I will be taking AP Physics 1 at my school this upcoming year (to take the AP exam in 2016). I have finished Algebra II and will be taking Pre-Calc simultaneously with AP Physics. I have never done anything with Physics, nor do I have any previous knowledge of the subject, so I am wanting to read something during this summer to help prepare myself (many other students are taking Physics Honors over the summer to prepare). Are there any books that you could recommend me purchasing to help prepare for the course? Also, I am planning on purchasing an AP review book (probably PR?), but those won’t be published until the fall, and I was hoping for something to do during the summer.
Hi. I just wanted to chip in. I took AP Physics this year, and none of the books that came out were particularly helpful. So honestly I would recommend holding off a book until they update them. Honestly I think they should take them off the market because they are inaccurate. There are resources online to self study a little to get some basics ideas. Good luck!
@WHSTrojan
I have the 5 step to a 5 to a 5 book. I will say out of the ones available it is by far the best. However there are a few things that sort of made it not as good as it could be. First the problems were easier than the exam. Second, if I remember correctly,there are a few things they include that is not part of AP Physics I.
But I will say the explanations on how to approach topics are good if you are struggling. I would recommend reading it as you are learning things in class. But as for the exam it fell short a little in my opinion. I would 3.75/5. It gets the basic job done and does better than a textbook, but you will need something else to master the exam. Of course I am not an expert so, I would probably seek a few more opinions than mine.
@samuraiman26
Thanks for the reply! I think I will still get it, just because it seems like a pretty basic book, but will look into other sources. I was gonna get Princeton Review or Barron’s, but I tend to be skeptical of Barron’s books- for APWH the questions were quite different from the exam. Anyways, how much did you prepare for the AP Exam/what other books did you use, and how hard did you think it was? I know it depends from person to person and the teachers, but I’m curious.
@WHSTrojan Welcome! Yeah definitely don’t get the 2015 version of Barron’s or PR. I flipped through them and have borrowed them. PR literally took their AP Physics B and chopped off what wasn’t in 1. The problem is that unlike the B test which was more number based, 1 was extremely concept based so they weren’t even alike. However I will say don’t discount a certain brand for AP exams. They are written by different authors, and some have better questions. For example sometimes PR is the best and 5 steps is the worst, or 5 steps is the worst and Barron’s is the best. It depends on the style you prefer. I will say though, many times Barron’s is harder than the exam which can be good or bad.
For the AP exam I studied a good bit before. I took it at school, but the problem was is that my teacher taught most of it like Physics B so that led to problems later. Besides looking at my friends books, I only used 5 steps. It helped in clarifying some issues I was having trouble with. But again the AP exam wasn’t as straightforward. The exam was horrible for me. It felt like the only AP exam I ever failed. On a scale of 1-10 I would say 8 or 9 for me. But the thing is with Physics you never know. You can get 1/3 of the total points and still make a 3 because of the scale. Which is sort of off putting because of the mentality drilled in our heads on actual tests that we need to get most of the questions to pass.
I think it will be better next year for any books that come out and resources in that time frame. The reason the exam was hard for me (and others) was because there was little to no practice for students to feel comfortable with. For instance, I took AP Calculus this year. By practicing the various free responses and multiple choice, you get a general idea of what type of problems will be asked. But with this being a new exam, all there was was the exam description. And they told us “You guys are going to write a paragraph based answer” without much resources. Finally, they emphasized how little we were going to have on the last unit taught but then proceeded to give a question that required some good knowledge with the subject.
Sorry for my long answer, but I wanted to emphasize how the difficulty arose from not knowing much about the exam. If you have money to spare, I would get 5 steps to help you along, and then a better book when one comes out closer to crunch time.
No no, thank you for that long answer!! What you said about the different brands is true- and I’ve never used 5 Steps to a 5 before either. Then again, I can’t really speak for APs since I’ve only taken 1 so far (but I’ll take 6 next year! I’ll probably die by the end of the year). And it sucks you guys had to take the AP Exam with barely any resources. I’ll have to do that for my junior year pSAT. Anyways, thanks for the advice! I’ll get 5 Steps to a 5 and then wait for other books.
Also, do you guys think I should get the 2015 5ST5 since the 2016 edition doesn’t come out until later so I can prep myself a little for the beginning of the course (as I have no prior knowledge of physics), or wait for the 2016 and risk the confusion at the beginning of the class?
@Curiosity2018
Well, my school starts August 25, and it looks like the 2016 version comes out August 7 (at least on Amazon). I would wait to get the 2016 version. Maybe it’ll be a little more improved? Plus, I’m sure the beginning of the class won’t immediately dive into complicated topics. I heard from older friends Physics is easyish tho (of course, it depends from person to person and the teacher). Also, you could perhaps google some basics of Physics so you at least have a general idea, or look at the AP Course Description and google topics.
Overall, I’d just wait for the 2016 version. I really wanted to get my prep books before school started as well, but I’m gonna wait for the 2016 versions.
I used the 2015 Princeton Review to study for physics this year and somehow managed a 5. I think how you use the book matters greatly too, but I agree with the above users that the 5 Steps to a 5 is your best shot, and waiting for the newest edition is a good idea. Good luck this year!
Does anyone know of any good books (not necessarily an AP specific prep book) to supplement the course for a better understanding of the content for the AP Physics 1 course?
Reading this forum was very helpful, especially since I am in the same position as @Curiosity2018. Many of you have probably gotten your review books already. Which review book would you recommend for AP Physics I now that you’ve seen them? I really need this information as well.
