Discussion for AP Physics 1 information, recommended preparation materials, tips/tricks, strategies, and more. Good luck in the upcoming year everybody! :)>- Test date: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017—Afternoon 12 noon
A thread for the up and coming AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based students. Please post anything that you believe that the incoming AP Physics 1 students could profit from. Thank you.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
When you take the exam, your signature on the answer sheet confirms your acceptance of what you can and cannot do after the exam. So, for those visiting here post-exam:
• 2017 MCQ’s may not be discussed at all.
• 2017 FRQ’s from the main test may only be discussed after the College Board posts the questions (~48 hours after the test). FRQ’s from the alternate exam may not be discussed at all.
Please abide by the College Board’s rules. CB warns of exam score cancellation if its rules are not followed.
Also, please note that links to Google Docs or any similar document-hosting sites and/or posting or requesting copyrighted materials are not permitted on College Confidential, nor are links to chats.
Do not post messages asking for materials to be posted or PM’d
Users posting in violation of Terms of Service will be warned and the offending posts will be removed. Repeat offenders will be banned. Please play by the rules. Thank you.
This is really subjective but… I took it last year and it was the WORST class I’ve taken in high school. Just saying 
@deeeznuts Don’t regret stating your honest opinion. It’s valued, especially since anyone looking at this thread is only planning on taking the course and is not yet enrolled in it. Was there any specific reason why AP Physics was unbearable? And what prep books/materials are good for ensuring success throughout the next school year?
Well my teacher sucked, so there’s that. But I found 2 main reasons why I didn’t like it:
-
It’s algebra based, and most of physics revolves around calculus. So basically everything you learn in the course is unnecessary, you’re taking the long way in solving a problem that could be solved quicker using calc.
-
It’s new. Don’t have a lot of study material, and this is probably why my teacher was so clueless.
As for the prep books, I recommend 5 steps to a 5. Practice questions were a little easier compared to the test but still relatively accurate. Also dan fulerton on YouTube (he also has a website)
I took this course last year but didn’t elect to take the exam, so I will be taking the Physics I and II exams next year
@deeeznuts I completely agree with you that the calculus way of solving problems is easier, but algebra-based physics is a good introduction to problem solving and analysis skills, especially for those who have not yet taken calculus
I thought the class was challenging, but a good type of challenging. I took the test and I feel like I passed. Just give it a try. If you love math, this is a good class for you 
Have any of you who have taken it used Dan Fullerton’s videos as a resource and if you have, how were they? Anyone know how hard the first semester is compared to the second semester?
@TheTennisNinja They were very good for getting started, but he doesn’t delve too deep into the material. You need to do some extra studying and practice more complicated problems outside his video playlist. The class’s difficulty depends on who your teacher is. I don’t know about your school, but AP Physics 2 was much easier for a majority of students than AP Physics 1 because of the teachers. My teacher was horrible, he spent a long time on kinematics. We ran out of time to study half of electricity and to make up for his lack of planning, he handed us a practice packet on waves and sound the week before the exam. So the second semester was terrible for me. Hoping I got a 3!
I am taking it next year.
I had a pretty good physics teacher, although the class was kind of in between Physics 1 and Physics B. The teacher didn’t seem to know too much about the Physics 1 test because it was relatively new. The concepts for both are generally the same, but Physics 1 is a lot more conceptual, while Physics B was more calculations (which I personally prefer). A lot of the MCQ answers included explanations in them, so you can’t just know the answer; you also need to know why the answer is correct. The test was more conceptual than expected (I didn’t even have to use the calculator), but I did manage to get a 5 (was expecting a 4). I think 5 steps to a 5 has some pretty good questions, but I didn’t use it that much so I’m not completely sure.
I took AP Physics 1 last year as a junior and made a 5 on the AP Exam (was expecting a 4). Some tips I have for students taking it next year:
-I don’t know if this is the case for the majority of people who take the class, but I had taken a year of honors physics beforehand (in my school, it’s a requirement) and I think that really helped a lot on the exam because I had been taught and tested on the material at least three times (including review), although we went a lot deeper in AP, obviously. The pass rate on the exam is abysmal; a little over 60% score a 1 or a 2. I think only 4% or so students score 5s. My teacher believes that this has to do with the large number of people taking the class without ever having taken a high school physics course, so if your school offers honors physics, you might want to consider taking that first.
-Buy a test prep book at the beginning of the year and go through it as you progress through course material in the class. This is something that I wish I had done, because while my class was very math based and calculation-heavy, I was surprised to find out toward the end of the year that the test is extremely conceptual. I don’t think I picked up my calculator once during the entire exam because almost all of the questions deal with concepts or only give you variables. Familiarize yourself with the test format early, so you don’t end up cramming a week before the test like I did. I used 5 Steps to a 5 and found that it was pretty helpful.
