Jonah Patel
AP Physics 1 is considered one of the most challenging AP exams, with only 47.3% of students receiving a passing score of 3 or higher in 2024. The exam covers various topics, including conservation laws, kinetics, dynamics, and fields, and requires a strong understanding of mathematical concepts. While the passing score for AP exams is considered a 3, many students aim for a perfect score of 5, which is deemed extremely well qualified by the College Board. However, achieving this top score can be difficult, with only 8% of students earning a 5 in AP Physics 1 in 2024. This low percentage of 5s may be attributed to the fact that AP Physics 1 is often the first physics course for many students, and those who excel in math tend to opt for AP Mechanics instead. Despite the challenges, with the right preparation and study strategies, success is attainable, and students can improve their chances of a passing score by utilizing resources such as practice exams and score calculators.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| AP Physics 1 Raw Score for a 5 | 65% |
| AP Physics 2 Raw Score for a 5 | 73% |
| AP Physics 1 Mean Score (2024) | 2.59 |
| AP Physics 1 Mean Score (2023) | 2.55 |
| AP Physics 1 Mean Score (2022) | 2.47 |
| AP Physics 1 Mean Score (2021) | 2.41 |
| AP Physics 1 Passing Score | 3 |
| AP Physics 1 Passing Percentage (2024) | 47.3% |
| AP Physics 1 Passing Percentage (2023) | 16.9% |
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What You'll Learn
Raw score conversion
AP scores exist on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. A score of 3 or above constitutes a pass, and students who achieve this are eligible for college credit, depending on the college or university they plan to attend. The College Board describes a score of 3 as 'qualified', 4 as 'well qualified', and 5 as 'extremely well qualified'.
The raw score required to obtain a 5 on the AP Physics exam has varied over the years. In 2014, a score of around 65% was required to obtain a 5, while in 2015, the required score was 71% for Physics 1 and 73% for Physics 2. The mean score for AP Physics 1 in 2024 was 2.59, and the pass rate was only 47.3%.
The College Board has not released an official scoring worksheet for the latest version of the AP Physics 1 exam, which was offered in the 2024-2025 school year. However, students can refer to the annual AP Student Score Distributions released by the College Board to understand the distribution of scores and the percentages of 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s.
Additionally, students can utilise resources such as Albert.io and Zinkerz, which offer score calculators and practice questions to help students prepare for the AP Physics 1 exam. These tools can provide insights into performance based on each section of the exam, helping students identify their strengths and areas for improvement.
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AP Physics 1 and 2 differences
The College Board offers four AP Physics courses: AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, and AP Physics C: Mechanics. While the AP Physics 1 and 2 courses are algebra-based, the AP Physics C courses are calculus-based.
AP Physics 1
AP Physics 1 is an introductory course that covers the foundational principles of physics with hands-on laboratory learning. It is equivalent to a first-semester college course in algebra-based physics. Students taking this course are recommended to have completed a course in geometry and be taking (or have completed) a course in algebra 2. The AP exam for this course is three hours long and includes a 50-question multiple-choice section and a four-question free-response section. Students can use a graphing calculator.
AP Physics 2
AP Physics 2 covers additional topics in physics with hands-on laboratory learning. It is equivalent to a second-semester college course in algebra-based physics. This course requires students to have completed or be taking precalculus. The AP exam is similar in duration and composition to the AP Physics 1 exam.
Differences
The main difference between the two courses is their level of mathematical requirements. AP Physics 1 requires proficiency in geometry and algebra 2, while AP Physics 2 requires precalculus.
Raw Score for a 5
While I cannot find the exact raw score percentage required for a 5 in the AP Physics 1 and 2 exams, a blog post from 2015 suggests that a score of around 65% on the Physics B exam would be required for a 5. The post also includes raw score cutoffs for 2015, with a score of 71% required for a 5 in Physics 1 and 73% in Physics 2. These scores are official for 2015 only, and it is unclear whether they are still accurate. The official score distribution tables for AP Physics 1 and other AP subjects are available, showing the percentages of 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s for each year that data is available.
