Institutions and policy processes:

presidency, bureaucracy, and congress

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.

Federal courts, civil liberties, and civil rights

Structure and processes of the judicial system with emphasis on the role and influence of the Supreme Court, 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

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

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

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.

Simulated American Government Exam

This is a full length simulated CLEP exam providing a similar experience to the the actual College Board CLEP exam. This timed CLEP exam is geared to prepare you for the pace and format that you'll need to succeed. Use it to test your knowledge while getting as close as you can to the real-life conditions of the exam.