AP exams, 7 units
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based exam guide
Cover the seven units of the revised AP Physics 2 framework, thermodynamics through modern physics, with published weightings.
Follows the fall 2024 course and exam description, from 13 May 2025
Overview
What AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based covers.
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based is the second-year algebra-based physics course, covering thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics. The framework was revised effective fall 2024. Fluids moved to AP Physics 1, the former combined optics unit was split into geometric optics and physical optics, and the units are numbered 9 through 15 to continue from AP Physics 1.
The published weightings put thermodynamics, electrostatics, and circuits at the top, with the remaining four units carrying similar mid-range shares. Free-response questions use the same four task types as AP Physics 1, so experimental design and qualitative-quantitative translation deserve dedicated practice rather than incidental exposure.
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 structure 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 who have completed AP Physics 1 or an equivalent course and want college credit or placement in a second algebra-based physics course.
Scoring
The two sections contribute equally to a composite score that College Board converts to the reported 1 to 5 scale, with cut points set for each year's exam. Colleges publish their own credit and placement policies, so outcomes vary by institution.
Exam structure
Units
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based covers 7 units. Open one for its topics, published weighting, and section-specific study tips.
Unit 9: Thermodynamics
15–18%Unit 9 opens the course by treating a gas as a mechanical system. Pressure, temperature, and the ideal gas law connect to forces…
6 topics
Unit 10: Electric Force, Field, and Potential
15–18%Unit 10 builds electrostatics from charge and Coulomb's law up through field and potential. The recurring difficulty is keeping…
6 topics
Unit 11: Electric Circuits
15–18%Unit 11 covers steady-current circuits and the conservation principles behind them. Resistivity, resistance, and Ohm's law lead…
6 topics
Unit 12: Magnetism and Electromagnetism
12–15%Unit 12 covers magnetic fields, the forces they exert on moving charges and current-carrying wires, and the induction that links…
5 topics
Unit 13: Geometric Optics
12–15%Unit 13 treats light as rays. Reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, and image formation by mirrors and lenses are…
5 topics
Unit 14: Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics
12–15%Unit 14 treats light and sound as waves. Wave properties, superposition, standing waves, and the Doppler effect lead into the…
6 topics
Unit 15: Modern Physics
12–15%Unit 15 introduces the quantum and nuclear physics that classical models cannot explain. Blackbody radiation and the…
6 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.
- Weight review toward the top-weighted units, thermodynamics, electrostatics, and circuits, while keeping a steady rotation through optics and modern physics.
- Practice all four free-response task types, since experimental design and qualitative-quantitative translation are scored on reasoning rather than on arriving at a number.
- Build reliable habits for the representation-heavy topics: field-line and equipotential diagrams, circuit redrawing, ray diagrams, and pressure-volume graphs.
- Solve symbolically first, because many questions ask how one quantity changes when another is doubled rather than for a numeric answer.
- Rehearse the right-hand rules and optics sign conventions on a schedule; both decay quickly and both are cheap to maintain.
- Take at least one full timed exam so that multiple-choice pacing is settled before test day.
Common questions
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based questions students ask.
How is the AP Physics 2 Exam structured?
The exam runs 3 hours and is split evenly between 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 confirm current numbers on the official exam page.
Which AP Physics 2 units do students find hardest?
College Board does not rank difficulty. In practice, students most often report trouble with the three-dimensional geometry of magnetism and induction and with keeping electric field and electric potential straight. Your own practice results are the better guide.
How is the exam scored?
Both sections contribute equally to a composite score that is converted to the reported 1 to 5 scale using cut points set each year. Colleges make their own credit and placement decisions, so no score guarantees a particular outcome.
Do I need AP Physics 1 first?
AP Physics 2 is designed as a second-year course and assumes the mechanics background from AP Physics 1 or an equivalent. Because fluids moved into AP Physics 1 in the revised framework, students coming from an older course sequence should check whether they covered it.
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 2 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.
Study AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based with a plan you can keep.
Create your Arcade Academy workspace to pair this structure with spaced-repetition flashcards, resources, notes, and progress you can review.