AP Physics 1

Demystified

Prerequisites

Should you take AP Physics 1? What do you need to know to do well?

Things to consider:

• Physics is just math plus some problem solving skills.
• You should be comfortable with algebra II/precalculus-level math.
• Make sure you are comfortable with geometry and trigonometry, as they represent a lot of the math skills you’ll need to solve physics problems.
• You do not need to know calculus!
• However, understanding calculus certainly doesn’t hurt.

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What Is It About?

The AP Physics 1 curriculum has recently changed; from 2021 onwards, it no longer includes electricity/circuits; only these topics are covered on the exam:

• Kinematics (basic motion)
• Dynamics (forces)
• Circular motion & torque
• Energy & momentum
• Harmonic motion

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Definitive resource for general info on the course: the CollegeBoard website.

What’s the Test Format?

• The full exam is 3 hours long.
• Calculators on the approved list are allowed
• First half (1h30m): multiple choice, 50 questions
• 5 of these questions are multi-select, meaning there are two correct options. You must select both.
• Second half (1h30m): free-response, 5 questions
• Both halves contribute equally to your score
• You’ll be given an equation list with commonly used equations and constants.
• This does not mean you don’t need to memorize the equations!
• Doing so will still improve your performance on the exam.
• Like all AP exams, questions from past years are published on the CollegeBoard website.

Multiple Choice

• 50 questions, 90 minutes
• Expect a balance of conceptual and calculation questions. “Conceptual” just means questions that test your understanding of physics concepts. Conceptual questions often ask you to identify the correct explanation for a certain phenomenon.
• Do not rush! If you do your due diligence practicing before the exam, you will be able to solve many if not most of the questions very quickly, often without calculating anything.
• Avoid being paralyzed by anxiety when doing a question that is a little more time consuming.
• Taking several timed practice tests in preparation for the exam will make you comfortable with the timeframe and prevent you from panicking at the last moment.
• Take advantage of the fact that all the options are given to you. When you are practicing, make sure you focus on your ability to quickly eliminate options.
• Your calculator is a very powerful tool. If you have a graphing calculator (highly recommended) it can accelerate menial tasks like equation solving a lot. Make sure you are comfortable with entering data and accessing all of its functions. (Use the calculator you plan on using during the exam when practicing!)

Example Multiple Choice

Things to notice: You do not need to write out any equations to do this problem. First, determine whether it is indeed possible to determine the velocity without acceleration (the answer is yes). By doing that first, you can eliminate half of the options, meaning you have more time left to consider which option, A or B, is correct.

Example Multiple Choice

Things to notice: About half of the questions on the exam will be of this format. These do not test your ability to compute the correct answer. Ideally, your understanding of the concepts described will be thorough enough that you could positively identify that A is the correct choice just by reading it. (Still read through the other options: you never know when your brain might make a silly mistake)

Free Response

• 5 questions, 90 minutes
• 1 experimental design question
• 1 short answer, paragraph argument question
• 2 short answer questions
• 1 qualitative-quantitative translation question
• You must demonstrate that you understand the physics concepts necessary to solve the problem. This is more important than actually getting the right answer! You accomplish this by writing out the equations that you’ll use to solve the question.
• Don’t forget to practice experimental design questions! These are very different from the other free-response formats. You should be prepared for them.
• Make sure your answers are consistent. If you get the wrong answer for one part of the question, you may still receive points for subsequent answers that depend on the first one if they are consistent.
• Label your graphs and read the axes. This is self-explanatory. Don’t lose points because you weren’t careful!

Free Response

• When asked to explain something, you can use equations, graphs, and diagrams.
• Just writing an equation without writing anything about its relevance will not earn you points, though!
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How to Learn

How do I effectively learn physics?

• Knowing equations is not enough. Make sure you fully understand how physics concepts are related. Khan Academy is a great resource for this.
• Do lots of problems! Once you understand the basic concepts most of your studying will just consist of doing problems.
• You can find high quality problems in practice books like the Barron’s series.

How to Prepare

How do I get ready for the actual exam?

• Do full length tests. The Physics 1 exam is fairly fast paced. You want to make sure you are used to doing potentially tedious problems with limited time. The best way to accomplish this is to do full-length tests while timing yourself. This can also ease your anxiety regarding the real test.
• Think about how to best manage your time. There is a strategy to allocating your time to maximize your score.
• Spread out your preparation materials. The number of high quality full-length is limited. Don’t exhaust all of them if you aren’t consistently reaching your goals. Reviewing what you got wrong is essential to improving. Understand what kind of mistakes you are making.

Thanks for listening!