Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics (or AP Comparative Government and Politics) is an examination given by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. It tests topics commonly taught in introductory college comparative government or comparative politics courses.
Exam Scope
Nations Examined
The countries whose politics, political institutions, policy making, and political cultures are examined by this AP test are:
Nigeria Federal Republic of Nigeria (Nigeria)
Iran Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran)
China People's Republic of China (China)
Russia Russian Federation (Russia)
United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Great Britain)
Mexico United Mexican States (Mexico)
Note: For testing purposes, the College Board uses the names in parentheses when making reference to these sovereign entities.
Structure of the examination
The examination consists of 55 multiple-choice questions and 8 "free response" questions, which require written answers. Each of those sections of the exam accounts for 50% of the score earned by test takers. The examination is timed: 45 minutes is allowed for the multiple-choice section; 100 minutes is allowed for the "free response" section.
Content Spectrum
Examination information provided for this AP test by the College Board states that students taking the examination are questioned about the following topics in the context of the nations specified above: (The percentages cited apply only to the multiple-choice section of the examination.)
Political Institutions (35%)
Sovereignty, Authority, and Power (20%)
Citizens, Society, and the State (15%)
Political and Economic Change (15%)
Public Policy (10%)
Introduction to Comparative Politics (5%)
Exam Changes
In order to better match a typical introductory college course, several changes were made to the course and the exam in the fall of 2005. These changes include:
Greater emphasis on analysis of concepts and themes
Shifting focus to coverage of six core countries (China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia)
Emphasis on themes such as citizen-state relations, democratization, globalization, political change, and public policy
Grade Distribution
In the 2007 administration, 17,111 students took the exam. The mean score was a 2.97.
The grade distribution for 2011 was:
| 5 | 17.4% |
| 4 | 21.9% |
| 3 | 20.4% |
| 2 | 21.4% |
| 1 | 18.9% |