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Percentage cut-offs
AP scores exist on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. A score of 3 or above is considered a pass, and students who achieve this are eligible for college credit, depending on the college or university's policies. The College Board describes a score of 3 as "qualified", 4 as "well qualified", and 5 as "extremely well qualified".
The raw score cut-offs for AP Physics vary from year to year. For example, in 2015, a raw score of 71% was required for a 5 in Physics 1, while in 2014, a score of around 65% was sufficient. The mean score for the AP Physics 1 exam has also been steadily increasing over the years, from 2.41 in 2021 to 2.59 in 2024.
The College Board has not yet released an official scoring worksheet for the latest updates to AP Physics 1. However, students can refer to the annual AP Student Score Distributions to understand the relative percentages and point values of the questions.
Additionally, students can use score calculators, such as those provided by Albert.io and Zinkerz, to gain insights into their performance and understand how to improve their scores. These tools can help students monitor their progress, pinpoint weak areas, and navigate the challenges of achieving their desired scores.
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Pass marks
AP Physics is considered one of the most difficult exams, and any passing score is an accomplishment. The pass marks for the AP Physics exam have varied over the years, with the College Board attempting to maintain consistency.
For the 2015 AP Physics 1 exam, the raw score cut-offs were: 71% for a 5, 55% for a 4, 41% for a 3, and 26% for a 2. The cut-offs for the AP Physics 2 exam were slightly higher, with 73% for a 5, 61% for a 4, 42% for a 3, and 23% for a 2. These percentages are not static and may change over time as the exams are updated and students and teachers become more familiar with the new exam formats.
In general, a score of 3 or higher is considered passing and can be eligible for college credit, depending on the specific college or university's policies. A score of 3 is considered 'qualified', 4 is 'well qualified', and a 5 is 'extremely well qualified'. The average AP Physics 1 score for the 2024 testing year was 2.59, slightly higher than the previous years: 2.55 in 2023, 2.47 in 2022, and 2.41 in 2021.
Students can use resources like Albert.io and Zinkerz's AP Physics 1 Score Calculator to prepare for the exam and understand their performance based on each section. These tools can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and provide valuable insights to improve their exam preparation.
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Grade inflation
Firstly, the AP Physics exam has different versions, such as Physics B and Physics 1, which have different structures and styles. The raw score cut-offs for achieving a certain grade can vary between these versions. For example, in 2015, the raw score cutoff for a grade of 5 in Physics 1 was 71%, while for Physics 2, it was 73%. These cut-offs can change from year to year, and teachers and students often try to predict or estimate the cut-offs for the current year based on past trends.
Secondly, the difficulty level of the exam can impact grade inflation. AP Physics 1 is considered one of the most difficult AP exams, and any passing score is considered an accomplishment. In 2024, only 47.3% of students received a passing score of 3 or higher. The average score can vary annually due to factors such as student preparation and exam revisions. Therefore, when analyzing grade inflation, it is essential to consider the multi-year trends and the relative difficulty of the exam.
Teachers often use different strategies to determine grades in AP Physics. Some teachers use AP-style quizzes and tests, released questions from previous exams, or their own questions. They may also use curves or adjustments to correlate students' raw scores with expected AP grades. However, this can sometimes result in grade inflation, as a raw score that would translate to a lower grade in AP Physics B might be inflated when correlated to AP Physics 1 grades. Teachers may also award partial credits for corrections to motivate students to improve.
Additionally, it's worth noting that earning a 3, 4, or 5 is generally considered a good score on an AP exam. According to the College Board, a 3 indicates 'qualified,' a 4 indicates 'well qualified,' and a 5 indicates 'extremely well qualified.' Credits for college or university admissions may be awarded for scores within this range.
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Frequently asked questions
The percentage required for a raw score of 5 varies, but it is typically around 65%-73%.
A score of 5 is the highest score you can get on an AP exam and is considered "extremely well qualified".
Any score of 3 or above is considered passing and can be eligible for college credit.
Achieving a perfect score of 5 can be challenging, but you can increase your chances by using resources such as practice tests, study guides, and score calculators.
The College Board curves the scores on AP exams each year to standardize student performance across years and subjects. The scoring guidelines aim to emulate the difficulty level of similar college courses.
