• 60 questions

American Government CLEP Practice Test

Unofficial practice questions on American government and politics, in the five topics of the College Board's outline.

All 100 senators are present to vote on a treaty the president has signed. What is the smallest number of yes votes that approves it?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 13, 2026.

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Presidency, bureaucracy, Congress and the courts 20

  • A company loses a civil trial in a U.S. district court and wants the ruling reviewed. Where does its appeal go first? United States Courts, Court Role and Structure. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the federal courts.
  • A group of senators holds the floor for days to keep a bill from coming to a vote. Under the Senate rule in force since 1975, what ends the debate? U.S. Senate, About Filibusters and Cloture. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), Congress.
  • A House committee calls an agency head to explain how a new program is being carried out, then reviews the agency's spending. What is this work of Congress called? Wikipedia, "Congressional oversight". College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), Congress and the bureaucracy.
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Presidency, bureaucracy, Congress and the courts, continued

  • A House subcommittee, the agency it funds and an industry group deal with one another for years, each helping the other two. What is this policy-making relationship called? Wikipedia, "Iron triangle (US politics)". College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), links between the institutions and interest groups.
  • A president issues an executive order, and a federal court later finds that neither a statute nor the Constitution supports it. What can the court do? Wikipedia, "Executive order". College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the presidency and the courts.
  • A senator drafts a bill that raises income tax rates. Why does such a bill have to begin in the other chamber? National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article I, Section 7. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), Congress.
  • All 100 senators are present to vote on a treaty the president has signed. What is the smallest number of yes votes that approves it? National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article II, Section 2. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), analysis of simple data.
  • Article III creates a Supreme Court and leaves the lower courts to Congress. In which law did the First Congress set up a federal court system with district and circuit courts? National Archives, Milestone Documents: Federal Judiciary Act (1789). College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the federal courts.
  • By the Senate's own account, what becomes of the great majority of the nominations a president sends it? U.S. Senate, About Nominations. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the presidency and Congress.
  • Congress has gone home for the summer when a crisis breaks. What does Article II, Section 3 let the president do? National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article II, Section 3. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the presidency and Congress.
  • The federal courts report that the Supreme Court is asked to review more than 7,000 cases a year and accepts 100 to 150. What follows from those figures? United States Courts, Supreme Court Procedures. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), analysis of simple data.
  • Federalist No. 70 argues for one president and against an executive council. Which quality does Hamilton say a single executive supplies? Yale Law School, Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers, No. 70. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the presidency.
  • Four Supreme Court justices want to hear an appeal and five do not. Under the Court's rules, what happens? United States Courts, Supreme Court Procedures. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the federal courts.
  • Hamilton argued in Federalist No. 78 that the judiciary would be the weakest of the three branches. On what ground? Yale Law School, Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers, No. 78. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the federal courts.
  • The House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill. In the House's own account of the legislative process, who works out the differences? U.S. House of Representatives, The Legislative Process. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), Congress.
  • The House gives a simple majority as 218 of 435 and the Senate's as 51 of 100. With every member voting, a bill gets 220 votes in the House and 49 in the Senate. What happens to it? U.S. House of Representatives, The Legislative Process. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), analysis of simple data.
  • The House votes to impeach a federal judge. What does that vote do? National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article I, Sections 2 and 3. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), Congress and the courts.
  • The Pendleton Act of 1883 said federal jobs should go to people chosen through competitive exams. What else did the act do for the employees it covered? National Archives, Milestone Documents: Pendleton Act (1883). College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the bureaucracy.
  • The Senate has investigated public matters since the earliest days of the republic, though no clause of the Constitution names such a power. How does the Senate describe its authority to investigate? U.S. Senate, About Investigations. College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), Congress and the bureaucracy.
  • Under the War Powers Resolution, how soon must the president notify Congress after committing armed forces to military action? Wikipedia, "War Powers Resolution". College Board outline: Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts (30%–35%), the presidency and Congress.

Civil liberties and civil rights 7

  • A city police force is accused of an unreasonable search. The Bill of Rights was written to limit the federal government, so why does it bind a city? Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: incorporation doctrine. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
  • A judge orders a newspaper not to print a story it has not yet published. What is this kind of government action called? Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: prior restraint. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), the Bill of Rights.
  • A public school board writes a prayer and has teachers lead it every morning. Which clause of the First Amendment is the usual ground for a challenge? Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: Establishment Clause. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), the Bill of Rights.
  • A state law sorts people by race, and a court reviews it under strict scrutiny. What must the government show? Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: strict scrutiny. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), equal protection.
  • By law, a state pays women who teach in its schools less than men in the same jobs. Which part of the Constitution is the most direct ground for a challenge? National Archives, The Constitution: Amendments 11-27, Amendment XIV. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), equal protection.
  • Police search a home with no warrant and no lawful exception and find stolen goods. At trial the judge bars the goods as evidence. Which rule is the judge applying? Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: exclusionary rule. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), due process.
  • What did the Supreme Court say about the Bill of Rights in Barron v. Baltimore (1833)? Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: incorporation doctrine. College Board outline: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (10%–15%), incorporation of the Bill of Rights.

