This course prepares students for the AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Exam. If you are taking the Physics SAT Subject Test in June, we recommend that you register for our Physics SAT Subject Test Course to review content that is not covered in the AP Course.

Exam: Thursday, May 14th at 4:00pm ET

Make-up Exam: Tuesday, June 2nd at 2:00pm ET

A note from your teacher, Dan Record:

The AP Physics 1 exam this year will consist of two questions, a 25-min QQT (qualitative/quantitative translation) and a 15-min question that includes a Paragraph response. They are weighted 60%/40% respectively. There will be a 5-min upload portion following each question. (Once problem one is uploaded, you cannot use any time devoted to problem two to change your response). A QQT question requires students to go between words and mathematics to describe and analyze a situation. Students will need to work with multiple representations and evaluate other students words or representations. This includes equations, narrative descriptions, graphs, data tables, and diagrams. A paragraph response question requires students to demonstrate their ability to communicate their understanding of a physical situation in a reasoned, expository analysis. Students need to use a coherent, organized, and sequential description of analysis of a situation that comes from evidence, cites physical principles, and clearly shows their thinking. The “short-answer” questions that have been eliminated from the test are what students are most commonly faced with in their classes, meaning that it is extremely important to prepare strategically for this year’s exam. Generally, high school physics classes have a heavy emphasis on numerical problem solving, meaning that many talented physics students are accustomed to performing most or all of the work in their heads. For these two problems, students will need to have a deep conceptual understanding of all physics content, be able to express it with multiple representations, as well as show all of their work. In the course, we will examine scoring rubrics and breakdowns, as well as show students how to explain, clearly and completely, the logic behind their thinking.