The exam at a glance
| Section | Weight | Timing | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| I · Multiple choice | 50% | 1 hr 25 min · 42 questions | Single questions and short sets built around a stimulus such as a diagram, graph or data table. Calculator allowed. |
| II · Free response | 50% | 1 hr 35 min · 4 questions | Four question types: Mathematical Routines, Translation Between Representations, Experimental Design and Analysis, and Qualitative/Quantitative Translation. |
Click in Bluebook, write on paper
You answer multiple-choice questions and read the free-response questions in the Bluebook app, then handwrite free-response answers in a paper booklet.
Equation sheet + calculator
A table of equations and constants is provided, and a calculator is allowed throughout. Knowing when an equation applies, and its conditions, matters more than memorizing it.
The multiple-choice section
42 questions in 85 minutes gives you about 2 minutes per question. Many questions test reasoning with symbols and graphs rather than plugging in numbers. Wrong answers lose no points.
Strategies that work
- Draw a diagram for every question: forces, fields, circuits or rays. It prevents sign errors.
- Check limiting cases. What happens if a mass is zero or an angle is 90°? Wrong choices often fail this test.
- Use units to eliminate answer choices with the wrong dimensions.
- Read graphs as relationships: slope and area under the curve both have physical meaning.
- Work symbolically first, then plug in numbers only if needed.
- Flag and move on after 3 minutes. Return once the quick points are banked.
The 7 units, in plain English
Thermodynamics
Heat, gases and engines.
Be ready to: Use the ideal gas law and kinetic theory; apply the first law (ΔU = Q + W) to PV diagrams; analyze heat engines and efficiency; describe thermal conduction and entropy.
Electric Force, Field & Potential
Charges and the fields around them.
Be ready to: Apply Coulomb's law; draw field lines and equipotentials; calculate field and potential from point charges; relate field to potential difference; analyze capacitors.
Electric Circuits
Current, resistance and power.
Be ready to: Use Ohm's law and resistivity; reduce series and parallel networks; apply Kirchhoff's rules; calculate power; analyze RC circuits qualitatively.
Magnetism & Electromagnetism
Magnetic forces and induction.
Be ready to: Find forces on moving charges and currents; use right-hand rules; describe fields of wires; apply Faraday's and Lenz's laws.
Geometric Optics
Mirrors, lenses and refraction.
Be ready to: Apply reflection and Snell's law; find critical angles; draw ray diagrams; use the thin lens and mirror equations and magnification.
Waves, Sound & Physical Optics
Wave behavior and interference.
Be ready to: Describe wave properties and standing waves; apply the Doppler effect; analyze double-slit and thin-film interference and diffraction.
Modern Physics
Photons, atoms and nuclei.
Be ready to: Use photon energy and the photoelectric effect; read energy-level diagrams; describe wave-particle duality; balance nuclear decays and use E = mc².
Units are numbered 9–15 because they continue on from AP Physics 1 (Units 1–8), and Physics 1 ideas such as energy and forces are used throughout. The seven units are close to equal, and electricity (Units 10–11) together is nearly a third of the multiple-choice section.
The 4 free-response questions
95 minutes, 4 questions. The four question types are the same every year, so you can practice each on purpose. Mathematical Routines and lab questions are typically worth the most points.
Mathematical Routines
Use equations and principles to derive expressions and calculate quantities, often starting symbolically.
Start from a fundamental equation and show each substitution.
Translation Between Representations
Draw a free-body diagram, energy bar chart or graph, then write equations that are consistent with it.
Arrows on free-body diagrams start on the object and are labeled.
Experimental Design and Analysis
Design a procedure, choose what to graph to get a straight line (linearize), then use the slope to find a quantity.
Linearize: graph the quantities that make y = mx a straight line.
Qualitative/Quantitative Translation
Explain a situation in words with physics reasoning, then derive an equation that agrees with your explanation.
Make sure your words and your equation predict the same trend.
Time plan: About 25 minutes for MR, 22 for TBR, 25 for LAB and 23 for QQT. Points are given for derivations: "plugging in" without a starting equation often loses credit.
