1 Frequently Asked Questions About the AP Physics 1 Exam

The chapter gives you the information you need to take the exam.

Learn how the test is structured, what topics are tested, how the test is scored, and basic test-taking information.

It is not possible to "game" this test.

Half of the test consists of multiple-choice questions.

Credit will be given for a 4 or a 5 on the exam.

A score of 3 on the exam is accepted by some schools.

Force and Motion - How things move.

You need to know the exam and set up your study program.

The focus of the test is not numbers and equations.
You can use a calculator and an equation sheet, but they won't be very helpful because there are more explanations and verbal responses required than calculations and numerical answers.

Chapter 2 contains the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

You can find additional questions on the College Board's "AP Central" web pages.
The author's physics teaching blog is a good resource for the test.

AP physics 1 is a first-time, no-calculus course covering mechanics, waves, and electricity, but it requires far more explanations and verbal responses than calculations and numerical answers.

AP physics 1 requires you to be able to solve straightforward algebraic equations and use the basic definitions of the trigonometric functions, even though most advanced physics courses require loads of numerical answers and math ematical manipulation.

There's no completing the square, no trigo nometric identities, just the basics you learned in your geometry and algebra courses.

There is more information in the next chapter about how the AP physics 1 curriculum differs from other advanced physics courses.

For people who want to major in math or heavy-duty sciences, Physics 1 is a great introduction to college work.

If you want nothing to do with physics after high school, physics 1 is a great course to take.

The first AP physics exam took place in May of 2015.

AP Physics B was the College Board's introductory physics exam for four decades.

Most of you will be reading this book.

The College Board now offers three other AP physics courses.

AP Physics 2 is a follow-up to AP Physics 1.

AP Physics 2 covers electricity, magnetism, fluids, thermal physics, atomic and nuclear physics, and more.

Electricity and Magnetism is one of the courses in physics C. These topics are covered in the physics 1 and physics 2 courses.

The C courses have more mathematical depth and detail.

The problems are more involved and require a higher level of conceptual and mathematical ability.

Both 90-minute exams can be taken.
The AP physics C exams have not changed in a long time.

Colleges and scholarship committees don't think that physics C is better than physics 1 or 2.

There are different courses intended for different people.
It's better to do well on the one exam you prepared for than to do poorly on other exams.

Many of you take the AP physics exam to get college credit.

Most colleges and universities will give you credit for a 4 or a 5.
Many schools will accept a score of 3 on the exam.

One compelling reason to take an AP exam is the economy.

You're talking a lot of dollars.
Even if you don't score high enough to get college credit, the fact that you enroll in an AP course tells admissions committees that you are serious about your education.

There is a lot of misinformation about AP credit policies.

Don't trust anything a friend or a teacher tells you, find out for yourself.
You can learn about the AP credit policy of the school you're interested in by looking it up on the College Board's official website.

You can contact the physics department chair at the college directly.

No one does well on AP physics 1.

That is a melodra matic and overly general comment.
More people passed the AP physics 1 exam in its first year than passed the old AP physics B exam.
The per centage of students who passed dropped after double the number of students took the exam.

The exam for physics 1 is more difficult than the exam for physics B.

The raw score needed for each score has increased.
It's not surprising that a small portion of the country scored well.

The good news is that colleges know how the exam has changed.

The students who pass AP Physics 1 show a higher level of accomplishment than those who pass AP English or US History.
College admissions and credit are rewarding good scores of 4s and 3s.

The format of the exam is summarized in the table.

There are four choices in the multiple-choice questions.

You are familiar with the traditional multiple-choice questions.
You have to mark both of the correct choices in order to get credit.

Two problems similar to end-of-chapter textbook problems are included in the free-response section, as well as "justify-your-answer," verbal-response items.

A short problem requires a written response.
descriptions of experiments and analyses of results are asked in a laboratory setting.
Thequalitative-quantitative translation asks you to solve a problem numerically or symbolically and then explain in words how you got to your solution and what the solution means.

Chapter 7 contains more information about how to deal with these kinds of questions.

Many people are involved in the development of each AP exam.

The AP Physics Development Committee is a group of college and high school physics teachers who are asked to serve for three years.
A large pool of multiple-choice questions is created by the committee and other physics teachers.
The questions are pretested with college students for accuracy, appropriateness, clarity, and assurance that there is no ambiguity in the choices, thanks to the help of the test ing experts at Educational Testing Service.
Each question can be categorized by degree of difficulty.
Section I of the exam is ready to be administered after several months of development.

Section II's free-response questions go through a similar process of creation, modification, pretesting, and final refinements so that they cover the necessary areas of material and are at appropriate levels of difficulty and clarity.

