• 51 questions

AP Government Executive Branch Practice Test

Unofficial practice on the presidency and the federal bureaucracy, the executive branch topics of Unit 2 in AP Government.

Which role does the Constitution give the president over the armed forces?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 10, 2026.

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All 51 questions

Topic 2.4: Roles and powers of the president 14

  • A president signs a bill and at the same moment issues a written note saying how the administration reads one section of it. What is the note called? Wikipedia, "Signing statement"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.4.A.2; course topic 2.4
  • A president signs a trade pact with the leader of another country and does not send it to the Senate. What kind of agreement is this? U.S. Senate, "About Treaties"; course topic 2.4
  • After a veto, the House votes 300 to 135 to pass the bill again, and the Senate votes 60 to 40 to do the same. What is the result? U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
  • Congress passes a bill and adjourns three days later. The president neither signs the bill nor returns it. What becomes of the bill once ten days have passed? U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7 (National Archives transcript); Wikipedia, "Pocket veto"; course topic 2.4
  • The Constitution lets the president "require the Opinion, in writing" of which officials? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
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Topic 2.4: Roles and powers of the president, continued

  • The Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council are parts of which body? Wikipedia, "Executive Office of the President of the United States"; course topic 2.4
  • Under Article II, what must the president do about the laws Congress passes? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 3 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
  • What does a treaty need that an executive agreement does not? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
  • What is an executive order? Federal Register, "Executive Orders"; course topic 2.4
  • What is the vice president's role in the Senate under the Constitution? U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 3 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
  • Which limit does the Constitution place on the president's power to pardon? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
  • Which of these is an informal power of the president? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.4.A.2; course topic 2.4
  • Which role does the Constitution give the president over the armed forces? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.4
  • Who sits in the president's Cabinet? USA.gov, "Branches of the U.S. government"; course topic 2.4

Topic 2.5: Checks on the presidency 9

  • A president wants to start a program that Congress has declined to fund. Which rule of the Constitution stands in the way? U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 9 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.5
  • Congress will not act on one of the president's priorities. Which tool lets the president move on it without a new law? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.5.A.3; Federal Register, "Executive Orders"; course topic 2.5
  • The House of Representatives impeaches a president. What happens next? U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 3 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.5
  • The Senate is in recess and a post falls vacant. The president fills it without a Senate vote. How long does such a recess appointment last? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.5
  • The Senate votes against a president's nominee for secretary of state. What follows? USA.gov, "Branches of the U.S. government"; course topic 2.5
  • The vice presidency falls vacant. How is it filled? U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXV, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.5
  • Which is a check on an executive order? Wikipedia, "Executive order"; course topic 2.5
  • Which of these appointments needs the advice and consent of the Senate? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (National Archives transcript); Wikipedia, "White House Chief of Staff"; course topic 2.5
  • Why do appointments of federal judges give a president influence that lasts longer than any other appointment? U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 1 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.5

Topic 2.6: Expansion of presidential power 7

  • A vice president becomes president with three years left in the former president's term. Under the Twenty-Second Amendment, how many times may she then be elected president? U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXII (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.6
  • According to Federalist No. 70, an energetic executive is essential to the protection of the community against what? Federalist No. 70 (Avalon Project, Yale Law School); course topic 2.6
  • What does Federalist No. 70 argue about the executive? Federalist No. 70 (Avalon Project, Yale Law School); course topic 2.6
  • What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do? U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXII (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.6
  • What gave rise to the Twenty-Second Amendment? Wikipedia, "Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution"; course topic 2.6
  • Which objection does Federalist No. 70 raise against a plural executive? Federalist No. 70 (Avalon Project, Yale Law School); course topic 2.6
  • Why does Federalist No. 70 prefer one executive to several? Federalist No. 70 (Avalon Project, Yale Law School); course topic 2.6

Topic 2.7: Presidential communication 4

  • A president spends a month giving speeches and interviews on one bill, and polls show more voters calling it the top issue. Which term names this use of the office? Wikipedia, "Bully pulpit"; course topic 2.7
  • For most of the country's first century, how did presidents deliver the State of the Union message? Wikipedia, "State of the Union"; course topic 2.7
  • On which constitutional duty does the State of the Union message rest? U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 3 (National Archives transcript); course topic 2.7
  • What did radio and television change about the State of the Union address? Wikipedia, "State of the Union"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.7.A.1; course topic 2.7

