<p>Is it worthwhile taking the AP Physics C: Mechanics Exam if I do not want to take any further Physics courses in college beyond the first-year mechanics and E&M courses? Do medical schools accept this exam as a replacement for 1 semester of Physics even if I do not supplement it further? </p>
<p>Thank you very much. :)</p>
<p>You ask two different questions, with the answers being maybe (because the college courses you describe usually take a year), and effectively no.</p>
<p>In more depth: Some medical schools do accept AP credit, but the problem is that not all do. Because it is extremely poor strategy to limit the medical schools to which you should apply, you should really take a full year of college physics with lab. Bear that in mind when deciding whether or not to take the AP.</p>
<p>BDM is right. Although more schools are accepting AP credits than did when he was applying, not all will. Many CA and TX med schools, in particular, will not.</p>
<p>Here’s a reasonably accurate list of which schools will and will not AP credit and for which courses:</p>
<p><a href=“Undergraduate Resources | Rice University”>Undergraduate Resources | Rice University;
<p>Note that some schools require an additional semester of college level physics beyond any AP Phys credit to supplement or satisfy their requirement.</p>
<p>You can certainly still take AP Phys C if you want. (Both my kiddos did. One took the credit and went on to major in physics so had plenty of upper coursework to satisfy admissions requirements; the other didn’t take the exam and took a year of calc-based physics [required at her school for all pre meds] instead and aced both semesters easily.)</p>
<p>^ I remember that it was either you (BDM) or BRM who said it is better not to take AP Physics exam (but it is OK to take the AP physics class) for some who do not want to take upper-level physics classes in college. AP bio credits may not give students so many nuisances or even “troubles” down the line.</p>
<p>Exceptions: the students who have been studying math/physics intensively as their “hobby” in the past 12 years so they will definitely take quantum mechanics for fun anyway. But I think they may not pursue the medicine career path if they are like this.</p>
<p>wowmom, I had the impression that most TX med schools are very lenient about accepting AP credits. (likely still need to take labs in college?) But my info may be out of date. (We are Texans. So we are not as “picky” as those CA or NE schools.)</p>
<p>Ask adcoms of the Med. Schools on your list. They have been very helpful to my D. with exactly the same questions. Then you will have definitive answer. And it could be slightly different from school to school.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. I appreciate it. :)</p>
<p>I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, but I’m currently in AP Physics (mainly for the challenge and for learning something new). I’m debating on whether or not I should take the exam.</p>
<p>Mr. BDM, at the school I will attend, mechanics is one semester and then E&M is another semester-long class.</p>
<p>Mrs. WayOutWestMom, doesn’t the .pdf, though very helpful, only apply to Rice students? So should I ignore it then?</p>
<p>Mrs. MiamiDAP, thank you for the suggestion, but, being a high school senior, I can only think of a couple medical schools that I would apply to in the future, hopefully assuming I can and will still go down this route, with those medical schools being my in-state schools of course.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. 
I think I’ll decide not to take the exam in order to keep my options open hopefully in the future.</p>