Habits that earn points
- Answer every lettered part, in order, with a label.
- Show the equation, the substitution and the units.
- Justify with a cause → effect sentence, not a word.
- Use the reference sheet; you don't need to memorize it.
- Blank part? Write the relationship you would use. It can earn credit.
10 traps that cost points
Current "used up"
Current is the same everywhere in a series path. Resistors use up potential energy, not charge.
Field vs potential
Field is a vector (direction matters); potential is a scalar (just add with signs). Field can be zero where potential isn't.
Sign of work on a gas
In ΔU = Q + W, W is work done on the gas. Expansion means W is negative.
Right-hand rule for electrons
For a negative charge, the force is opposite to what the right-hand rule gives for a positive charge.
Lenz's law direction
The induced current opposes the change in flux, not the flux itself.
Lens sign conventions
Real images have positive image distance; a negative magnification means the image is inverted.
Light bending at a boundary
Entering a higher index, light bends toward the normal and slows; its frequency stays the same.
Photoelectric intensity
Brighter light releases more electrons but not faster ones. Only frequency changes their maximum kinetic energy.
Unit conversions
Convert nm, cm, μC and eV to SI units before using equations.
Words and math disagree
In QQT questions, an explanation that contradicts your equation loses points on both.
A study roadmap to May
A steady plan beats a last-minute rush. Shift the months to match your teacher's pacing.
- Sep – Oct
Unit 9: heat and gases
Ideal gases, the first law and PV diagrams, heat engines and entropy. Practice sign conventions now.
- Nov – Dec
Unit 10: electrostatics
Charges, fields, potential and capacitors. Draw field lines and equipotentials until they make sense.
- Jan – Feb
Units 11–12: circuits and magnetism
Circuits, Kirchhoff's rules, magnetic forces and induction. One free-response question per week.
- Mar – Apr
Units 13–15: light and modern physics
Optics, waves, interference, photons and nuclear physics. Begin full timed sections in April.
- Early May
Free-response drills
All four question types under timing. Review sign conventions and the traps list.
- May 2027
Exam day
Thursday, May 6, 2027 (morning session). Sleep well and confirm your start time with your AP coordinator.
3 practice questions
Original questions written by ACT SAT GO in the style of the exam. The free PDF has 10, with full explanations.
- Unit 9 · First law
A gas expands at a constant pressure of 2.0 × 10⁵ Pa from 0.010 m³ to 0.030 m³ while absorbing 10,000 J of heat. What is the change in its internal energy?
- A +6,000 J
- B +4,000 J
- C +10,000 J
- D +14,000 J
Show answer
Answer: A · +6,000 J. Work done on the gas W = −PΔV = −(2 × 10⁵)(0.020) = −4,000 J. ΔU = Q + W = 10,000 − 4,000 = 6,000 J.
- Unit 11 · Circuits
A 12 V battery is connected to a 4 Ω resistor in series with a parallel pair of 6 Ω and 3 Ω resistors. What is the current through the 3 Ω resistor?
- A 0.67 A
- B 1.33 A
- C 2.0 A
- D 4.0 A
Show answer
Answer: B · 1.33 A. The parallel pair is 2 Ω, so the total is 6 Ω and I = 2 A. The potential difference across the pair is 4 V, so the 3 Ω resistor carries 4/3 ≈ 1.33 A.
- Unit 15 · Photoelectric effect
Light of wavelength 500 nm strikes a metal with a work function of 2.0 eV. What is the maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electrons? (hc ≈ 1,240 eV·nm)
- A 2.0 eV
- B 2.48 eV
- C No electrons are emitted
- D 0.48 eV
Show answer
Answer: D · 0.48 eV. Photon energy = 1,240/500 = 2.48 eV. Maximum kinetic energy = 2.48 − 2.0 = 0.48 eV.
How students score
Ranges reflect recent College Board score distributions and shift a little each year. Credit and placement policies vary by college.
Aiming for a 5 in AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based?
Book a free diagnostic session. We'll find your weakest units, review your practice responses and give you a week-by-week plan to exam day.