Parties, interest groups and elections 11

  • A candidate wins a state's popular vote by a few hundred ballots and receives every one of its electoral votes. Which two states do not award their electors this way? National Archives, Electoral College: Distribution of Electoral Votes. College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), elections.
  • A clean-air group wins tighter pollution rules. People who never joined it or paid dues breathe the cleaner air too. Which problem for interest groups does this show? Wikipedia, "Free-rider problem". College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), interest groups.
  • A party adopts a formal statement of its goals to win the public's support and votes. Each separate item in it is called a plank. What is the statement called? Wikipedia, "Party platform". College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), political parties, function.
  • A trade association wants to back candidates for Congress. According to the Federal Election Commission, what can it establish and administer for that purpose? Federal Election Commission, Political Action Committees (PACs). College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), interest groups.
  • After a census a state gains two seats in the House of Representatives. What happens to its number of electoral votes? National Archives, Electoral College: Distribution of Electoral Votes. College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), elections; analysis of simple data.
  • In Federalist No. 10 Madison defines a faction as citizens "united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest" against the rights of others or the good of the community. How large can a faction be, by his definition? Yale Law School, Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers, No. 10. College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), interest groups.
  • In some states party members meet at the precinct level, and at some of these meetings they stand in groups by candidate while each group tries to win over the undecided. What is this way of choosing a nominee called? USA.gov, Presidential primaries and caucuses. College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), elections.
  • In the 1932 presidential election the questions of the Populist and Progressive years gave way to those of the New Deal, a sharp change in the party system. What do political scientists call such an election? Wikipedia, "Political realignment" (the article "Realigning election" leads to it). College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), political parties, historical development.
  • Mapmakers who gerrymander use two methods, "packing" and "cracking". What is the difference? Wikipedia, "Gerrymandering". College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), elections.
  • Political scientists tie the two-party system of the United States to its election rules. To which rules does Duverger's law point? Wikipedia, "Duverger's law". College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), political parties.
  • Which statement about a Super PAC matches the Federal Election Commission's description? Federal Election Commission, Types of nonconnected PACs. College Board outline: Political Parties and Interest Groups (15%–20%), interest groups.

Political beliefs and behavior 11

  • A citizen says, "I follow politics well enough to take part, but officials do not care what people like me want." In political science terms, what does she have? Wikipedia, "Political efficacy". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), beliefs about government and its leaders.
  • A national poll interviews a random sample of about 1,000 adults out of a population of many millions. Why can so small a sample speak for the whole? Wikipedia, "Opinion poll". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), public opinion.
  • A pollster enlarges a random sample from 500 people to 2,000. What happens to the poll's margin of error? Wikipedia, "Margin of error". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), public opinion; analysis of simple data.
  • A popular presidential candidate wins easily, and her party gains House seats it had been expected to lose. What is this effect called? Wikipedia, "Coattail effect". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), voting behavior.
  • A voter decides it is not worth hours of study to learn the details of a farm bill, because her one vote will hardly change the result. What do political scientists call this choice? Wikipedia, "Rational ignorance". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), how citizens learn about politics.
  • A voter has never signed up with a party or paid dues, yet she has backed one party's candidates for twenty years and calls herself one of its supporters. What does this describe? Wikipedia, "Party identification". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), voting behavior.
  • Among people who were registered but did not vote in 2022, which reason was given most often to the Census Bureau? U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Voting and Registration Data Now Available (release CB23-TPS.53, May 2, 2023). College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), political participation.
  • Census Bureau figures for the 2022 congressional elections: 58.1% of eligible homeowners voted and 36.5% of renters; 67.6% of people at the same address for five years or longer voted and 40.5% of those there a year or less. Which conclusion fits? U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Voting and Registration Data Now Available (release CB23-TPS.53, May 2, 2023). College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), political participation; analysis of simple data.
  • For the 2022 congressional elections the Census Bureau reports that 69.1% of voting-age citizens were registered and 52.2% voted. What do the two figures show? U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Voting and Registration Data Now Available (release CB23-TPS.53, May 2, 2023). College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), political participation; analysis of simple data.
  • On Election Day pollsters stop people as they leave polling places and ask how they voted. What is this kind of survey called? Wikipedia, "Exit poll". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), public opinion.
  • Research on political socialization has long held that one agent has the most influence on the party leanings a person carries into adult life. Which agent? Wikipedia, "Political socialization". College Board outline: Political Beliefs and Behavior (15%–20%), how citizens learn about politics.