Topic 2.12: The bureaucracy 6

  • A federal agency, the congressional committee that oversees it, and an interest group in the same field work closely together year after year. What is this relationship called? Wikipedia, "Iron triangle"; course topic 2.12
  • After winning an election, a party hands government jobs to its supporters as a reward. What is this practice called? Wikipedia, "Spoils system"; course topic 2.12
  • How are most federal civil service employees selected today? Wikipedia, "United States federal civil service"; course topic 2.12
  • How does an issue network differ from an iron triangle? Wikipedia, "Issue network"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.12.A.1; course topic 2.12
  • Inspectors from the Environmental Protection Agency find a plant breaking a pollution rule. Which step can the agency itself take? Wikipedia, "United States Environmental Protection Agency"; course topic 2.12
  • What did the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 require? Wikipedia, "Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act"; course topic 2.12

Topic 2.13: Discretionary and rulemaking authority 5

  • A broker is accused of cheating investors. Which agency oversees securities exchanges, brokers and dealers? USA.gov, "Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)"; course topic 2.13
  • Congress passes a clean water law in broad terms and leaves the exact limits to an agency. What is the agency's process of writing those limits called? Wikipedia, "Rulemaking"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.13.A.1; course topic 2.13
  • Where does a federal agency publish the language of a proposed rule so that the public can comment on it? Wikipedia, "Rulemaking"; course topic 2.13
  • Which 1946 law governs how federal agencies propose and establish regulations? Wikipedia, "Administrative Procedure Act"; course topic 2.13
  • Which agency enforces federal campaign finance laws? USA.gov, "Federal Election Commission (FEC)"; course topic 2.13

Topics 2.14 and 2.15: Holding the bureaucracy accountable 6

  • A committee is unhappy with how an agency enforces a law. Which check is called the power of the purse? Wikipedia, "Power of the purse"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.14.A.1; course topic 2.14
  • An interest group loses a vote in Congress, then presses the agency that is writing the rule, and then files a suit in federal court. What does this show about the three branches? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.15.B.1; course topic 2.15
  • How can the federal courts hold an agency accountable? Wikipedia, "Administrative Procedure Act"; course topic 2.15
  • Through what does Congress largely carry out its oversight of the executive branch? Wikipedia, "Congressional oversight"; course topic 2.14
  • What does congressional oversight of the bureaucracy include? Wikipedia, "Congressional oversight"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 2.14.A.1; course topic 2.14
  • Which power lets a president steer federal agencies toward the goals of the administration? USA.gov, "Branches of the U.S. government"; course topic 2.15

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the executive branch topics of Unit 2, Interactions Among Branches of Government, in the College Board's AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2026, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-us-government-and-politics-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-10: topics 2.4 to 2.7 on the presidency and 2.12 to 2.15 on the bureaucracy. Each fact was read on 2026-10-10 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives transcripts of the Constitution and its amendments, Federalist No. 70 at the Avalon Project of Yale Law School, pages of the U.S. Senate, USA.gov and the Federal Register, and Wikipedia. Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under each question.

How it works

This AP Government executive branch practice test has 51 questions of our own on the presidency and the federal bureaucracy. It is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board.

Read the full guide

What the questions cover

The College Board's course description, effective fall 2026 and read October 10, 2026, puts the executive branch in Unit 2, Interactions Among Branches of Government. The bank follows its presidency topics, 2.4 to 2.7 (34 questions), and its bureaucracy topics, 2.12 to 2.15 (17). The description gives topics no weights, so the spread is ours.

Sources you can open

Constitution questions quote the National Archives transcript, and Federalist No. 70 questions quote the Avalon Project text. The rest cite a U.S. Senate, USA.gov or Federal Register page, or a Wikipedia article.

  • Sort each presidential power as formal, written in the Constitution, or informal, such as bargaining, executive agreements and signing statements.
  • For every power, name its check: the Senate confirms, Congress funds and overrides, the courts review.
  • Federalist No. 70 is one of the course's required foundational documents. Know its case for a single executive.

Questions and answers

What unit is the executive branch in AP Gov?

Unit 2, Interactions Among Branches of Government, which also covers Congress and the courts. At 25 to 36% of the multiple-choice section it is the largest of the five units, by the College Board's course page.

What is the difference between formal and informal powers of the president?

Formal powers are stated in the Constitution, such as the veto, command of the armed forces and treaty making. Informal powers are not: the course description lists executive agreements, bargaining and persuasion, and signing statements.

Is the bureaucracy on an AP Gov presidency practice test?

It belongs to the executive branch, so it is here. Topics 2.12 to 2.15 cover what agencies do, rulemaking under authority delegated by Congress, and how Congress, the president and the courts hold agencies to account.

What does Federalist No. 70 say about the presidency?

It argues for a single, energetic executive. One person, it says, acts with decision, activity, secrecy and dispatch, while a plural executive tends to conceal faults and destroy responsibility.

Are these real AP Government exam questions?

No. The College Board owns the real questions, and none appears here, even in other words. Every question was written for this page from the topics the course description lists.

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