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margin: 0;
padding: 20px;
}
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max-width: 800px;
margin: 0 auto;
background: #f9f9f9;
border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
border-radius: 8px;
padding: 30px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
}
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text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 30px;
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How to Calculate Your AP Comparative Government Score
The AP Comparative Government and Politics exam is a challenging assessment that measures your understanding of political systems across six specific countries: China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Understanding how your raw scores translate into the final 1-5 AP score is crucial for setting study goals and managing test-day expectations.
The Exam Format and Scoring Weight
The exam is divided into two main sections, each contributing 50% to your final score. Unlike some other AP exams where multiple choice dominates, the AP Comp Gov exam places equal weight on your writing ability.
- Section I: Multiple Choice (50%)
This section consists of 55 questions to be completed in 60 minutes. It tests your ability to recall facts, interpret data, and analyze political concepts. There is no penalty for guessing, so you should answer every question.
- Section II: Free Response (50%)
This section consists of 4 questions to be completed in 90 minutes.
- FRQ 1: Conceptual Analysis (5 points) – Define and explain political concepts.
- FRQ 2: Quantitative Analysis (5 points) – Analyze data from a graph or table.
- FRQ 3: Comparative Analysis (5 points) – Compare political concepts between two course countries.
- FRQ 4: Argument Essay (6 points) – Write an argument essay using evidence from course concepts.
How the Calculation Works
The College Board does not release the exact curve for every year immediately, but the logic remains consistent. To equate the two sections so they are both worth 50%, a multiplier is applied to the Free Response section.
The Math:
- The Multiple Choice section has a raw maximum of 55 points.
- The Free Response section has a raw maximum of 21 points (5+5+5+6).
- To balance them, the Free Response raw score is typically multiplied by approximately 2.619.
Formula: (MCQ Raw Score) + (FRQ Total Raw Score × 2.619) = Composite Score (Max ~110)
Historical Score Cutoffs
While the exact points required for a 5 vary slightly from year to year depending on the exam difficulty, historical data suggests the following breakdown for the composite score (out of approximately 110):
| AP Score |
Estimated Composite Range |
Score Meaning |
| 5 |
86 – 110 |
Extremely Well Qualified |
| 4 |
72 – 85 |
Well Qualified |
| 3 |
58 – 71 |
Qualified |
| 2 |
40 – 57 |
Possibly Qualified |
| 1 |
0 – 39 |
No Recommendation |
Strategies to Improve Your Score
To maximize your AP Comparative Government score, focus on the FRQ section. Since there are fewer raw points available in the FRQ section (21) compared to the MCQ section (55), every point you earn on an FRQ is weighted heavily. Missing one point on an FRQ is roughly equivalent to missing 2.6 questions on the multiple-choice section.
Ensure you know the specific political institutions of the six core countries inside and out, as the Comparative Analysis question (FRQ 3) requires specific, accurate details to earn full points.
function calculateAPScore() {
// 1. Get Input Values
var mcq = document.getElementById('mcq_input').value;
var frq1 = document.getElementById('frq1_input').value;
var frq2 = document.getElementById('frq2_input').value;
var frq3 = document.getElementById('frq3_input').value;
var frq4 = document.getElementById('frq4_input').value;
// 2. Validate Inputs
if (mcq === "" || frq1 === "" || frq2 === "" || frq3 === "" || frq4 === "") {
alert("Please fill in all fields to calculate your score.");
return;
}
mcq = parseFloat(mcq);
frq1 = parseFloat(frq1);
frq2 = parseFloat(frq2);
frq3 = parseFloat(frq3);
frq4 = parseFloat(frq4);
// Bounds checking
if (mcq 55) mcq = 55;
if (frq1 5) frq1 = 5;
if (frq2 5) frq2 = 5;
if (frq3 5) frq3 = 5;
if (frq4 6) frq4 = 6;
// 3. Logic Calculation
// Weighting to ensure 50% split.
// MCQ Max = 55.
// FRQ Max = 21.
// Target Max Composite = ~110 (Common scale).
// MCQ Weight = 1.0.
// FRQ Weight = 55 / 21 ≈ 2.6190.
var frqTotalRaw = frq1 + frq2 + frq3 + frq4;
var frqWeighted = frqTotalRaw * 2.619;
var compositeScore = mcq + frqWeighted;
// Round to nearest whole number
compositeScore = Math.round(compositeScore);
// 4. Determine AP Score (1-5) based on standard curves
var apScore = 0;
var color = "";
if (compositeScore >= 86) {
apScore = 5;
color = "#28a745"; // Green
} else if (compositeScore >= 72) {
apScore = 4;
color = "#17a2b8"; // Teal
} else if (compositeScore >= 58) {
apScore = 3;
color = "#ffc107"; // Yellow
} else if (compositeScore >= 40) {
apScore = 2;
color = "#fd7e14"; // Orange
} else {
apScore = 1;
color = "#dc3545"; // Red
}
// 5. Output Results
var resultArea = document.getElementById('result_area');
var scoreDisplay = document.getElementById('final_score');
var breakdownDisplay = document.getElementById('composite_breakdown');
scoreDisplay.innerHTML = apScore;
scoreDisplay.style.color = color;
breakdownDisplay.innerHTML = "Composite Score: " + compositeScore + " / 110″;
resultArea.style.display = "block";
// Scroll to result
resultArea.scrollIntoView({behavior: "smooth"});
}