Resources To Help You
Beyond just your textbook and teacher, youll find outstanding video tutorials and Q& A forums like those at Educator.com, discussion and homework help communities, cheat sheets, and extra problems at APlusPhysics.com, and of course there are some great review and companion books available for these specific courses.
AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which does not sponsor or endorse this work.
What Will We Be Studying In This Class
From the Course of Study:
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of B+ in Calculus AB AP or A- in Advanced Topics and Introduction to Calculus, and permission of the science department.
The AP Physics course is a calculus-driven, college-level course that covers classical mechanics during the first semester and electricity and magnetism during the second. This is an intensive exploration of the fundamental natural laws that govern the universe, and an ideal course for future science and engineering majors, or anyone who enjoys applications of high-level math. Students who complete this course will be prepared to take the C-level Advanced Placement Exams in Physics. Taking the AP examinations is a requirement of the course.
What Are The Hardest Ap Classes And Tests
Published on August 31, 2021 · Updated on March 4, 2022
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How Ap Classes Impact Your College Chances
The number of AP classes you take can help make your admissions profile more competitive. Ivy League colleges and other highly selective institutions often use something called the Academic Index. A tool for assessing applicants, the Academic Index is a calculation that reduces a students academic record to one numerical score for easy comparison.
Weve made it easy to understand the impact of your AP classes by creating a free Admissions Chances Calculator. We recommend using it when deciding how many and which AP classes to take. You can also filter for other helpful things, such as location, major, cost, and even application difficulty! We highly recommend you check it out.
Ap Classes Are Not All Taught The Same Way
Not all AP courses are taught the same way. While the material covered is the same, the structure of the classes may be different.
Some AP teachers provide class time for students to complete assignments and class readings. Other AP teachers expect students to complete this work on their own.
If youre wondering whether or not a specific AP class is going to be too difficult for you, try to find the syllabus for the class or talk to the teacher about how they tend to structure the class. This will help you get an idea of whether or not you should sign up for the class.
You might also consider inquiring about the pass/fail rate for the students who have taken the course in previous years. If a large percentage of the students who take AP Biology fail the test, thats a strong indicator that you will have to dedicate a lot of time and effort in order to get a good grade, pass the exam, and earn college credit.
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Should I Take Ap Physics 1
Because AP Physics 1 ranks as one of the most difficult AP courses, prospective students often consider whether taking the course is worth a potential hit to their GPA. Successful AP Physics 1 students traditionally excel in STEM classes and performed well in prerequisite coursework.
Students deciding which AP classes they should take can review AP exam pass rates and topics covered in the course. They can also reach out to the course instructor and students with AP Physics 1 experience to gather more information.
Do Colleges Care About Ap Physics 1
For many colleges, the Physics 1 exam does not cover the same depth of material as a college physics course, so youll find that many of the more selective schools will not accept a high Physics I exam score for college credit.
Also Why do so many people fail AP Physics 1? 1. It tests too many high level skills, no other AP exam is this difficult, not AP C Mechanics, not AP C E& M and definitely not any other AP subject.
How hard is college physics 1?
Physics can be a very challenging class, so understand what will be expected of you so you can be more prepared. Like most science classes, youll find a mix of classroom and lab work, as well as group and independent assignments.
What is the most failed subject in high school? Algebra is the single most failed course in high school, the most failed course in community college, and, along with English language for nonnative speakers, the single biggest academic reason that community colleges have a high dropout rate.
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How Hard Is Ap Physics
Physics is a famously troublesome subject, and AP Physics specifically can be scary, without a doubt. It manages a lot of unintuitive ideas, equations with various factors, and math that can be troublesome if you havent taken related courses. Be that as it may, on the off chance that you will not be frightened off and center around understanding the ideas and the conditions, you ought to be fine with the AP Exam.
Pause, hang on there are 4 AP Physics Exams?
AP Physics is four distinctive AP exams:
- AP Physics 1
- AP Physics C: Mechanics
- AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
While in fact, you could take every one of the four of these over your secondary school profession, its ideal to pick only a couple depending on what your school objectives are, how much mathematics youve taken, and what youre keen on.
Contents
What Are The Easiest Ap Classes To Self
The 3 easiest AP exams to self-study are Psychology , Microeconomics and Environmental Science , as rated by over 2,500 real AP class alumnae reviewers who rated self-study difficulty from 1 to 10 .
These three classes are all also rated as the easiest and least time-consuming AP classes overall. Its worth noting, though, that very few students score the top grade of a 5 in Environmental Science .
Also rated relatively easy to self-study are:
US Comparative Government , Computer Science Principles , Chinese , Computer Science A . English Language , Human Geography , US Government & Politics and Macroeconomics .
