American Government

[Kelly Thompson]

Hello Everyone!!

This is my first CLEP exam and trying to find out some tips for taking the American Government exam. Suggestions?

[bluebooger]

my strategy was
I'm an American
I took civics and US government and american History in high school
I watch the news
I read various newspapers and magazines
I watch C-SPAN

what do I need to study for ?

my experience while taking the test:
holy crap ! I should have studied

there was so much parliamentary procedure and little details about the various congressional committees

I passed, but I was definitely not prepared

I'm sure people will say purchase a subscription on this site and check the flash cards for the exam

I have no idea if they will be of any help
but the test definitely requires more preparation than just being a relatively informed citizen

[Kelly Thompson]

What are the spark notes everyone is mentioning?

[bluebooger]

sparknotes
http://www.amazon.com/Sparknotes-101-Ame...overrnment

but I was talking about this
Study Guide for American Government CLEP

InstantCert: CLEP Online Study Guides

[wombat777]

My son just passed this exam. He is a high school school student without much interest in the subject going in, so he was really starting from scratch. Here is what he did:

First, he took a very basic government class. It was not nearly enough to prepare him for the CLEP, but it was his first exposure to the subject.
As part of this class, he watched the Standard Deviants American Government DVDs. Again, not enough for the exam, but made him more familiar with the subject.

Then, the test prep began in earnest. He read the Cliff's Quick Review book and the REA book.

He watched Crash Course: Us Government and Politics - 20 short, entertaining videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrk4oY7U...lTrqvhrz8H

He did not use the flashcards on this site. HOWEVER he did go through the member's only feedback section and studied specific topics previous test-takers mentioned.

He took lots of practice tests (REA and Petersons) and reviewed all the answers he got wrong.

Ultimately, he passed with a 63.

Now, someone who has more general knowledge of American government wouldn't need to put in as much effort as he did. But this took him from essentially zero knowledge to a decent score.

Hope this helps!