Should I take the Physics 1 AP Exam if I'm also taking the Physics C Mechanics one?

I’m taking Physics C Mechanics next year, but strangely enough, our school doesn’t offer AP Physics 1. If I’m solid on the Physics C material, would I be able to do well on the Physics 1 exam (I also plan on learning some of the material from Physics 1 on Khan Academy to prepare for Physics C; if I were to take the Physics 1 exam, I would study the material harder)?

Also, if I do take the Physics 1 exam, but don’t get a score I want to send to colleges, could I refrain from sending it to them and have them not know I took the exam at all? Because they won’t see the class on the transcript…

I was originally going to take the Physics 1 exam the year after the next, but I feel like it would be weird for colleges to see me take Physics C and then Physics 1 the year after.

Taking both the AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C:Mech exams in the same year (or AP Physics 1 after AP Physics C) is a waste of time and money. AP Physics 1 has one of the lowest percentages of 5’s of any AP exam, so I’m at a loss as to why anyone would try to self study it. Focus your time on learning the Physics C material and getting a great score on the exam.

I agree with skieurope, and to add on: with the AP C credit, you can exempt out of more courses than the AP 1 credit, so why take both? C will give you the credit you need and show colleges your highest level of physics ability. No need to be redundant.

@skieurope @hurricane314 Ok, thanks! I never wanted to take it in the first place lol. Just out of curiosity, the percentage’s of 5s on the Physics 1 exam is almost one-third of the Physics C exam—why is this? Is it because the people who take the Physics C exam are just really good compared to those who take the Physics 1 exam, or is it easier other than the fact that some calculus is involved?

A few reasons. People that take the AP Physics exam, like those that take Calc BC, are a self-selecting group.These are the gung-ho STEM kids who want to be in these classes. On the flip side, when the CB introduced AP Physics 1 (and 2) as a replacement for AP Physics B, they also turned it into an intro physics course. Many schools, as a result, eliminated honors physics, and opened AP Physics 1 to any high performer who wanted to take the class. So there are really some kids taking AP Physics 1 who really should not yet be taking a college-level physics class. Additionally, AP Physics 1 is a more conceptual course than the old Physics B; it’s not plug-and-chug math. I would hope that after 4 years that the teachers have adapted to the new format, but it does seem that some students are not adapting to the more conceptual nature.

I’d attribute it to the fact that if you continue to Physics C, you either did well in Physics 1 or just have a plain good grasp of physics, so yes, you’ll do better. Those who failed the Physics 1 test won’t be eager to go take an even more advanced version.