But think carefully before self-studying:
Physics 2 , Biology , English Literature , Seminar , Physics 1 and Physics C E& M . All of these classes are relatively difficult AP exams to self-study for, with high self-study difficulty ratings of 7/10 or above.
The hardest AP class to self-study is Chemistry, which is rated at 8.4/10 by class alumnae. Good luck!
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What Ap Classes Should I Take
Here are some ideas for which AP class you should take, depending on what youre looking for and what your interests are.
Looking to pick up easy credit?
Take Psychology or Environmental Studies.
Both are rated as relatively easy, requiring the least time commitment, and recommended by nearly all students that took these courses.
If youre interested in history:
US History, World History and European History are all similarly ranked.
So go with what interests you most, but be prepared to put in the hours, as these are time-consuming papers.
US Government and Politics offer a more straightforward alternative if youre looking for an easier AP class.
If youre an economist:
Macroeconomics and Microeconomics offer a similar difficulty level.
Microeconomics is rated ever so slightly more time consuming , and other than Chinese, is also the only course to have had 100% of class alumnae reviewers say they would recommend it to other students.
In Math:
Statistics is rated as easier the Calculus.
However, Calculus is likely to be better preparation for more advanced study in Math and other quantitative subjects, like Engineering and Physics.
For scientists:
Biology, Chemistry and Physics 1 are all very popular courses.
Biology is ranked as being the easiest of the main science APs, a little easier than Chemistry and Physics.
For English:
For the ultimate AP challenge!
Take Physics C Electricity and Magnetism.
Summary: All Ap Classes Ranked By Difficulty
Heres an overview of what the reviews said about which AP tests are easier or harder, combined with intake and pass rate data.
Theres a lot of detail in the chart below! Heres what to look out for:
- The hardest and most time-consuming AP exams are in the top-right corner
- The easiest and least time-consuming are in the bottom-left corner.
- The colour indicates the pass rate for that AP exam, with red indicating a relatively low pass rate and green a relatively high pass rate
- The size of the bubbles shows how many students take exams in that AP class .
- Finally, a red outline indicates an unusually high percentage 15% or more of class alumnae said they wouldnt recommend the class to other students. But remember, these classes were nontheless recommended by the majority of students who took them, so dont get discouraged too quickly.
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Which Exam Is Available To You
Many schools do not have the resources to offer all four classes, and if they dont, they are more likely to offer AP Physics 1 or 2 than AP Physics C, and more likely to offer Mechanics-based classes over E& M-based classes. Additionally, AP Physics 1 is widely considered significantly easier than AP Physics 2, so even if you already took and enjoyed AP Physics 1, make sure you look over some topics and problems from AP Physics 2 before signing up for it.
Make Up Your Own Practice Problems
Once youve exhausted the official practice problems, it can be helpful to make up your own. Pinpoint which types of problems you struggled with the most, then adjust the numbers and try to solve it again. This way, youll familiarize with yourself the format of the solutions as you practice.
Also, try completing similar problems, but with a different unknown. For example, if youre struggling with a kinematics problem in which youre given velocity and time and are asked to solve for acceleration, try creating another problem in which youre given acceleration and velocity, but are asked to find time. This way, youll become even more comfortable solving different kinds of problems covering the concepts that youre struggling with.
Check out some of CollegeVines other helpful guides:
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English Literature And Composition:
One of the Hardest AP classes, AP English literature, and composition, is a 3 hours exam. It consists of 55 multiple-choice questions and 3 response questions. The passing Rate of English literature is only 60.1%. It requires you to read a difficult text and explain it by writing an essay. Here you need to understand and test fiction, drama, and poetry work.
English literature considers crime and punishment as non-fiction. And it is tough to study. You need to explain literature work in this class. And for this, you need to have the ability to read a given passage pretty well. You have to write an essay on a play or book which you read in your class. But unfortunately, you can’t bring your book to the exam. It makes it even challenging as you need to very focused study to understand.
Thus, it would be best if you fine-tuned your reading and writing ability. It will help you to explain the literary work. If you think you are good at close reading and writing, it may be easier for you. Otherwise, as we know now, it is one of the problematic AP exams.
Is Ap Physics C Hard Can You Really Crack It
Is AP Physics C Hard? What do you have to do to ensure you get a 5 on this test?
These are some of the questions that you may have as you read this article. And I hope Ill be able to answer this for you, so keep reading.
Students who have taken the test or are about to take the test claim that this subject is hard due to how its structured compared to similar ones.
The underlying truth is that its hard. But that doesnt mean its not possible to get an excellent grade on the test if you know what youre doing.
