8 Key Concepts for AP U.S.
Government and Politics AP Exams Spring 2021
The Princeton Review
Hi, folks!
I’m Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, and today we’re sharing the top
8 concepts you should know inside-out to ace the AP Government & Politics exam this Spring!
The exam is designed to test your understanding of how the government operates within a political
environment.
So, expect to see questions that test your knowledge of the federal government, political
activity, civil rights, and the factors that influence public opinion and voting behavior.
Let’s drill down on the 8 concepts you should tackle as you prepare for the exam!
#1 – 15 Essential Supreme Court Cases and 9 Foundational Documents:There are 15 essential
Supreme Court cases you should go above and beyond to familiarize yourself with, including
Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Baker v. Carr, and Roe v. Wade, to name a
few.
These cases will serve as primary sources throughout the exam.
You will also need to know 9 foundational documents: The Declaration of Independence,
The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution of the United States, The Federalist Papers
Numbers 10, 51, 70, and 78, Brutus No. 1, and the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.''
Understanding the main ideas in each of these documents will be crucial to your success
as we can nearly guarantee they will be referenced on the exam!
#2 – The Constitutional Underpinnings: Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Why did the framers create a federal system of government?
These are the questions you should be able to succinctly answer on exam day!
You’ll want to understand the factors and influences that led to the formation of the
U.S. government.
This means knowing about the key philosophers that influenced the framers: Hobbes, Locke,
Montesquieu, and Rousseau.
You should also understand the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and why the
articles couldn't serve as a viable governing constitution.
You’ll want to know, too, what took place during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
in 1787 and the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise.
And, of course, you’ll need to know how the Constitution functions as an instrument
of government!
Aim to remember all twenty-seven amendments by era: the Bill of Rights, the early amendments,
the Civil War amendments, the Progressive Era amendments, and the later amendments.
#3 – Public Opinion and the Media: The College Board will also test your understanding of
public opinion, specifically how it’s measured and the role media plays in shaping it.
As such, you’ll want to understand the 3 characteristics of public opinion: saliency,
intensity, and stability.
You also need to know key terms like “random sampling,” “exit polls,” and “polling
accuracy” to understand how pollsters gather the data that politicians use to make key
decisions.
Aside from polls, you should know about political ideologies.
There are 3 broad political ideologies in America: conservative, liberal, and moderate.
Know which factors tend to lead to which ideologies.
And finally, the College Board expects you to understand what it means to create a public
agenda and the major role the media plays in government perception.
#4 – Linkage Institutions: Few political acts are the work of a single person.
Most politically active people work in groups to achieve shared political goals.
Thus, the AP US Government & Politics exam expects you to know about the four types of
linkage institutions: political parties, interest groups, political action committees (PACs),
and 527 groups.
Understand the many functions political parties serve—from recruiting and funding candidates
to running the government and educating voters.
And be sure to understand the ideological differences between the parties!
You should also know how lobbyist groups function and the ways in which they aim to control
the political process by hiring lobbyists to influence legislators.
And, lastly, make sure you understand how labor unions form Political Action Committees
(or PACs) to fund candidates and how 527 groups avoid FEC regulation by registering as “political
organizations” and NOT “political committees”—a source of contention!
#5 – Elections: Folks, you should know all about elections before test day!
This means understanding the election cycle, the various types of primaries, and the steps
needed to secure a presidential nomination.
And, of course, a successful presidential campaign requires more than a charming candidate—it
requires some serious moolah!
So, be sure to understand how campaigns are funded.
You should also understand what it takes to win a presidential election!
Presidential candidates must win each state’s electors, which in most states is done by
getting a plurality of all the votes in that state.
Familiarize yourself with how the Electoral College works and why candidates spend so
much time vying for votes in “swing” or “battleground” states.
#6 – Interactions Among Branches of Government: It’s essential to understand the 3 branches
of government—Legislative, Executive, and Judicial—and how each branch functions and
interacts with the others.
To begin, you’ll want to understand how Congress works as a bicameral, or two-house,
legislature.
It’s split into the Senate (in which all states receive equal representation) and the
House of Representatives (in which representation is proportionate to population).
Understand the numerous powers Congress possesses, how a bill becomes a law, and the inner workings
of Congressional committees and leadership.
You also need to understand the role of the President, including how the Executive Office
of the President operates and how the power of the presidency has grown over the years!
And finally, you should know about how the Supreme Court functions.
Study the process by which cases make their way to the Supreme Court and how the Supreme
Court has the power to strike down state or federal laws deemed unconstitutional through
judicial review.
#7– Public Policy and the 5 Steps of Policy Making: The exam will expect students to understand
the nuances of the policy making process.
So, familiarize yourself with the 5 steps to policy making, which include (1) Defining
the role of government, (2) Agenda setting, (3) Policy formulation and adoption, (4) Policy
implementation, and (5) Policy evaluation.
You should also be aware of the key areas of American public policy, including economic
policy, trade policy, and domestic policy.
#8 – Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Civil liberties are the protections enjoyed by all
Americans from the abuse of government power, while civil rights describe protections from
discrimination based on race, gender, or other minority status.
On exam day, you will need to know the history and evolution of civil liberties and civil
rights in the United States.
Study the significance of the Bill of Rights and the protections it grants.
In particular, you should master the details of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom
of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of petitioning the government, freedom of assembly,
and freedom of religion.You should familiarize yourself with essential cases related to the
First Amendment, including Schenck v. United States, Tinker v. Des Moines, Engel v. Vitale,
and the New York Times v. United States!
And while you’re at it, study up on essential cases related to the Second Amendment like
McDonald v. Chicago, as well as essential cases to American’s “implied right to
privacy,” such as Roe v. Wade.
Be familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as it
relates to Freedom of Assembly and Association.
Also ensure that you know about the Emancipation Proclamation, Thirteenth Amendment, Fourteenth
Amendment, Nineteenth Amendment, Jim Crow laws, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and the Civil
Rights Act of 1964—to name a few!
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And for all of you planning to take the AP Government & Politics exam, I highly, highly
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Take care!