I am a senior in AP Physics C, my school teaches the class so you take mechanics first semester and E&M second semester. None of us have taken a physics course prior to this, so it is very difficult. I didn’t have too many issues with mechanics, for the midterm we took a practice AP Mechanics test and I just missed the mark for a 5. However, we got to E&M and things are going downhill. I barely managed the idea of capacitors and potential (actually don’t know what it is relative to charge or energy), and once we got to current and resistance, I fell apart. It isn’t just me either, on this last test, the entire class just stared at it blankly. I have never been actually stumped by a class before. This is the first year that my teacher has taught a non academic level physics class, so he isn’t the best for getting help. I took the course to help me have a foundation of calculus based physics for college. I am going into Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State. I have always heard that engineering there is very difficult, but everybody has their own definition of difficult. Many kids struggle with Calc AB, but at my school id say 75% of my class got a 5, and 20% got a 4, and the rest didn’t care. Math at our school isn’t really considered challenging. Calc BC was a little bit harder, just because it requires time, not the topics being too complex; I think we rushed the material though because we have time for over two months of AP review. Anyway, should I be worried, or is this completely normal?
At The Ohio State University, Physics 1250 (or 1250H) and 1251 (or 1251H) cover the AP physics C topics and more.
https://physics.osu.edu/courses
However, it is normally expected to have had an introductory physics course in high school before taking college physics, so that may be why you are struggling with AP physics C taught at almost college pace.