What Is AP Physics 1?
The full name is AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based. It is a College Board course on kinematics, dynamics, and energy, taught through laboratory work, and College Board gives its college equivalent as a first-semester introductory course in algebra-based physics.
College Board recommends that students have completed a geometry course and be taking Algebra II or an equivalent course at the same time. No earlier physics course appears among the recommended prerequisites.
| Unit | What it covers | Share of multiple-choice score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kinematics | The study of motion | 10% to 15% |
| 2. Force and Translational Dynamics | Forces, free-body diagrams, and Newton’s laws of motion | 18% to 23% |
| 3. Work, Energy, and Power | The relationships between work, energy, and power | 18% to 23% |
| 4. Linear Momentum | Force, time, and momentum, and the conservation of momentum | 10% to 15% |
| 5. Torque and Rotational Dynamics | Bodies that rotate and what causes rotation | 10% to 15% |
| 6. Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems | The energy and momentum of an object rotating around an axis | 5% to 8% |
| 7. Oscillations | Simple harmonic motion | 5% to 8% |
| 8. Fluids | The behavior and motion of materials that can change shape | 10% to 15% |
What Is on the AP Physics 1 Exam?
The format is the one College Board calls hybrid digital. Multiple-choice answers go into the Bluebook testing app, and free-response questions appear in the app and are answered by hand in paper booklets. The exam lasts 3 hours.
| Section | Questions | Time | Share of score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: Multiple choice | 42 | 1 hour 25 minutes | 50% |
| Section II: Free response | 4 | 1 hour 35 minutes | 50% |
The four free-response questions are of four types: mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design and analysis, and qualitative and quantitative translation. Calculators are permitted, and reference materials such as equation sheets are available. The 2027 exam is on Wednesday, May 5, 2027, and the length of every exam is listed in how long AP exams are.
Is AP Physics 1 Hard?
On the 2026 exam, 68% of students scored 3 or higher and 19% earned a 5. Another 17% scored a 1, a larger share at the bottom than in AP Biology (8%) or AP Chemistry (6%) the same year.
| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher | Test takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19% | 24% | 25% | 15% | 17% | 68% | Not yet published |
| 2025 | 19.8% | 24.7% | 22.9% | 13.4% | 19.2% | 67.3% | 174,401 |
| 2024 | 10.2% | 17.9% | 19.2% | 26.1% | 26.6% | 47.3% | 164,481 |
| 2023 | 8.8% | 18.3% | 18.5% | 28.0% | 26.4% | 45.6% | 159,582 |
The results changed in 2025. On the College Board score distribution page, the share scoring 3 or higher was 47.3% in 2024 and 67.3% in 2025, and the share earning a 5 was 10.2% and then 19.8%. Two things were new that year, as College Board explained at the time: AP Exams moved to digital delivery, and this exam was one of nine whose score standards were set with its evidence-based standard setting method. College Board does not single out one cause for this exam. Families comparing years, or reading advice written before 2025, should keep the change in mind. Our guide to AP score distributions covers the change across exams.
In our experience at Oriel Admissions, the course is hard in a particular way. The mathematics is algebra. What students find difficult is explaining why something happens and moving between a graph, a diagram, and an equation, which is what two of the four free-response question types ask for.
In Which Grade Should a Student Take AP Physics 1?
The recommended prerequisite is mathematical, so the year depends on when a student took Algebra 1.
| Algebra 1 taken in | Geometry completed in | Algebra II taken in | Recommended prerequisite met from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 9 | Grade 9 |
| Grade 8 | Grade 9 | Grade 10 | Grade 10 |
| Grade 9 | Grade 10 | Grade 11 | Grade 11 |
For a 10th grader who took Algebra 1 in 8th grade and biology in 9th grade, this is the only one of AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics 1 whose recommended prerequisite is already met. College Board asks for biology and chemistry before AP Biology, and for chemistry and Algebra II before AP Chemistry. Whether a school opens the course to 10th graders is a matter for its course catalog. The starting point is explained in 8th grade algebra, and each track in high school math classes in order.
