Hopefully you didn't pick this one at random! For most people, the American Government CLEP is one of the more difficult Humanity exams that CLEP offers. History is my forte', and I'm also a rabid reader and long-time fan of the West Wing. I don't need to study right? Wrong! The first time I took this test, I only skimmed through the material. I barely passed with a 50 which was a pleasant surprise, because by the end of that exam I was sure I had failed. Don't be like me. Study the material first, then take the exam. You know... like a normal person would do. As we noted above, if you need to take the History of the United States I CLEP or the History of the United States II CLEP then you may want to do so before taking American Government. They overlap somewhat, so you may pick up some knowledge in studying for those two exams that will come in handy for this one. That's often the case with CLEPs and DSSTs/DANTES. If you take the exams in the right order, you can cut down on a lot of duplicate studying. If you live and breathe our political process, and know the US Constitution inside and out, then you should be fine. If that isn't you, then you'll need to dedicate some time to this one. Take a look at the breakdown below, along with the specific areas to study. Then decide how much time you'll need to set aside for each area.