<p>Alright, so I've been searching and getting some different points of view about the AP Physics C course (both parts). My school does not offer it, and because I want to major in physics (hopefully at MIT or Princeton), I will self-study it or take it a a local university (Sac State). With some people, I hear it is difficult. Others say that they could study the material a month before the AP exam and get a 5. What's the deal? Why such differing views? Thanks for all the help.</p>
<p>It really depends on how comfortable you are with physics. If you've had some previous experience with physics before, it shouldn't be all that difficult to study for (I started studying a week before the exam, for both parts). As for the differing viewpoints, it also depends on how comfortable one is with the math.
For me, it wasn't all that difficult to figure out where some equations came from, since the physics B equations were not much different from their calculus counterparts (whenever you see a quotient, it's usually a derivative, and whenever you see a product, it's usually an integral), save for some equations (such as Maxwell's equations, which relied more on understanding of physics concepts to see where they come from)
Also, how much resources you have makes a difference. Working through old multiple choice and free-response questions definitely helps in familiarizing yourself with the exam.</p>
<p>thanks. that clears up some concerns that i had. just out of curiosity, what what was your final score on each part of the AP exam?</p>
<p>I got 5's on both parts. 2-3 hours were spent on Mech, and around 5-6 days were spent on E&M.</p>