Library Guides: Study Guide: CLEP: American Government

What's on the test?

Overview
Question Breakdown

Overview

The American Government exam assesses an understanding of civics and political process and behavior. The exam covers topics such as the institutions and policy processes of the federal government, the federal courts and civil liberties, political parties and interest groups, political beliefs and behavior, and the content and history of the Constitution.

Study Guides & Resources

# of Questions	Time
100	90 minutes

Knowledge and Skills Required

Knowledge of American government and politics (about 55%–60% of the exam)
Understanding of typical patterns of political processes and behavior (including the components of the behavioral situation of a political actor), and the principles used to explain or justify various governmental structures and procedures (about 30%–35% of the exam)
Analysis and interpretation of simple data that are relevant to American government and politics (10%–15% of the exam)

Score Information

ACE Recommendation for American Government

Credit-granting Score	Semester Hours
50	3

Note: Each institution reserves the right to set its own credit-granting policy, which may differ from the American Council on Education (ACE). Contact your the TSTC testing center to find out the score required for credit and the number of credit hours granted.

Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%)

The major formal and informal institutional arrangements and powers
Structure, policy processes, and outputs
Relationships among these three institutions and links between them and political parties, interest groups, the media, and public opinion
Structure and processes of the judicial system, with emphasis on the role and influence of the Supreme Court

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%)

The development of civil rights and civil liberties by judicial interpretation
The Bill of Rights
Incorporation of the Bill of Rights
Equal protection and due process

Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%)

Political parties (including their function, organization, mobilization, historical development, and effects on the political process)
Interest groups (including the variety of activities they typically undertake and their effects on the political process)
Elections (including the electoral process)

Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%)

Processes by which citizens learn about politics
Political participation (including voting behavior)
Public opinion
Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
Political culture (the variety of factors that predispose citizens to differ from one another in terms of their political perceptions, values, attitudes, and activities)
The influence of public opinion on political leaders

Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%)

The development of concepts such as:

Federalism (with attention to intergovernmental relations)
Separation of powers
Checks and balances
Majority rule
Minority rights
Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
Theories of democracy

American Government resources

Practice Exams

Practice Exams
3 separate practice tests with 100 questions each covering the American Government section of CLEP. With instant scoring and detailed answer explanations.

Study Guides & Fact Sheets

CLEP Fact Sheet and eBook
Covers questions found on CLEP, as well as areas of study
Flashcards and Study Interactives
Set of 3 flashcard decks covering terms, and 1 flashcard deck covering practice questions and detailed answer explanations.

Videos

Learning Express Library - General
Six different videos covering Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy, Institutions and Policy Processes, Introduction, Political Beliefs and Behavior, Political Parties and Interest Groups.

Websites

American Government course
Video course
This course covers review of materials usually taught in one-semester introductory courses in American Government and politics, including topics such as institutions and policy processes of the federal government, the federal courts and civil liberties, political parties and interest groups, political beliefs and behavior, and the content and history of the Constitution.