Unit guides
AP® Comparative Government and Politics
Unit guides with several great videos for every topic, flashcards, and exam-style practice questions with every answer explained.
No format changes for the May 2027 exam
College Board hasn't announced changes to the Comparative Government exam for 2027. Every course's changes
See College Board's list (opens in a new tab) (apcentral.collegeboard.org · CED clarifications, p. 1: only front matter, resource links and Progress Check wording)
5 units · 43 topics · 256 videos
Study and practice
Flashcards
181 cards with the terms and ideas you need to know cold. The ones you find hard come back sooner.
Multiple choice practice
263 exam-style questions, timed like the real exam, with every answer explained.
Practice exam
The whole multiple choice section: 55 questions in 1 hour, weighted by unit like the real exam. A fresh mix every time.
Must-know sheet
The facts, rules and terms to know cold on exam day, on one page. Filter it by unit, or print it.
Free-response practice
20 free-response questions like the ones on the exam. Score your answer with the rubric and a model answer, or sign in for free AI scoring.
Pick a unit
Unit 1
18–27% of examPolitical Systems, Regimes, and Governments
10 topics · 64 videos
- A state, a nation, a regime and a government are four different things
- Democracies and authoritarian regimes differ in how power is won and checked
- Power can be held at the center (unitary) or shared with regions (federal)
- Legitimacy is what makes people accept a government's right to rule
- Political scientists compare countries with evidence, not opinion
Unit 2
22–33% of examPolitical Institutions
9 topics · 54 videos
- Parliamentary, presidential and semi-presidential systems divide power differently
- Term limits and removal rules shape how much power an executive holds
- Some legislatures check the executive; others mostly approve its decisions
- Independent courts make the rule of law possible
Unit 3
11–18% of examPolitical Culture and Participation
9 topics · 48 videos
- Civil society can push for change or be limited by the state
- Political culture is learned through socialization
- Regimes treat voting, protest and the press very differently
- Social cleavages can strengthen or threaten a regime
Unit 4
13–18% of examParty and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations
6 topics · 35 videos
- Election rules shape party systems and who gets represented
- Rules can widen or narrow who is allowed to run and win
- Party systems range from one-party to multiparty
- Interest groups work differently in pluralist and corporatist systems
Unit 5
16–24% of examPolitical and Economic Changes and Development
9 topics · 55 videos
- Globalization brings growth but limits how much a state controls
- Economic liberalization has mixed effects
- International organizations can shape national policy
- Oil and gas can fund a state or weaken it
- Population change creates new political demands
About the exam
The basics of the 2027 Comparative Government exam, from College Board's official exam page.
AP® Comparative Government and Politics exam
- Date
- , session 1 (usually morning)
- Length
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- How you take it
- Fully digital: every answer in Bluebook
- Multiple choice
- 55 questions, 1 hour, 50% of your scoreSingle questions, plus short sets on a chart or table and on a text.
- Free response
- 4 questions, 1 hour 30 minutes, 50% of your scoreExplaining a concept, analyzing data, comparing two of the six course countries, and an argument essay.
- Calculator
- No calculator.
Guides to the exam
- What's new on the 2027 AP® exams
Every change College Board has announced for the May 2027 exams, course by course: question types, timing, scoring and digital testing, plus what's coming next.
- How AP® scores work
What each score from 1 to 5 means, how your score is worked out, when scores come out, and how to find out what credit a college gives.
- The AP® exam format
How digital testing in Bluebook works, what the multiple choice and free response sections are like, the calculator rules, and each course's exam at a glance.
- How to study for an AP® exam
A realistic plan from three months out to exam day, and how to use unit guides, videos, flashcards and practice questions to raise your score.
- The 2027 AP® exam calendar
Every 2027 exam date from College Board's official schedule, plus late testing, score release and other deadlines to put in your calendar.
- AP® exam questions, answered
Short answers to the questions students ask most: what the exams cost, whether you can retake one, who sees your scores, and how to use this site.