Enroll in a United States Government & Politics AP course at your high school. Your school AP coordinator will order your exam and collect the exam fee from you at the appropriate time. If the course is not offered at your school or you are home-schooled, call AP Services -- part of the College Board -- and ask for the names and phone numbers of AP coordinators at local high schools in your area no later than March 1 of the year you plan to take the exam. Contact the local AP coordinators and ask if you can take the AP exam with their students by March 15.
Review the format of the exam. There are both multiple-choice and essay questions. When you take exams in your own high school class, practice efficient problem-solving methods and set time deadlines for yourself to get accustomed to answering a certain number of test questions in a fixed amount of time.
Practice making outlines for essay topics. You can find sample essay topics and questions from previous exams in several places. The College Board makes recent exams available for download on its website. You can also purchase exam preparation books with sample questions and practice tests at a bookstore or online. Read the essay prompt and decide your stance on the topic. From this thesis, brainstorm concrete examples from your coursework or other contemporary political reading to support your argument.
Take practice tests in the spring, when your class has covered most of the concepts that will be on the exam. Schedule an undisturbed time when you can work through the entire exam in the actual amount of time you will have on the exam day. Keep a clock or stop watch with you and take breaks at the same times and for the same length of time you will break on the exam day.
Prepare the materials you will need on exam day in your book bag or purse. Sharpen several No. 2 pencils for the multiple-choice answer sheets and look up your school code and Social Security number.