Question 1
A state law makes it a crime to burn the American flag during a political protest. Based on Supreme Court precedent, the law is most likely
Is AP U.S. Government hard?
Most students who sit it get a 3 or higher: 71.7% in May 2025 and 76% in 2026, and almost a quarter earn a 5. The hard parts are applying concepts to new scenarios, knowing the required cases well enough to compare them, and the argument essay.
| Scored 3 or higher in 2026 | 76% |
|---|---|
| Scored 3 or higher in 2025 | 71.7% of 387,973 students |
| Scored 5 in 2025 | 23.7% |
| Mean score in 2025 | 3.34 |
What makes it hard
- Application: most multiple-choice questions describe a new situation and ask which concept, power or clause applies, so memorized definitions are not enough.
- The required cases: the SCOTUS Comparison asks you to explain how the facts of a required case led to its holding, compared with a case you have never seen.
- The argument essay: it rewards a defensible claim, two specific pieces of evidence, one from a listed document, reasoning and a rebuttal, all in 40 minutes.
- Data: the Quantitative Analysis question and the data sets in the multiple choice ask you to read a chart precisely and connect it to a concept.
What makes it easier
- The required documents and cases are named in advance: 13 and 14 of them.
- The free-response types and scoring guidelines stay the same every year, so each point can be practiced on its own.
- It is a one-semester course for many students, with a narrower scope than the history courses.
How the 2025 results break down
- A 5: 23.7%
- A 4: 24.8%
- A 3: 23.2%
- A 2: 18.4%
- A 1: 9.9%
Try 2 questions
Question 2
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of judicial activism and judicial restraint?
Next step
College Board's AP U.S. Government and Politics score distributions
Questions people ask
What percentage of students pass AP U.S. Government?
In May 2025, 71.7% of the 387,973 students who took AP U.S. Government and Politics scored 3 or higher; in 2026 the share was 76%. Many US colleges grant credit or placement for 3 and above, but each college sets its own policy.
What share of AP U.S. Government students earn a 5?
23.7% in May 2025 and 23% in 2026.
Is AP U.S. Government easier than AP US History?
It covers less material and has no long historical essay, and more of its students score 3 or higher. It still asks you to apply concepts and cases to new scenarios, which takes practice.