AP Physics 1 Exam

Tips from AP Readers

Skills to be learned:

• Collecting & Reporting Data

• Data Analysis

Scientific Practices: 

Interactive Notebook & Lab Time Requirements:

Laboratory Requirement This course requires that twenty-five percent of instructional time will be spent in hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to demonstrate the foundational physics principles and apply the science practices. Inquiry-based laboratory experiences support the AP Physics 1 course and AP Course Audit curricular requirements by providing opportunities for students to engage in the seven science practices as they design plans for experiments, make predictions, collect and analyze data, apply mathematical routines, develop explanations, and communicate about their work. Colleges may require students to present their laboratory materials from AP science courses before granting college credit for laboratory work, so students should be encouraged to retain their laboratory notebooks, reports, and other materials. 

Big Ideas: 

Exam  Weighting: Course Content

Based on the Understanding by Design® (Wiggins and McTighe) model, this course framework provides a clear and detailed description of the course requirements necessary for student success. The framework specifies what students must know, be able to do, and understand, with a focus on six big ideas that encompass core principles, theories, and processes of physics. The framework also encourages instruction that prepares students to make connections across domains through a broader way of thinking about the physical world.

The AP Physics 1 framework is organized into 10 commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like.

  Unit 1: Kinematics

 10%–16%    Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 2: Dynamics

 12%–18%    Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 3: Circular Motion and Gravitation

 4%–6%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 4: Energy

 16%–24%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 5: Momentum

 10%–16%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 6: Simple Harmonic Motion

 2%–4%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 7: Torque and Rotational Motion

 10%–16%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

Removed from 2021 Exam

 Unit 8: Electric Charge and Electric Force

 4%–6%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 9: DC Circuits

 6%–8%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 Unit 10: Mechanical Waves and Sound

 12%–16%    Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

Science Practices

The AP Physics 1 framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills, called science practices, that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to think and act like physicists.

 Science Practice

 1. Modeling

 Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems

 28%–32%    Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 22%–36%    Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

 2. Mathematical Routines

 Use mathematics appropriately

 16%–20%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 17%–29%   Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

 3. Scientific Questioning

 Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP course

 N/A   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 N/A   Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

 4. Experimental Methods

 Plan and implement data-collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question

 2%–4%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 8%–16%   Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

 6. Data Analysis

 Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence

 10%–12%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 6%–14%    Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

 7. Argumentation

 Work with scientific explanations and theories

 24–28%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 17–29%    Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

 8. Making Connections

 Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains

 10–16%   Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section)

 2–9%   Exam Weighting (Free-Response Section)

Exam Type:  Exam Format

The AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day.

Section 1: Multiple Choice

50 Questions | 1 Hour 30 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

• Questions are either discrete questions or question sets, in which students are provided with a stimulus or a set of data and a series of related questions.

• The section includes 5 individual multi-select questions (2 options are correct)

Section 2: Free Response

5 Questions | 1 Hour 30 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

• This section contains 5 free-response questions of the following types:

  • Experimental Design (1 question)- squared

  • Qualitative/Quantitative Translation (1 question)

  • Short Answer: Paragraph Argument (1 question)   Paragraph Length Exam Response use    "ABCs":

  • Answer the question.

  • State  Basic Physics.

  • Correlate the two.

  • Story point: Stay consistent. Don't contradict yourself. 

• • Short Answer (2 questions)