AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice questions are often overlooked by those taking the exam. Students seem to be more concerned with free response questions than with making sure that they are set and ready to go on multiple choice. As a result, this is an area where you might underperform, possibly even costing yourself the score you want. Don’t fall into this trap. Use this guide to learn not only why you should pay more attention to AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice questions, but also how to approach AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice questions.

What is the Format of AP® Comparative Government Exam?

The AP® Comparative Government test consists of two sections. Each section is worth 50% of the final scaled score of 1-5. The multiple-choice section has 55 questions and must be completed in 45 minutes. The free response section has eight questions and must be finished in one hour 40 minutes. The following chart provides a good breakdown of the test:

As you can see, the multiple-choice section has more questions and counts just as much toward your final score, so students shouldn’t focus exclusively on free response questions.

Why is the AP® Comparative Government Multiple Choice Section Important?

There are a few reasons why the AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section is important. First and foremost it asks the majority of the questions on the test, so you need to know how to handle them if you want to max out your score.

The second reason involves the way the AP® test calculates scores. A quick look at this score sheet from the released 2006 exam will demonstrate the point. Essentially, the way the score is determined is by first weighting the score from the different sections, adding them, and then using that information to produce the 1-5 scaled score you see when you get your results back. In 2009 multiple-choice questions were given a weight of 1.0909.

The page also contains a breakdown of how students scored overall relative to their multiple-choice score. The data shows that, of students who missed 7 or fewer questions, 98.1% got a 5 on the exam. However no student who missed 25 or more questions got a 5, and only 0.7% of them got a 4, which shows how neglecting the multiple-choice section can come back to hurt you. Moreover, students who missed 8-15 questions received a 5 in 47.4% of cases, and a 4 in 42.7%. This information demonstrates that to get the best scores on the test, you must do well on the multiple-choice section.

What Content is Covered in the Multiple Choice Section of AP® Comparative Government?

The AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section asks questions about the core countries studied in the course. These countries are China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia. As a result, there will be no multiple-choice questions that address the additional countries that can be studied, which are chosen by each teacher from a list. The questions are fairly diverse, with six different primary types. The largest section deals with political institutions, and 35% of questions will cover this section. Questions about sovereignty, authority, and power make up 20% of the section. Citizens, society, and the state questions make up 15%, as do questions about political and economic change. Finally, public policy makes 10% of the test, with the last 5% going toward introduction to comparative government questions.

Keep in mind that each of these six categories can be applied to six different countries, resulting in a great deal of material from which test-makers can draw questions. As a result, it is important to know how to prepare for the AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section.

How to Prepare for AP® Comparative Government Multiple Choice

The first thing to do to prepare for AP® Comparative Government’s multiple-choice section is to make an AP® Comparative Government study plan. Developing a plan is a critical first step, as it will allow you to make sure that you spend more time on concepts or countries that you are not as comfortable with, while at the same time making sure that you can cover all of the material you need.

AP® Comparative Government practice questions are another important step to take in preparing for the exam. The CollegeBoard has released some exams and questions, and there are some places online where you can get questions to practice as well. Taking practice questions will help you become more familiar with the material and style of questions, helping you keep your stress down while making sure that you have all your bases covered. After all, practice makes perfect, and AP® Comparative Government practice is no different.

Another strategy for preparing for the multiple-choice section is to organize a comprehensive review. You should make a list of all topics in the class. Ideally, you will be able to make a chart using a spreadsheet, listing concepts in rows along the left and countries in columns across the top, along with a column for definitions. You should then try to fill in the chart, explaining what each concept is and how it relates to each country. In doing so, you will work to cover nearly every possible question the test can ask you.

Something else to keep in mind is that you are not alone in your review. Look for people who have taken the class before, as well as online articles for AP® Comparative Government tips. There’s a good chance that a different take on a concept or a new explanation of how a country operates will help clarify the issue for you, boosting your chances of getting the score you want.

Finally, when you are preparing for the exam, don’t just attempt to learn each concept as it relates to each country. Instead, make Venn-Diagram-like compare and contrast points on the countries for as many concepts as you can. This will not only let you understand how each concept relates to the material, but also make sure that you can explain how each country relates to the others, an important skill in a Comparative Government class.

How to Answer AP® Comparative Government Multiple Choice Questions

There are many different ways to approach multiple-choice questions, and you have almost certainly employed these strategies in the past. The best piece of advice is to use the method that has worked best for you when it comes to answering multiple-choice questions if you have one.

However, if you don’t have a consistent strategy for solving multiple-choice problems, then the most trusted method is the process of elimination. Rather than looking immediately for the right answer, start looking for problems with answers so that you can cross them out. Doing so will narrow the range of options you have to choose from and can help you spot flaws in trap answers that might look right but contain some inaccuracy.

Another strategy that you should consider is anticipating the answer. The most successful students use a strategy similar to this one, so it’s worth trying. The approach requires you to answer the question in your head before you look at any of the possible answer choices. You should then select the answer choice that most closely matches the answer you generated. This strategy will help you avoid falling for answers that look tempting but are wrong, and will also help facilitate the process of elimination.

Finally, make sure that you understand the question before you try to answer it. The AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section has a lot of moving parts, with six broad concepts and six countries. Avoid careless mistakes by making certain you know what concept and what country the question is discussing. The importance of the multiple-choice section means that every mistake moves you further and further away from the 5 that you want to get.

What are AP® Comparative Government Multiple Choice Questions Like?

AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice questions will ask you about the concepts described above as they relate to one or more of the core countries. You will be given 5 answers to choose from, and have to choose the best one. An example question might look like this:

The political systems of Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia all have:

• Common law legal systems.
• Two-ballot systems for presidential selection.
• Effective independent judiciaries with judicial review.
• Unitary systems with strong states and a weak central government.
• Bicameral legislatures based partly on region and partly on population.

This questions provides a good overview of the question and answer types you will encounter on the test. Some of the answer choices are true for some of the countries but not all of them, while others don’t apply to any countries. This demonstrates how the multiple-choice section of the AP® Comparative Government exam can be difficult to tackle.

Another question makes this point as well.

Which of the following groups of countries all have code-law legal systems?

• Great Britain, Nigeria, Iran
• Great Britain, Russia, Nigeria
• China, Mexico, Iran
• China, Russia, Mexico
• Russia, Mexico, Great Britain

In this questions, the student is given a concept and asked which countries employ it. This is is different from the previous question, which gives a group of countries and asks what aspect they all have.

How can I Practice AP® Comparative Government Multiple Choice?

Practice questions are the best way to practice the AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section. There are places online where you can find questions to assist your AP® Comparative Government Review. Additionally, you can make flashcards for concepts and draw out charts as described above. Some these prep methods will also help you on the free response section, which means you’ll be studying for two test sections at once.

As you can see, the AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section is not to be taken lightly. However, with the proper execution of an AP® Comparative Government study plan and plenty of practice questions, you can get the score that you want and conquer the AP® Comparative Government multiple-choice section.

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