HarperCollins College Outline Introduction to Government

This is a great guide for AGovt CLEP. Just make sure you focus on the function of each branch of government, checks and balances, the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th & 14th Amendments, major court cases (i.e., Brown v. Board of Education, Mabury v. Madison, etc.), and how a bill becomes law (and how a veto works). The only downside to this book is it is dated (pre-Clinton era). Keep in mind that the line item veto (which, while the book was being written, was just starting to get traction) was declared unconstitutional in 1998. But, in spite of that you should be able to get a passing score on the CLEP.

I bought this book to pass out of my Participation in Government course. If we get over an 85% on the proficiency exam, we get to pass out of the course. There was every topic imaginable, but in a very organized format, along with nine informative appendixes. I read through the book a few days in advance (with almost no prior knowledge about government) and passed out easily. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to get some information on the subject, or are seriously interested in pursuing a Government course.

If anyone needs to prepare for the American Governmnet CLEP exam, this is all you need. I just took the CLEP and passed with flying colors. The only problem is that there are no review questions in this book so you'll need an alternate resource for that purpose. Over all I couldn't be happier with the book.