FRQ 1 – Concept Application

This guide organizes advice from past students who got 4s and 5s on their exams. We hope it gives you some new ideas and tools for your study sessions. But remember, everyone's different—what works for one student might not work for you. If you've got a study method that's doing the trick, stick with it. Think of this as extra help, not a must-do overhaul.

📌 Overview

• Students are asked to explain an political institution or process and apply concepts to new scenarios
• 13% of Exam Score
• Spend about 20 min
• Scored on a 3 point rubric
  • Describes concept (1)
  • Explains impact (1)
  • Details further impacts (1)

💭 General Advice

Tips on mindset, strategy, structure, time management, and any other high level things to know

• Pay attention to the source details and try to connect it to something you know about. Use everything the source gives you as clues to figure out what to write about. Anything you can connect to something you know about and can write about can help you earn points.
• Be prepared to use vocabulary, key documents, and court cases in any essay. A piece of advice is to know those documents (Federalist papers, Constitution, Amendments) and landmark cases because using those to support your answer shows mastery!!
• PRO TIP: Wear a non digital watch to your AP exam. The College Board allows you to wear a watch (click here for details). At the top of the page, write down the time that your proctor started the section of the exam and what time you need to be done with your section. By wearing the watch, you won’t be blindsided by your time almost being up and it helps you plan your time out. This actually helps you finish with enough time to review your work!
• Whatever you do, label your answers when writing. It makes it so much easier and it keeps your work organized. This way when you are reading over your answer, and so you don’t get confused on if you answered a part of the question or not.
• Remember to stay focused on the specific concepts and institutions mentioned in the prompt. Don't go off-topic or discuss unrelated ideas.
• Use transitions between paragraphs to ensure a smooth flow of ideas and to connect the different aspects of your response.
• Practice writing timed responses to similar prompts to improve your time management skills during the exam.
• Make sure your body is well rested and adjusted before the exam too. Eat breakfast and maintain a healthy sleep schedule in the days before taking the exam.
• Remember to actually answer the question, although this seems obvious, sometimes we forget the question and start writing an answer that we think is answering the question but end up not answering it. So take some time to read the question and passage, and then start writing. One way to achieve this is state your answer in the first sentence and explain it more in the following sentences.
• If you get stuck on one part of the question, go to the next one. Sometimes answering the other questions can help you answer the other questions!
• Before the exam, take a quick look at the task verbs that are given on the exam to familiarize yourself with the definitions, because it demonstrates that you know what the question is asking for.

🕐 Before you Write

What should a student do in the first few minutes, before they start writing?

• Write down everything you know and remember about the concepts given. This will also help spark other terms that may be related and help you answer the question.
• Break down the prompt and highlight the terms that stand out.
• Read the context paragraph twice and read all the questions in one go rather than read them one at time. Rereading the paragraph ensures you don’t overlook any potential information that could help you. Plus, when you reading all of them together, it prevents you from repeating your answers and it shows you which questions you may need to spend more time on.
• Underline the command verbs (explain, describe, identify, define, compare, etc.) It makes it really helpful when you are in a time crunch to easily see how much detail you need to go into.
• Take a deep breath and read the prompt carefully. Underline key terms and instructions.
• Outline your response quickly, jotting down main points you want to cover. This will help you stay focused and organized.
• Identify the political institution or process and the concepts you need to discuss.
• Think of things that have happened within your own life politically to connect to the topic! This will help familiarize the concept given and place it into your own perspective in a quick, easy way.

💡Tips for Earning Each Point

Describe Concept

• Write 2-3 sentences with relevant details about the concept. Define it and then add some more information about how it is used/applied etc
• Provide a clear definition of the political institution or process and explain how it fits into the broader political system/framework. Use specific examples or characteristics to illustrate your understanding.
• Use the other things you are required to know to your advantage. See how it is used in landmark cases, other similar concepts, etc. to provide a clear explanation that is backed up with evidence.

Explain Impact

• Real life examples are your best friend here. Relate it back to the scenario in the evidence given to you. Or come up with a court case/relevant example to use.
• Along with adding a relevant real-life example that explains the impact, it is best to prepare for this part of the exam by reviewing the national and global news a few days prior to the exam.
• Discuss the direct consequences or effects of the institution or process. How does it influence political dynamics, decision-making, or outcomes?
• Use historical or contemporary examples to support your explanation.
• Using what you’ve written in the first question or from what you remember/know, try to think about how it’s used by politicians (or the government) to achieve their goal or how it may impact their ability to achieve their goal. In other words, ask yourself questions about if this helps or hinders them!

Detail Further Impact

• Go further in depth about how your real-life situation and the concept are connected and what that means for future generations.
• Go beyond the immediate effects and explore secondary or long-term impacts of the institution or process.
• Consider discussing unintended consequences or how the institution/process interacts with other political factors.
• Consider how this institution is during present-day, and if there are any current possibilities of it being changed or modified (ie. protests against electoral college, PACs).