At Oriel Admissions we advise a student heading toward engineering, physics, or computer science to take the course in the first year the school allows it, so that a calculus-based physics course can follow. In 10th grade that can mean carrying it alongside chemistry, which suits a student whose 9th grade grades in mathematics and science are strong.
How Does AP Physics 1 Differ From AP Physics C?
The difference is the mathematics. AP Physics 1 is algebra-based. AP Physics C: Mechanics is calculus-based, and College Board recommends that students have taken calculus or be taking it at the same time.
| Course | Mathematics | College equivalent | Recommended prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based | Algebra | First-semester introductory algebra-based physics | Geometry completed; Algebra II at the same time |
| AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based | Algebra | Second-semester introductory algebra-based physics | AP Physics 1 or a comparable course; precalculus taken or at the same time |
| AP Physics C: Mechanics | Calculus | Semester-long introductory calculus-based physics | Calculus taken or at the same time |
| AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | Calculus | Semester-long introductory calculus-based physics | A calculus-based mechanics course such as AP Physics C: Mechanics; calculus taken or at the same time |
The seven units of AP Physics C: Mechanics carry the same names as the first seven units of the algebra-based course, from Kinematics to Oscillations. The algebra-based course adds an eighth unit on fluids.
Schools differ on whether the algebra-based course comes before AP Physics C. For a 10th grader the question to settle is whether calculus will arrive by 11th or 12th grade, because College Board recommends calculus before or alongside AP Physics C: Mechanics.
What Do Caltech and MIT Say About High School Physics?
Caltech requires one year of physics of every first-year applicant. Its published policy, written for fall 2026 applicants, lists a score of 5 on AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, or AP Physics C among the substitutes it accepts where the course is unavailable or cannot be scheduled. The exam must be taken by the application deadline, and the student and the counselor must document the reason. MIT says that most students who are well prepared for it will have taken at least some physics, chemistry, and/or biology. Every MIT student must take, or receive credit for, two semesters of calculus-based physics once enrolled.
In our view, that last point is the one for future engineers to act on. The algebra-based course is a sound first course, and a student aiming at engineering or physics programs should plan to reach a calculus-based course by 12th grade where the school offers one. The guides to the best colleges for engineering and to AP classes for MIT cover the college side.
Whether a score earns credit or placement is decided by each college, and the AP Credit Policy Search from College Board lists the policies.
Frequently Asked Questions About AP Physics 1
On the 2026 exam, 68% of students scored 3 or higher, 19% earned a 5, and 17% scored a 1. In our experience at Oriel Admissions, the difficulty lies in explaining physical reasoning and not in the algebra.
No. It is an algebra-based course. AP Physics C: Mechanics is the calculus-based course.
College Board recommends that students have completed geometry and be taking Algebra II or an equivalent course at the same time.
A 10th grader who took Algebra 1 in 8th grade and geometry in 9th grade, and is taking Algebra II, meets the recommended prerequisite. Whether the school allows it is set out in the course catalog.
It lasts 3 hours. There are 42 multiple choice questions in 1 hour 25 minutes and 4 free response questions in 1 hour 35 minutes, and each section counts for half of the score.
The 2027 exam is on Wednesday, May 5, 2027.
Yes. The share scoring 3 or higher was 47.3% in 2024 and 67.3% in 2025. That year AP Exams moved to digital delivery, and College Board set the score standards for this exam with its evidence-based standard setting method.
Both, where the school offers them and the student reaches calculus in time. The algebra-based course can come first, and AP Physics C: Mechanics follows once calculus has been taken or is being taken.
Sources: College Board: AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based course page, College Board: AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Exam, College Board: AP Physics 1 Score Distributions, 2023 to 2026, College Board: 2026 AP Score Distributions, College Board: AP Physics C: Mechanics course page, College Board: AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based course page, College Board: AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism course page, College Board: 2025 AP Exams: Scoring, Standards, and Security in a New Digital Era, Caltech: Academic Requirements for First-Year Applicants, MIT Admissions: Academic foundations
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
