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🏛️ AP U.S. Government & Politics

AP Government
Complete Study Hub

Everything you need to ace the AP Gov exam — all 5 units, the 9 required foundational documents, and all 15 required Supreme Court cases. Free, College Board aligned, and built for exam day.

5 units covered
9 foundational documents
15 required court cases
College Board aligned
100% free

Study by unit

AP Gov is split into 5 units. Each has flashcards, a cheat sheet, essentials, podcast, visual review, MC practice, and FRQ practice.

Unit 1 · 15–22% of exam
Foundations of American Democracy
~16 class periods
Natural Rights Social Contract Federalism Articles of Confederation Constitutional Convention Checks & Balances
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Unit 2 · 25–36% of exam
Interactions Among Branches of Government
~26 class periods
Congress The Presidency The Judiciary Bureaucracy Judicial Review Executive Orders
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Unit 3 · 13–18% of exam
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
~16 class periods
Bill of Rights 1st Amendment Selective Incorporation Equal Protection Civil Rights Movement Privacy Rights
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Unit 4 · 10–15% of exam
American Political Ideologies and Beliefs
~16 class periods
Political Ideology Public Opinion Political Socialization Liberal vs. Conservative Polling
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Unit 5 · 20–27% of exam
Political Participation
~20 class periods
Voting & Elections Political Parties Interest Groups Campaign Finance The Media Electoral College
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Required exam materials

The College Board requires you to know these cold. They show up every single year on the FRQ and multiple choice.

📜
Required Foundational Documents
The 9 Essential Documents
The College Board requires you to know the author, main argument, and big idea of all 9 foundational documents. These appear on the FRQ Argumentative Essay every year.
  • Declaration of Independence (1776)
  • Articles of Confederation (1781)
  • Federalist Nos. 10, 51, 70 & 78
  • Brutus No. 1 · U.S. Constitution · Letter from Birmingham Jail
Study all 9 documents →
⚖️
Required Supreme Court Cases
The 15 Required Cases
All 15 cases appear on multiple-choice and FRQ #3 (the SCOTUS Comparison Essay). Know the facts, holding, constitutional issue, and significance for each.
  • Marbury v. Madison · McCulloch v. Maryland
  • Brown v. Board · Tinker v. Des Moines
  • Citizens United · Gideon v. Wainwright
  • Roe v. Wade · McDonald v. Chicago + 7 more
Study all 15 cases →

What is AP U.S. Government & Politics?

AP Government is a one-semester college-level course that covers how the U.S. political system is structured, how it actually operates, and how citizens participate in it. The course is built around five units, from the foundational documents of American democracy all the way through elections, political parties, and the media.

What makes AP Gov distinctive is the required primary source reading. The College Board expects you to know 9 foundational documents (including the Federalist Papers and Brutus No. 1) and 15 landmark Supreme Court cases inside and out. These aren't just background context — they appear directly on the exam, especially on the FRQ section, which counts for 50% of your score.

The exam is 3 hours long and has two sections: 55 multiple-choice questions (50%) and 4 free-response questions (50%). FRQ #3 is the SCOTUS Comparison Essay and FRQ #4 is the Argumentative Essay — both require deep knowledge of the required documents and cases.

AP Gov exam at a glance

Know what to expect on exam day.

3 hrs
Total Exam Time
80 min MC + 100 min FRQ
55
Multiple Choice Questions
50% of score · 80 minutes
4
Free-Response Questions
50% of score · 100 minutes
5–1
AP Score Scale
Score of 3+ earns college credit at most schools

Key terms preview

A taste of the vocabulary you'll master across all 5 units.

Federalism
Power is shared between the national government and state governments — neither can abolish the other.
Judicial Review
The Supreme Court's power to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional. Established in Marbury v. Madison (1803).
Checks & Balances
Each branch of government can limit the powers of the other two. Prevents any single branch from becoming too powerful.
Selective Incorporation
The process by which the Supreme Court applies the Bill of Rights to the states one right at a time through the 14th Amendment.
Iron Triangle
A stable, mutually beneficial relationship between a congressional committee, a federal agency, and an interest group.
Filibuster
A Senate tactic of prolonged debate to delay or block a vote. Requires 60 votes (cloture) to end.
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