HI everyone! I’m wondering whether I should self-study AP Physics 1 or AP Physics C Mech. I’m in a math program where i’m currently taking a calculus class, and by the end of the year i’ll have learned all the material needed on the AP Calc BC exam. Since the material on Physics 1 has overlap with Physics C Mech and the main difference is one is algebra based and one is calc based, what would you recommend taking? (I haven’t taken any other physics class before though)
Thanks so much
@Sarah025–it is completely doable to do AP Physics C since you’re in Calc BC concurrently–you’re good on the math side of things. As for not having done any physics previously, this is the hard part. Do what you feel comfortable with. I took both AP 1 and C and felt that AP 1 was a waste of time because it was too conceptual for me–you hardly need any math in that course, while AP C was much more rewarding and interesting. I was offered an option similar to yours (except it was to take the actual class, not self-study) but turned it down for a variety of reasons and honestly I kinda regret that decision now. I’ve done a science AP before without any previous knowledge of the subject and it turned out fine–I just had to put in a lot of more effort and work to get to the place where my older peers were that had already taken a year of the subject. If you’re willing to put time into learning physics, I’d say go for AP C, especially if you’re interested in physics/math, as it is the most math intensive AP science. Of course, self-studying makes it even harder, but if you have a teacher you can go to and ask for help if needed or lots of reference materials you should hopefully be okay. Ask one of the physics teachers at your high school if they can give you reference material/extra practice–most have access to past AP MC and FRQ questions that you can’t access unless you’re an educator. Good luck!
Thanks for replying akyt!
If I got a physics 1 textbook over the summer and looked that over, then proceeded to self-study physics C Mech during the school year, do you think that would help me with the physics concepts? Also, the reason for self studying the class is because my school doesn’t offer it. Insane right? Only Physics 1 and 2.
What resources would you recommend me use to self study the class? And how time consuming was it for you to learn and prepare yourself well for the final exam?
Sorry for so many questions 
@Sarah025 Getting a phys 1 textbook to study over the summer sounds like a great idea–that way you can at least familiarize yourself with physics and the concepts you need to know. And, since you’re only self-studying mechanics, you should have plenty of time for that during the school year (I did both mechanics and e&m in one school year, one each semester). Good for you for taking initiative to learn a tough subject by yourself-- I’m so sorry your school doesn’t offer AP C–that can really be a bummer, especially if you’re really interested in the subject.
In terms of material, imo the most helpful and important materials you have available to you are past multiple choice questions and all the past free response questions–these give you a look at what questions were actually asked on past AP exams and if you can do them you know you’re in the ballpark for a passing score. My recommendation is to do as many mc’s and frq’s as you can–the best scenario is to do all that you can get your hands on. The most important part of this though is to practice the timing from the very beginning–it’s one thing to just do an frq for hw and another to complete it in 15 min (which is the suggested time since there are 3 frqs to be done in 45min). In the beginning you will struggle and find yourself running out of time. This is completely normal–it is very difficult at first. But as you practice you will get better and by the end timing should not be that big of a problem. We did one timed frq each week and I felt this was super beneficial in getting a feel for how to allocate those precious minutes.
Try and get an AP prep book (Barrons or the like–unfortunately I didn’t use one so I can’t recommend the best one), find materials made by other teachers online and look at youtube videos–these will all be super helpful. Also, ask one of the physics teachers at your school if they have any recommendations–maybe one of them taught the class at a different school or was an AP grader for the test. In any case, don’t be afraid to ask them for help if you find yourself struggling with some material–most likely if they can teach AP 1 they can also teach AP C. If you really want, you can probably find a used physics textbook on amazon that is made for the AP test or teaches the same material–we used Knight: Physics for scientists and engineers. Also, take a look at edX–it’s basically a site with a bunch of free online MOOCs and there a few that should prepare you for the mechanics test or have a pre-AP C class that would be great for the summer.
For myself, I will say that I’m a bit biased–I love physics (I’m majoring in it) and in general was a strong student in STEM so the preparation I had to do may be less than what others had to do, though I did put in a lot of effort into the class and studying–I definitely did not “breeze by”. Basically before every test we had in class I would read over my notes and worksheets we did in class, rework problems I had trouble with in worksheets and homework, and do lots of practice problems–these are the most helpful in preparation because you get a view of what you understand and what you need to review. I would scout out every single released FRQ problem on the AP website that dealt with the topic I was being examined on and try to do all of them. Note that in the beginning there will be very few of these FRQ’s because each question can and does test different aspects of physics (so one question could have parts dealing with kinematics, force, and torque), so as you learn more you will be able to do more of the problems. In this manner you will probably “redo” a question a few times by the end of the year (i.e. in the beginning you might be able to do parts a and b, then you’ll be able to do abcd and in the end you can do the entire problem). This is really great for review to make sure you’re not forgetting any concepts you learned from a while back. It is a good idea to periodically test yourself on topics you haven’t dealt with in a while and refresh your memory. Doing this will also constantly be preparing you for the actual AP exam so at the end you don’t have to cram everything in the end. When april/may does roll around though, and you’ve gotten through all the material (try and leave yourself 1-2 weeks for reviewing) I would do a couple of practice/mock exams–mc and frq together in the allotted time–and then try and see how your score lines up (ie to a 1,2,3,4, or 5). Be aware that you do NOT have to get everything right to get a 5–it’s actually a pretty lenient scale depending on how difficult the test was (the harder the exam, the lower % you need to get a 5,4, etc.). I was surprised–if you do decently well on the MC and get one of the frqs completely or almost right and bomb the other two (like get a few points on each) you are most likely in the 4-5 range.
Out of curiosity, are you going to be doing multivariate calc next year then if you’re finishing BC calc this year?
Hope this helps-- feel free to message me if you have any questions!
If you self study Physics C, would any College give you credit as you have not taken the LAB?