country context questions.

In the sample essays later in this text, you’ll find examples of all three types of questions, along with sample answers in a high, average and low scoring range. For a high-scoring test, you need to do well on both the essay questions and the multiple choice questions. Plan to allow at least 20 to 25 minutes per longer free response question. This allows a total of five to eight minutes per short answer question. Practice will help you to write well under time pressure.

Your personal test preparation strategy may vary depending upon when you took the course. If you took Comparative Government in the fall term and you are preparing for the test in May, you may want to do more review than someone who is just completing the test. You will, of course, also need additional review if you’re opting to take the course without having taken the class. For the best results, allow yourself shorter periods of review time frequently over the weeks prior to the test, rather than cramming in the days before the examination. 

You can opt to work your way through this guide and your textbook in a straightforward fashion, from beginning to end, or you may begin by taking one of the sample tests in the back of this text. If you opt to take a sample test, grade your test and assess the questions you struggled most with, devoting additional study time to those sections. When you’re preparing for the test, take the time to take at least one sample test in circumstances similar to those of the actual test day. Set a timer, work in a quiet room, and limit your access to supplementary materials. It is particularly important that you practice writing under pressure, particularly given the number of questions on the AP Comparative Government exam.

Scoring on the multiple choice section of the examination is straightforward. You receive one point for each correct answer. There are no penalties for an incorrect answer or a skipped question. You should, if you’re unsure, guess. Even the most random guess provides you a one in four chance of a point. If you can narrow down the choices just a bit, your chances increase and, along with them, your possible test score.

The FRQs are scored from 1-8 depending upon the quality of the essay. Essay questions are graded by human graders, typically high school and college psychology instructors. They have been trained to grade the essays by the College Board. You’ll find more information on specifics about scoring the free response questions in the chapter that includes the sample essay questions and responses.

• A sweatshirt or sweater, in case the testing room is cold

• A bottle of water

• Two sharpened No. 2 pencils and two black or blue ink pens

• A wristwatch

And a quick note here: there’s no need to take paper along. You’ll receive not only the test booklet, but also additional scratch paper to take notes and make outlines for your free response questions. Plan to leave your phone in the car, but you may take a paperback book or magazine into the testing room if you’re early.

Some people don’t find testing terribly anxiety-inducing. If that’s you, feel free to skip this section. These tips and techniques are designed specifically for students who do struggle with serious test anxiety and need to get through the test as successfully as possible.

• Control your breathing. Taking short, fast breaths increases physical anxiety. Maintain a normal to slow breathing pattern.

• Remember your test timing strategies. Timing strategies, like those discussed in relation to the free response questions, can help provide you with confidence that you’re staying on track.

• Focus on one question at a time. While you may become overwhelmed thinking about the entire test, a single question or a single passage often seems more manageable.

• Get up and take a break. While this should be avoided if at all possible, if you’re feeling so anxious that you’re concerned you will be sick, are dizzy or are feeling unwell, take a bathroom break or sharpen your pencil. Use this time to practice breathing exercises. Return to the test as soon as you’re able.

Remember that, while this may be an important test, it is just a test. The worst case scenario is that you do not receive college credit and find yourself taking comparative government in college. If you do so, the knowledge you gained in the AP Comparative Government course will help you to succeed.

Conquering test anxiety can help you to succeed on AP exams. Test anxiety is common and, if it’s mild, can help keep you alert and on-task. Unfortunately, if you suffer from serious shakes, it may leave you struggling to focus, cause you to make careless errors, and create potential panic.

• Allow plenty of time for test preparation. Work slowly and methodically. Cramming doesn’t help and will leave you depleted and exhausted.

• Remember to stay healthy. Sleep enough, eat right, and get regular exercise in the weeks preceding the AP examination, particularly if you’re planning to take several tests during the same testing window.

• Practice breathing exercises to use on test day to help with anxiety. Deep breathing is one of the easiest, fastest and most effective ways to reduce physical symptoms of anxiety.

While these strategies won’t eliminate test anxiety, they can help you to reach exam day at your mental best, prepared to succeed.

The night before the test, just put away the books. More preparation isn’t going to make a difference. Read something light, watch a favorite show, go for a relaxing walk and go to bed. Get up early enough in the morning to have a healthy breakfast. If you normally drink coffee, don’t skip it, but if you don’t regularly consume caffeine, avoid it. It’ll just make you jittery. Allow ample time to reach the testing location and get your desk set up and ready before the examination starts.

The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 5 is extremely well qualified to receive college credit, while a score of one is not qualified to receive college credit. While colleges and universities use scores differently, a score of 4-5 is equivalent to an A or B. A score of 3 is approximately similar to a C, while a score of 1-2 is comparable to a D or F. The examination is scored on a curve, adjusted for difficulty each year. In this way, your test score is equivalent to the same score achieved on a different year. The curve is different each year, depending upon the test. Approximately 46 percent of students receive a 4 or 5 on the AP Psychology examination.

Scores of 4 to 5 are widely accepted by colleges and universities; however, scores of 3 or lower may provide less credit or none at all. More elite schools may require a score of 5 for credit and some schools vary the required score depending upon the department. You will need to review the AP policies at your college or university to better understand scoring requirements and credit offered. While you’ll take the AP Comparative Government Examination in May, your scores will arrive in July. You can have your scores sent to the college of your choosing, or, if you’re testing after your junior year, simply wait until you’re ready to apply to the colleges of your choice.

Scoring on the multiple choice section of the examination is straightforward. You receive one point for each correct answer. There are no penalties for an incorrect answer or a skipped question. You should, if you’re unsure, guess. Even the most random guess provides you a one in four chance of a point. If you can narrow down the choices just a bit, your chances increase and, along with them, your possible test score.

The FRQs are scored from 1-8 depending upon the quality of the essay. Essay questions are graded by human graders, typically high school and college psychology instructors. They

have been trained to grade the essays by the College Board. You’ll find more information on specifics about scoring the free response questions in the chapter that includes the sample essay questions and responses.