Before going into the intricacies of the test and what you need to do to come out with a good grade, lets answer this question:
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Planning For Ap Physics 1 And 2
AP Physics B was replaced by AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based and AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based in 2014. AP Physics B has been discontinued.
Below is information to help school and district administrators plan to implement AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2, as well as information counselors can use to advise students of the best science sequence for them.
Is Ap Physics 2 Hard Can You Scale It Easily
Students can choose from several Advanced Placement courses in high school to prepare for their college education.
These courses are a good way to earn extra credit early on and save on time, effort, and money. Since each course will vary in complexity and require different skills, you should choose after careful analysis.
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Course Content Ap Physics C: Electricity And Magnetism
- Electrostatics
- Electromagnetism
Each department is divided
into instructive segments. The following ideas operate as the courses basis, leading students to make explicit connections between them. They are the same as the first study of AP Physics C. The skills that students should have are also like it.
Why Should You Take Either Of These Courses
AP Physics 1 and 2 have a huge range of benefits. The work is hard, but the rewards are worth it. If you like understanding the reasons behind why and how things work, then Physics 1 is a great class to take. Physics 1 offers a great foundation for a student interested in pursuing engineering or other sciences in college. If you enjoyed Physics 1 or are just really curious about why a magnet acts the way it does, Physics 2 would be a good fit for you.
Note: Some schools also offer AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism : well discuss these further in another post.
If you do decide to take Physics 1, 2, or even C, as always, we are here to help with any and all of your physics needs.
Pivot Tutors Team
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Other Things You Should Consider
Aside from the content itself, the difficulty level of your AP® Physics class will depend on other factors. Here, we will cite two.
First, consider the concurrent classes you will be taking alongside with your Physics class. Sure, having many AP® classes may look impressive on your record but if your GPA is jeopardized, you may lose opportunities for scholarships and college admissions. Assess yourself. You dont want your hands full and have half-baked attention to the other things you need to do. Find the balance of workload where you get challenged and yet still focused.
Second is the teacher factor. Some get you motivated while others let you sleep in the class. Some just keep talking and writing on the board while others actively engage their students. Some keep you busy with practice tests and problems sets while others will expect you to self-study. Unfortunately, this is an area where you have very minimal control or no control at all. You need to accept it as it is. Lucky you if you if you get a great teacher. But if you dont have the connection with your classroom teacher, then find another teacher! No, you dont need to drop the class. Go online. The internet is flooded with well-prepared lessons. You can try Khan Academy. Or you can opt for having tutors, may it be in person or online.
Visualizing How The Exam Goes
Now lets imagine that you are taking the exam. Theres no need to differentiate whether you take the Mechanics exam or Electricity and Magnetism exam as both have the same exam structure.
Inside the test area, you should have with you No.2 pencils, black or dark blue ink pens, your school photo ID or government issued ID and a four-function, scientific or graphic calculator. Are you not sure of your calculator? Identify the model of your calculator and search it in the list of CollegeBoard approved calculators. You can have up to two calculators with you. If you forgot to bring your calculator, that would be tragic. You are prohibited to share a calculator with another examinee. The only person you are allowed to communicate with is the exam administrator.
The exam is only 90 minutes which is divided by a break session. Inside the test center, you are not allowed to bring your favorite snack or any food for that matter. Drinks are also prohibited, including bottled water. You can have them outside the exam room during the break. Furthermore, you cant bring with you any electronic device other than your calculator. How about wrist watch? If it beeps or has an alarm like a smartwatch, then you must leave that home also. Do not worry about how to take track of the time the test administrators know that you have a need of such.
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Skills You Need To Work On
As mentioned earlier in this article, AP® Physics C courses are calculus-based. The calculus used here is basic, and nothing too hard. You can concurrently take the calculus with your physics class. A calculus class would first discuss differentiation then integration at a later time. The initial part of AP® Physics C:Mechanics will only demand knowledge in differentiation.
As any physics teacher would tell you, the top three things that you should do are
Did we already say you also need to practice? Sorry, but we definitely need to emphasize the need of practice. If there was a physics quiz that only covered enumeration of the equations used in a given topic and definitions of physical quantities discussed, more than 90% would get perfect scores. Theres only a handful of equations in each section. Furthermore, the calculation routines are very basic. So what is really the root of students dilemma in an AP® Physics class? It is when you have read the problem, pull out the given values, and know what is being asked. Without practice, you most likely will not know which equations to use or when and what to substitute. Practice is the best tool to address this issue, and you will need to workout your problem-solving muscles. This is a broad topic by itself and will be discussed more in the article How to Study for AP:Physics C. This is thorough study guide for motivated students.