Constitutional underpinnings 11

  • A man charged with a felony in Georgia flees to Florida, and Georgia's governor demands his return. What does Article IV require? National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article IV, Section 2. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), federalism, intergovernmental relations.
  • According to Federalist No. 51, what is "the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department"? Yale Law School, Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers, No. 51. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), separation of powers; checks and balances.
  • The Constitution does not mention marriage licenses or public schools, and it does not forbid the states to deal with them. Which amendment explains why the states handle both? National Archives, The Bill of Rights: A Transcription, Amendment X. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), federalism.
  • Federalist No. 51 warns, "If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure." Which safeguard does the paper say the United States will have? Yale Law School, Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers, No. 51. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), majority rule and minority rights.
  • In Federalist No. 10 Madison considers curing faction by taking away the liberty that lets factions form. Why does he reject that cure? Yale Law School, Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers, No. 10. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), theories of democracy.
  • New York gave one company the sole right to run steamboats to New Jersey. In Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), who did the Court say regulates such trade? National Archives, Milestone Documents: Gibbons v. Ogden (1824). College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), federalism.
  • Three states agree to share the water of a river that crosses their borders and to run it through a joint commission. What does the Constitution require before their compact takes effect? National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article I, Section 10. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), federalism, intergovernmental relations.
  • Two thirds of the state legislatures can call a convention to propose amendments. With 50 states, how many legislatures is that, and how many of the 27 amendments began that way? National Archives, Office of the Federal Register: Constitutional Amendment Process. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), analysis of simple data.
  • Under the Articles of Confederation, which weakness left Congress trying to work with an empty treasury? National Archives, Milestone Documents: Articles of Confederation (1777). College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), considerations that influenced the Constitution.
  • The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison, would have made seats in both houses of Congress proportional to a state's size. Which part of that plan did the Great Compromise give up? U.S. Senate, The Senate and the Constitution: Equal State Representation. College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), considerations that influenced the Constitution.
  • Which theory of democracy holds that many groups outside government use their resources to sway decisions, so that policy comes from the push and pull among them? Wikipedia, "Pluralism (political theory)". College Board outline: Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy (15%–20%), theories of democracy.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the College Board's published outline of the CLEP American Government exam (https://clep.collegeboard.org/clep-exams/american-government, read 2026-10-13): Institutions and Policy Processes: Presidency, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Federal Courts 30%–35%; Civil Liberties and Civil Rights 10%–15%; Political Parties and Interest Groups 15%–20%; Political Beliefs and Behavior 15%–20%; Constitutional Underpinnings of American Democracy 15%–20%. The bank holds 20, 7, 11, 11 and 11 questions on them, and 8 of the 60 ask the reader to work from figures, the outline's analysis of simple data. Every fact was read on 2026-10-13 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives transcriptions of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Amendments 11 to 27, its Milestone Documents, Electoral College and amendment process pages; the U.S. Senate and House pages on their powers and procedures; the United States Courts; the Federal Election Commission; USA.gov; the Census Bureau's 2022 voting and registration release; the Federalist Papers at Yale Law School's Avalon Project; Wex at Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute; and Wikipedia articles on terms of political science. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free American Government CLEP practice test has 60 questions of our own on the outline's five topics, each naming its public source. It is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the College Board.

Read the full guide

Five topics and their weights

The College Board's exam page, read October 13, 2026, weights the topics: institutions and policy processes (the presidency, the bureaucracy, Congress and the federal courts) 30% to 35%; civil liberties and civil rights 10% to 15%; parties and interest groups, political beliefs and behavior, and constitutional underpinnings 15% to 20% each. This bank holds 20, 7, 11, 11 and 11 questions.

Timing

The real exam has about 100 questions in 90 minutes, and some are unscored pretest questions. Exam mode asks all 60 in 54 minutes, the same pace.

Questions with figures

The outline gives 10% to 15% of the exam to analysis of simple data, so eight questions here ask you to work from figures: Senate votes, Census turnout rates, electoral votes.

  • Some 30% to 35% of the exam tests patterns of political behavior and the principles behind them, so read each explanation for its reason.
  • The College Board says the exam goes beyond a general understanding of civics to political processes and behavior: parties, interest groups, elections and public opinion.

Questions and answers

Is there an American Government CLEP practice test PDF?

Yes. Print the question sheet puts the questions on paper, and one tick adds the answer key. For a file, pick Save as PDF in the print window.

Is this CLEP American Government practice test the real exam?

No. All 60 questions are ours, written to the outline the College Board publishes, with each fact read in the public page named under it. None comes from a real exam or an official sample question, and no real score is implied.

What does a CLEP government practice test cover?

The material of a one-semester college course in American government and politics. Under its five topics the outline lists, among others, the Supreme Court's role, incorporation of the Bill of Rights, voting behavior, political culture, federalism and theories of democracy.

What score do you need on the American Government CLEP?

There is no single pass mark. Scores run from 20 to 80, the American Council on Education recommends 3 semester hours of credit at 50, and each college sets the score it accepts.

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