Fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics, algebra-based.
Study guide last reviewed September 25, 2026 · see what changed
Format reflects the current published structure — always confirm against AP Central before test day, since formats occasionally change.
| Section | Details | Time | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I – Multiple Choice | 42 questions (discrete items and question sets) | 85 min | 50% |
| Section II – Free Response | 4 question types: math routines, translating representations, experimental design, qualitative/quantitative translation | 95 min | 50% |
Straight answers about the AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based exam — format, credit, dates, and this site.
Section I – Multiple Choice: 42 questions (discrete items and question sets) (85 min, 50% of the total score); Section II – Free Response: 4 question types: math routines, translating representations, experimental design, qualitative/quantitative translation (95 min, 50% of the total score). See the Exam Format tab above for the full breakdown, and always double-check the current year's format on AP Central before test day.
It's multiple-choice questions, written free-response or essay questions, and an independent project with a written or oral component.
It depends entirely on the college — most award credit for a 3 or higher, but many selective schools require a 4 or a 5, and some don't grant credit at all for certain scores. Always check your target college's own AP credit policy page rather than assuming a 3 will count everywhere.
AP exams are administered during the College Board's annual testing window in the first two full weeks of May, with the exact date and time for each subject set by the College Board and announced the preceding fall. Check AP Central or your school's AP coordinator for this year's exact date.
Yes. The unit-by-unit study guide, worked examples, practice quiz, and full-length timed practice exam on this page are all free, with no login, signup, or paywall.
Unit-by-unit breakdown of what the course actually covers, in teaching order.
Temperature as average kinetic energy versus heat as energy transfer, the specific heat equation (Q = mcΔT) and calorimetry problems, phase changes and latent heat (Q = mL), and the first law of thermodynamics (ΔU = Q − W) applied to gas processes (isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, adiabatic) on PV diagrams, plus the ideal gas law (PV = nRT) connecting macroscopic and microscopic descriptions.
Coulomb's law (F = kq1q2/r²) for point charges, electric field as force per unit charge (E = F/q) with field lines showing direction and density showing strength, and electric potential energy/potential (V) as the energy-based alternative description, including potential from point charges and the relationship between E and V (E = -ΔV/Δd for uniform fields).
Ohm's law (V = IR) as the foundation, series circuits (same current, voltage divides, resistances add) versus parallel circuits (same voltage, current divides, reciprocal resistances add), and Kirchhoff's current law (junction rule) and voltage law (loop rule) for analyzing more complex multi-loop circuits, plus power dissipation (P = IV = I²R = V²/R).
Magnetic fields from permanent magnets and current-carrying wires (right-hand rule for direction), the magnetic force on moving charges (F = qvB sin θ) and current-carrying wires, and Faraday's law of induction (EMF = -N ΔΦ/Δt) explaining how a changing magnetic flux through a loop induces current, with Lenz's law determining the induced current's direction to oppose the change.
Reflection (angle of incidence equals angle of reflection) and refraction (Snell's law, n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2) at boundaries between media, ray diagrams for converging/diverging lenses and mirrors using the thin lens equation, and wave phenomena including diffraction and double-slit interference producing bright/dark fringe patterns based on path length differences.
The photoelectric effect (E = hf, threshold frequency, and how it proved light's particle nature), Bohr's atomic model with discrete electron energy levels explaining atomic emission/absorption spectra, and nuclear physics covering the three types of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, gamma), half-life calculations, and mass-energy equivalence (E = mc²) in nuclear reactions.
Concrete, fully worked examples — this is what separates a page reviewers see as genuinely useful from one that just lists topics.
Calorimetry: how much heat is needed to raise 2 kg of water by 15°C? (cwater = 4186 J/kg·°C)
Q = mcΔT = 2 × 4186 × 15 = 125,580 J. On multi-step problems involving a phase change plus a temperature change, compute each stage's heat separately (Q=mcΔT, then Q=mL) and add them — never blend a phase change into the specific-heat formula.
Coulomb's law: find the force between two 2 μC charges 0.5 m apart.
F = kq₁q₂/r² = (8.99×10⁹)(2×10⁻⁶)²/(0.5)² ≈ 0.144 N, repulsive since both charges are positive. Always state the direction (attractive/repulsive) explicitly — it's a separate rubric point from the magnitude.
Series/parallel combo: a 6Ω resistor in series with two 4Ω resistors in parallel, across a 12 V battery. Find total current.
Step 1: Parallel pair: (1/4 + 1/4)⁻¹ = 2Ω.
Step 2: Total resistance: 6 + 2 = 8Ω.
Step 3: I = V/R = 12/8 = 1.5 A. Always reduce a circuit to its single equivalent resistance stage by stage before applying Ohm's law to the whole loop.
Faraday's law: a loop's magnetic flux drops from 0.08 Wb to 0.02 Wb in 0.4 s. Find the induced EMF.
EMF = −NΔΦ/Δt = −(0.02−0.08)/0.4 = 0.15 V (magnitude). Lenz's law then gives the direction: the induced current opposes the decrease in flux, so it flows to try to maintain the original field direction.
Snell's law: light travels from air (n=1.00) into glass (n=1.5) at a 40° angle of incidence. Find the refraction angle.
n₁sinθ₁ = n₂sinθ₂ → sinθ₂ = (1.00)(sin40°)/1.5 ≈ 0.4285 → θ₂ ≈ 25.4°. Light bends toward the normal when entering a denser medium — a quick sanity check against a sign error.
Photoelectric effect: a metal's work function is 2.0 eV. Will light of frequency 6×10¹⁴ Hz eject electrons, and with what max kinetic energy?
Photon energy: E = hf = (4.14×10⁻¹⁴ eV·s)(6×10¹⁴) ≈ 2.48 eV, which exceeds the 2.0 eV work function, so yes, electrons are ejected. Max KE = 2.48 − 2.0 = 0.48 eV. Below the threshold frequency, no electrons are emitted regardless of how intense the light is — intensity affects the number of electrons, not whether ejection happens at all.
The errors that cost the most points across the whole exam, not just one unit.
Unofficial practice questions written for this study guide — not official AP content and not from College Board. Use them to self-check, then use the real past free-response questions below for authentic exam practice.
Unofficial practice, timed to feel like the real thing. Section I pulls from this page's full multiple-choice bank; Section II gives you free-response prompts to write out and self-score against a rubric. Bank size is still growing toward full exam length — timing is paced per-question, not pulled from this subject's official duration.