AP Comparative Government and Politics
Encyclopedia
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.
Federal Republic of Nigeria
(Nigeria) Islamic Republic of Iran
(Iran) People's Republic of China
(China) Russian Federation
(Russia) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Great Britain) United Mexican States (Mexico)
Note: For testing purposes, the College Board uses the names in parentheses when making reference to these sovereign entities.
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.)
The grade distribution for 2007 was:
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
through the Advanced Placement Program
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
. It tests topics commonly taught in introductory college comparative government or comparative politics
Comparative politics
Comparative politics is a subfield of political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on "the how but does not specify...
courses.
Nations Examined
The countries whose politics, political institutions, policy making, and political cultures are examined by this AP test are:Federal Republic of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
(Nigeria) Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
(Iran) People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(China) Russian Federation
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(Russia) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Great Britain) 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 BoardCollege Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
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%)
- SovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, AuthorityAuthorityThe word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
, and PowerPolitical powerPolitical power is a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth. There are many ways to obtain possession of such power. At the nation-state level political legitimacy for political power is held by the...
(20%) - CitizensCitizenshipCitizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
, SocietySocietyA society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, and the State (15%) - Political and Economic Change (15%)
- Public PolicyPublic policyPublic policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
(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, 13,358 students took the exam from 996 schools. The mean score was a 2.92.The grade distribution for 2007 was:
| Score | Percent |
|---|---|
| 5 | 16.4% |
| 4 | 19.7% |
| 3 | 22.5% |
| 2 | 22.8% |
| 1 | 18.7% |