AP exams, 8 units
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based exam guide
Work through all eight units of the revised AP Physics 1 framework, kinematics through fluids, with published exam weightings.
Follows the fall 2024 course and exam description, from 16 May 2025
Overview
What AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based covers.
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based is a first-year, algebra-based college physics course covering mechanics from kinematics through rotational motion, oscillations, and fluids. The course framework was revised effective fall 2024, and the most visible change for students is that fluids moved from AP Physics 2 into AP Physics 1, which now has eight units.
The published weightings concentrate the exam heavily in translational dynamics and in work, energy, and power, with rotational motion and fluids also carrying substantial shares. Free-response questions are typed by task rather than by topic: one asks for a mathematical routine, one for translation between representations, one for experimental design and analysis, and one for qualitative and quantitative translation. Practicing those four shapes matters as much as reviewing content.
Arcade Academy is an independent study workspace. Use the official Course and Exam Description for the authoritative content list and the official exam page for current format details, and use the unit pages below to organize problem practice.
At a glance
- Total time
- 3 hours
- Section I
- 42 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 25 minutes, 50% of the exam score
- Section II
- 4 free-response questions, 50% of the exam score
- Free-response types
- Mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design and analysis, and qualitative or quantitative translation
- Format update
- The multiple-choice count and per-section timing changed beginning with the May 2027 exam; confirm the current numbers on the official exam page
- Delivery
- Hybrid digital: multiple-choice questions are answered and free-response prompts are read in College Board's Bluebook app, and free-response answers are handwritten in a paper booklet
- Calculator
- Permitted on both sections; an equations and reference information sheet is provided
- Score scale
- 1 to 5
- Governing body
- College Board
- Who takes it
- High school students taking a first algebra-based physics course for college credit, placement, or preparation for a science or engineering major.
Scoring
The multiple-choice and free-response sections each contribute half of a composite score, which College Board converts to the reported 1 to 5 scale using cut points set for that year's exam. Colleges set their own credit and placement policies, so no particular score guarantees credit anywhere.
Exam structure
Units
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based covers 8 units. Open one for its topics, published weighting, and section-specific study tips.
Unit 1: Kinematics
10–15%Unit 1 describes motion without yet explaining it. Scalars and vectors, displacement, velocity, and acceleration are defined…
5 topics
Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics
18–23%Unit 2 is one of the two most heavily weighted units. It covers systems and center of mass, free-body diagrams, all three of…
6 topics
Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
18–23%Unit 3 shares the heaviest published weighting with Unit 2. It defines work as an energy transfer, develops kinetic and potential…
5 topics
Unit 4: Linear Momentum
10–15%Unit 4 introduces momentum and impulse as the time-integrated view of force, then applies conservation of momentum to collisions…
4 topics
Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics
10–15%Unit 5 rebuilds kinematics and dynamics for rotation. Angular position, velocity, and acceleration parallel their linear…
6 topics
Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems
5–8%Unit 6 extends energy and momentum conservation into rotation. Rotational kinetic energy, angular momentum, and angular impulse…
5 topics
Unit 7: Oscillations
5–8%Unit 7 covers simple harmonic motion in mass-spring and pendulum systems. Period and frequency, the shape of the position…
4 topics
Unit 8: Fluids
10–15%Unit 8 joined AP Physics 1 in the revised framework. It covers density and pressure, buoyancy through Archimedes' principle, and…
4 topics
Study strategies
How to work through this exam.
These strategies follow from the exam's own structure. Adapt them to the time you actually have each week.
- Allocate study time by published weighting, giving force and translational dynamics and work, energy, and power the largest share.
- Practice all four free-response task types separately, because experimental design and qualitative-quantitative translation are scored on different criteria than a straightforward calculation.
- Solve problems symbolically before substituting numbers; the exam frequently asks for relationships and proportional reasoning rather than a numeric answer.
- Work on representational fluency deliberately: convert every problem into a diagram, a graph, and an equation, since translation between representations is its own free-response type.
- Learn rotation alongside translation using a running analogy table, which cuts the effective content load of Units 5 and 6 substantially.
- Take at least one full timed exam so pacing on the multiple-choice section is a settled habit before test day.
Common questions
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based questions students ask.
How is the AP Physics 1 Exam structured?
The exam runs 3 hours and is split evenly: a multiple-choice section worth 50% of the score and a free-response section of 4 questions worth the other 50%. The multiple-choice count and section timing changed beginning with the May 2027 exam, so check the official exam page for current numbers before building a pacing plan.
Which AP Physics 1 units are most challenging?
College Board does not rank unit difficulty. Students commonly report that rotational dynamics and the combined rolling problems in Units 5 and 6 take the most practice, and that fluids feels unfamiliar because it joined the course only in the revised framework. Practice results are a better guide than any general ranking.
How is the exam scored?
Points from both sections combine into a composite score that is converted to the reported 1 to 5 scale using cut points set each year. Credit and placement are decided by individual colleges, so the same score can mean different things at different schools.
When do students usually start studying?
A common approach is to work problems throughout the year rather than reviewing at the end, then start cumulative timed practice roughly two months before the May exam. Physics rewards accumulated problem-solving repetitions more than late content review.
Is a calculator allowed, and how is the exam delivered?
A calculator is permitted on both sections, and an equations and reference information sheet is provided. AP Physics 1 is a hybrid digital exam: multiple-choice questions are answered in College Board's Bluebook app and free-response answers are handwritten in a paper booklet. Confirm current policy on the official exam page.
Is Arcade Academy affiliated with College Board?
No. AP® is a registered trademark of College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource.
Before you build the schedule
Exam structures change. Confirm the current format, eligibility, and policies with College Board before you commit to a study plan.
Official exam information opens in a new tabGuide structure last checked against official sources on August 30, 2026.
Markdown version of this guide for citation, offline reading, and language models.
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