There are two sections on the AP Physics 1 Exam. Section 1 is the multiple choice section while section 2 is the free response section.
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Section 1: Multiple Choice Section
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50 MCQ in 90 minutes
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Section 2: Free Response Section
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5 FRQ in 90 minutes
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On the AP Physics 1 exam, most people struggle to pace themselves on the sections. Make sure to skip a problem if you are unable to solve it. Remember that from the 5 free response questions, 2 will be long ones which is why the College Board allocates 25 minutes for both of them and 13 minutes for each of the remaining 3.
Some resources can help you prepare faster than others since they come straight to the point are designed to maximize your chance of getting a 5 on the AP exam. The book on the right was made by Ritvik Rustagi, founder of TMAS Academy.
It contains over 150 pages and hundreds of questions to help you prepare for the AP exam. All problems also have detailed solutions, and are organied by the unit.
Guide to Preparing for the AP Exam
AP Physics 1 is a 7 unit course that involves more problem solving compared to other courses. Please use the 10-90 rule. The 10-90 rule is something that TMAS Academy believes in for courses that invlve problem solving. It means that you should allocate 10% of your time learning the theory properly, and the remaining 90% practicing. At the end of the day, physics comes down to the amount of time you dedicate to trying different, challenging problems.
For students taking this course in a proper classroom setting, make sure to listen to the teacher and follow along the course as your teacher covers the material. Taking this course in a classroom setting already puts you above students that are self studying. Some popular books used in a classroom setting include the following books below. I highly recommend students that are self-studying the course to choose from one of the books below.
For students self-studying, choose a textbook from the slideshow above. It's different from the review textbooks in terms of gaining depth for the content. Some students are able to prepare for the exam solely through the review textbooks, but others need to use in-depth textbooks to gain a rich understanding of the topic. After you have chosen a book, make sure to pace yourself so you can finish the course on time. Try to allocate time properly for each of the 7 units so you have enough time to not only learn the theory but practice. Make sure to practice official free response questions as you use that book. You can find many free response questions in TMAS Academy's AP Physics 1 book.
Unit # | Topics | Weightage on Exam |
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Sequences | ||
and Series | ||
Unit 10: Infinite | ||
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Unit 10: Infinite | ||
and Series | ||
Sequences | ||
Unit 10: Infinite | ||
Unit 10: Infinite | ||
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and Series | ||
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Unit 1: Limits and
Continuity |
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Unit 2: Differentiation:
Definition and
Fundamental
Properties | ||
Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions | ||
Unit 4: Contextual
Applications of
Differentiation | ||
Unit 5: Analytical
Applications of
Differentiation | ||
Unit 6: Integration and
Accumulation
of Change | ||
"Unit 7: Differential
Equations" | ||
Unit 8: Applications
of Integration | ||
Unit 9: Parametric
Equations, Polar
Coordinates, and
Vector-Valued
Functions | ||
Unit 10: Infinite
Sequences
and Series |
Unit 1: Kinematics
Unit 2: Dynamics
Unit 3: Circular Motion and Gravitation
Unit 4: Energy
Unit 5: Momentum
Unit 6: Simple Harmonic Motion
Unit 7: Torque and Rotational Motion
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Vectors vs. scalars
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Distance vs. displacement
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Speed vs. velocity
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Position, velocity, acceleration
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Graphs (Ex: Position vs. time, velocity vs. time, etc)
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Kinematics Equations
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Projectile Motion
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Systems
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Contact vs field forces
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Gravitational field
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Newton's 3 Laws
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Free-Body Diagrams
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Applying Newton's second law to free-body diagrams
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Uniform Circular Motion
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Centripetal Force
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Centripetal Acceleration
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Universal Law of Gravitation
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Inertial vs. gravitational mass
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Gravitational field/acceeration at other planets
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Internal and external forces
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Work and Power
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Kinetic and Potential Energy
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Gravitational potential energy
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Spring potential energy
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Mechanical Energy
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Conservative vs. nonconservative forces
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Conservation of energy
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Momentum
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Impulse is the change in momentum
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Momentum-impulse theorem
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Collisions
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Elastic vs. inellastic
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Conservation of linear momentum
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Period of a pendulum and spring oscillator
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Finding the amplitude
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Energy graphs
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Frequency
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Rotational Kinematics
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Torque
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Newton's Second Law of Rotation
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Anguar Acceleration
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Rotational Inertia
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Angular Momentum
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Rotational Kinetic Energy
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Rolling without slipping
12-18% Exam Weightage
Receiving a free response question that only contains topics from this unit is rare. However, you can expect to use kinematics for some parts for multiple free response questions.
On the multiple choice section, kinematics is a significantly popular topic. You will be given a word problem, and your goal will be to write an equation to represent the problem.
16-20% Exam Weightage
This unit has a high yield since it's linked to every single unit. You will always need to make a free body diagram for multiple problems and write equations using Newton's Second Law. Mastering this unit is crucial to understand the remaining units.
Expect to see one free response question that involves dynamics. There will be at least 8 multiple choice questions that will involve unit 2. As you can tell, this unit has a very high yield.
6-8% Exam Weightage
It's common to see a free response question that links unit 2 to unit 3. The reason is that both of them heavily emphasize Newton's Second Law.
You will encounter a few multiple choice questions that involve this topic. The most important factor is differentiating between uniform circular motion and nonuniform circular motion. Make sure to check out the TMAS Academy AP Physics 1 book to learn about all such scenarios for all of the units for this course.
20-28% Exam Weightage
This unit is heavily dependent on your problem solving skills. There aren't that many new topics to learn, but the main challenge is applying those topics to problems. There are many different scenarios that involve this unit. It's extremely important to be familiar with the various types of problems you can see. A good place to practice is the TMAS Academy AP Physics 1 book.
In addition, there will always be at least one free response question that relies on this unit. Expect to see at least 10 multiple choice questions that require topics from energy in some way.
12-18% Exam Weightage
This unit is deeply connected to the previous one. The reason is that you will still constanatly deal with the conservation of energy theorem since energy is conserved for elastic collisions, not inelastic ones. Expect to see one free response question for this unit. There will be 6-10 mutiple choice questions for this unit. Most of them will deal with collisions and ask you to conserve momentum or use the momentum-impuse theorem. To be a successful problem solver, make sure to solve each and every problem that is present in the TMAS Academy AP Physics 1 book.
4-6% Exam Weightage
This topic has an extremely low yield. There's a very low chance of encountering a free resonse question for this unit.
Many students think it's a wise idea to simply ignore this unit due to the low weightage. However, most of the problems from this unit tend to revolve around applying the formulas. If you actually solve the problems present in Ritvik Rustagi's book, then you should be prepared to deal with any problem from this unit. Expect to encounter 3-5 multiple choice questions for this unit.
12-18% Exam Weightage
This is the topic that most people struggle on. The reason is that you will repeat all the units from one to five but with rotational concepts. The best way to master is to designate most time for this unit due to the length, and make sure to practice many free resonse questions.
Expect to see at least one free response question from this unit. There will also be around 8-12 mutiple choice questions for this unit, so make sure to master the topics properly.