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Newton's Pendulum

Get Started with AP Physics 1

AP Physics 1 is officially one of the hardest AP classes offered by Collegeboard with only a 7.9% 5 rate.  A lot of this has to do with the fact that AP Physics 1 has a very different style than most physics classes, so doing regular physics questions won't help with mastering the exam. You need to know exactly why and how the physics principles apply and use that knowledge to your advantage on the FRQs.  Conquering this will play a large part in getting you the score you want. If you are enrolled in the AP Classroom for your class, make the most of the practice resources and videos provided for you there. Here is an in-depth overview of AP Physics 1 plus the resources, notes, and videos I used to get a 5. 

Units and Weighting

As you can see from the table, Unit 4: Energy is the unit with the most weight (most amount of questions) on the AP Physics 1 exam. However, it is followed close behind by Unit 2: Dynamics. This exam is weighted in a staggered way, with very little emphasis on Units 3 and 6. As AP Physics 1 is a very content-heavy class, it's important to remember that each unit builds on the others in some way, with the last unit being a culmination of the rest but in a rotational context rather than a linear context. It is also good to recall that the FRQs will often combine multiple units into one question, so you should know how all the units are interconnected. 

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AP Physics 1 Unit Notes

Here are the notes that I personally made while studying for the AP Physics 1 exam. I will admit that these notes are a bit more haphazard than the rest of mine, simply because this class requires a lot of application of knowledge and derivation, not only content. However, to grasp basic concepts, pages 32 to 38 are a cumulative review of AP Physics 1 in general. However, this will not be enough to ace the exam, as you need to know how to apply the concepts to AP-style questions. 

Lecture Videos & Other Resources

If you're self-studying AP Physics 1 or just need that extra help in concepts or units you don't quite understand, video lectures can be the fix for you. There are always the AP Classroom videos, but if you don't find those to your taste, here are the ones I used to help clarify and review for the exam.  Remember, in this class, lectures, notes, and videos can only go so far: practice is key. For practice questions, use AP Classroom, Khan Academy, Albert.io, and any worksheet or practice exam you can find.

Exam Format

Section I: 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 II: 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) 

  • Qualitative/Quantitative Translation (1 question) 

  • Short Answer: Paragraph Argument (1 question) 

  • Short Answer (2 questions) 

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