If you’re a student, you might be wondering, “What score do I need on the AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam to get college credit?”
The short answer: 3 or higher.
But it’s actually a little more complicated than that. Let’s dig into the question a bit more and take a look at how it’s scored.
How to find the score you need on the AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam
The AP® exam is scored on a scale of one to five—with one being the worst score and five being the best.
Here’s a handy chart showing you exactly what each score means to you.
| AP® Score | What it means |
|
5 | Extremely well qualified. The highest score you can get on your AP® U.S. Government and Politics exam. This score typically guarantees college credit. |
|
4 | Very well qualified. While this isn’t the highest score possible, it’s still a very good score. You’ll typically get college credit with it. |
|
3 | Qualified. Some schools will give you college credit for this score, but there is room for improvement. |
|
2 | Possibly qualified. If you can, you’ll want to retake the exam as schools most likely won’t give credit for this score. |
|
1 | No recommendation. Sign up to retake the exam if you can—and use one of Marco Learning’s free study guides to help you. |
When it comes to the AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam (and really any other AP® exam), you’ll want to aim for 3 or higher. Most colleges will give you college credit if you score within that range.
However, this isn’t really a hard and fast rule for every school. If you want to know exactly the score you need for a specific school, contact their registrar’s office and ask for information regarding their AP® credit policies. You can also check a school’s website for more information.
NOTE: Schools sometimes change the score required for AP® college credit. Be sure to check in with the school to make sure you have the most recent information.
How others scored in the 2019 AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam
If you’re curious as to how others typically perform on the AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam, take a look at the chart below for the scoring distribution in 2019.
| EXAM | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP® U.S. Government and Politics | 12.9% | 12.4% | 29.8% | 24.8% | 20.1% |
Source: CollegeBoard
Out of all the scores students received, most students scored a 3 and the least amount of students scored a 4. Luckily, 3 is the score most schools require for college credit.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should take the AP® exams lightly. In fact, you should feel emboldened to study even harder to ensure you get the highest score possible.
Let us help you
The best way to approach your AP® U.S. Government and Politics exam score is to not worry about it…well, try not to worry about it too much.
The best way to alleviate your concerns is by good preparation.
That’s why it’s so important that you take practice tests to help you get better at the AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam. Only then can you expect to get a good score — and even improve your score.
That’s why we want to help. Marco Learning has created a host of free AP® practice exams for you to take on your own time and test out your knowledge.
Help