If anyone has any questions about the test, my personal experience with the class, things I did to study, etc. feel free to reply or PM me. I really don’t know how I pulled off a 5 (didn’t feel great coming out of the test), but maybe I can end up helping someone.
I’m taking physics honors this year and am thinking about studying for the AP Physics 1 test at the end of the year because my school doesn’t offer AP Physics 1, just honors. I talked with the physics teacher at my school, and turns out the curriculum in honors versus AP is very similar, so he thinks it’s doable. Any prep books you guys recommend? I was thinking about getting the AP Physics 1 Essentials: An APlusPhysics Guide. It seems to have very good reviews on Amazon. Any other suggestions? Thanks! Good job to all of you who took the exam this year as well!
I’m taking this class this school year. I decided to take Physics Honors online during the summer since I have had not much experience in physics. I think I’ll be fine and I’ve heard everyone likes the teacher who teaches it so hopefully I’ll have a good year.
If you have a good teacher, you’re good. As for me, the physics teacher at my school used a lot of Physics B material as far as testing and homework. Physics B questions usually involve a lot of computation. Unfortunately for us, our teacher threw the Physics 1 material (all of the conceptual questions) at us a week before the exam. If I were taking the AP Physics B exam, I may have gotten a 5 or a 4. But, sadly, since the MC make up a huge portion of the exam, I didn’t do so hot because I just wasn’t exposed to that material. I feel like in order to really master this form of conceptual material you need to read the textbook or obtain a review book that goes in depth. Good luck!
I was a junior and managed to self-study AP Physics 1 and C Mech this year and got a 5 for both. I didn’t take any Physics class before. I seriously dunno how I got this score esp. for Physics 1 (thought I would get a 3 at first coz the MCQ was absurd…) I hope this would be helpful.
-
The topics covered in Physics 1 are not too bad, but then the actual exam was really difficult. Since there are only a bit of released questions, the best thing to do is to really try out a variety of practice questions. Make sure to get a textbook (I personally used Halliday Physics to study Physics C Mech while studying for Physics 1… though it has lots of calculus, I really liked it. My friends also recommend the Serway Physics and Giancoli). These textbooks also have some concept problems on the back of each chapter which will be crucial to Physics 1. If can, I would recommend finishing studying all the topics by February next year.
-
Don’t only rely on the prep books. I feel like they were too basic - used them as supplements only. The best probably is the Princeton Review, although I would recommend buying PR for Physics C too (you need to know the rotations part definitely - it came out a lot in Physics 1 too). 5 steps was also good. Buy ALL three of these if possible…
-
Lectures on Youtube were also helpful. Flipping Physics was my favorite.
-
If you have a teacher, ask them for the released practice exams!!! Make sure to take them so taht you have a feel of what the questions are like. Self-study ppl… I know your feels…! T.T Also, dig into Google for many many maaaannyyy practice questions on Physics (dun have to be AP). The PhysicsBowl Qs were somewhat helpful to me… Lastly, make sure to try ALL FRQs from 2000 to 2016. Find the relevant topics from Physics B FRQs. Do them when you are fully ready. I also did the Physics C Mech FRQ, which were helpful (but then they need calculus so nkt recommended if you dunno calc).
-
Physics 1 vs. Physics C (Mech)? - Honestly, Physics C was easier for me since it was more math intensive (I like math related Qs better than conceptual Qs… C needs calculus and I managed to do it since I was simultaneously studying for Calc BC) but the Physics 1 has an easier FRQ. Physics 1 demands your full understanding of Physics!! Dont just memorize how to do a problem but know the why (make sure to do labs to be good at this). To be really really honest, dont self-study Physics 1 xD… it was a nightmare for me…
So… i guess thats it… good luck people!! T.T
Just started the class, and we are using Giancoli Physics. Is it good? and what textbook is everyone else using?
@ZealousScholar I have no idea yet, sorry.
This class will be interesting for example because I live in New York where school starts September 8 (very late when compared with the rest of the country). I asked my teacher, however, and he said that the class is typically not crunched on time. Anyways, I have done some 1D and 2D projectile motion videos with khan, so that may help me hit the ground running.
My teacher uses College physics by Knights, Jones, Field. It covers both AP physics 1 and AP physics 2. Anybody else using this book?
@ZealousScholar Giancoli is far more than enough. I actually found the material in the book to be harder than the test itself. Master Giancoli and the test will be a breeze.