The chief reader of the exams makes sure that the proposed free-response problems can be graded fairly and quickly.
The specialist works with the committee to make sure that the exam tests what it's supposed to test and that topic coverage is appropriate.

The results of the AP reading and scoring exams are evaluated by the committee at the conclusion of the exams.

The College Board can use the results to make suggestions for course development in high schools and to plan future exams.

It is not possible to say what topics are covered.

The physics class probably was structured around specific content units.

The chapters in this book have been broken down into content areas.

How things move.

Don't expect these things to help you much.

The course is not about numbers.
You're going to be blown out of the water if you think you'll find the right equation on the equation sheet and then solve it with a calculator.
They give a false idea of what questions to expect on the exam and how to prepare for them.

You don't need the equation sheet because by the time you take the test, you will know the important relationships between quantities that underlie the physics questions that will be asked.

Picking through the dense and incomprehensible equation sheet is more likely to waste time than find something useful if you don't know the correct relationship.

You shouldn't use the calculator more than a few times on the exam.

Reasoning with equations and facts is what most problems are about.
Many of the problems that look like calculations can be solved quickly and easily with semiquantitative reasoning.

Half of the final score is due to the multiple-choice section of the exam.

Your answer sheet is run through a computer, which adds up your responses.

Your raw score on the multiple-choice section is the number of correct responses.
Either you choose the correct answer or you don't, no partial credit is given.

There is no penalty for guessing.

Every June, a group of physics teachers gathers for a week to assign grades.

Each reader spends a day or two getting trained on a single question.
Because each reader becomes an expert on that question, and because each exam book is anonymous, this process provides for consistent and unbiased scoring of that question.

During a typical day of grading, a random sample of each reader's scores is selected and cross-checked by experienced "table leaders" to ensure that consistency is maintained throughout the day and week.

Each reader's scores on a given question are analyzed to make sure they are not given that are significantly higher or lower than the mean scores given by other readers of that question.

You can be sure that your exam will not be made public.

Even if your high school teacher randomly reads your booklet, he or she won't know that the exam is yours.

The College Board uses some exams to help train high school teachers so that they can help the next generation of physics students avoid common mistakes.

You can use your exam in this way if you check this box.
Your anonymity is maintained even if you give permission.

50 percent of the exam is counted by each section.

The weighted sum of the multiple-choice and free-response sections is the total score.
When all of the numbers have been crunched, the chief faculty consultant converts the range of scores to the five-point scale of the AP grades.

This conversion isn't a true curve because there isn't a target percentage of 5s to give out.

You are not competing against other test takers.
The same standards are reflected on the five point scale each year.
Students who earn 5s this year are just as strong as those who did in the past.

In the first year of the exam, it took 70% of the points to get a 5, 45% to get a 4 and 40% to get a 3.

I used the same percentages in the tables at the end of the practice exams to give you a rough example of a conversion.
You can give yourself a hypothetical grade when you complete the practice exams.

You are not expected to get a 90 for an A.

70% is a very strong score, not a weak score, because the exam tests far more than pure recall, and it is intended to differentiate between levels of students.

You will get your AP grade in July.

Please kick Mr. Kirby in the butt for me, unless you write something like that.

If you enroll in AP physics at your high school, your teacher will give you all of the details, but a quick summary can be helpful.

You don't have to enroll in the AP course to register for and take the AP exam.
The College Board's website is the best source of information when you're unsure about procedures.

The fee for taking the exam was $92.

Students who demonstrate financial need may receive a reduction.
From year to year, the fee and reduction usu ally change.
The College Board's website has more information about the exam fee, fee reductions, and subsidies.

It seems like a lot of money for a test.

The biggest bargain you'll ever find is this $89.
A good score can be achieved with a few credit hours.
A credit hour can cost hundreds of dollars.
You can save thousands of dollars by earning credits.

If you want your scores rushed to you or want to receive multiple-grade reports, there are several optional fees.

Unless your college demands it, don't worry about it.

The AP program at your school will let you know when and where you can take the exam.

If you live in a small community, your exam may not be held at your school.

Any high school student can register for the exam, not just those taking an officially designated AP physics course.

You should talk to your teacher if your school doesn't offer any of the four AP physics courses.

If you want to take the AP physics 1 exam, you will have to do a lot of inde pendent work to get the answers you need.
You will probably be able to do well in a rigorous course if you are a good student.

The counseling office can give you information about where to take the test and how to sign up.

You never know if the exam room will have a clock on the wall.

It won't do you any good if you study the morning before the exam.

The night before, stop studying and relax.