Online AP Physics Tutor

About the AP Physics Exam  
The AP Physics Exams is conducted for two levels, ie AP Physics B and AP Physics C

AP Physics B Exam 

Duration : 3 HOURS

Exam Format : The exam comprises of two sections: the first is a 70-question multiple-choice section followed by a free-response section with 6 to 7 questions. Both the sections carry equal weightage and one composite final grade is given for the B exams.

AP Physics C Exam:

Exam Format and Duration : The Physics exam consists of two exams of 1 hour and 30 minutes each.

Physics C has two exams:

  • Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism)

  • Physics C (Mechanics) 

A student has the option to take either or both exams. Separate grades are reported for each of the exams.

Number and Type of questions: Each exam consists of two sections : a 35-question multiple-choice section and a free-response section consisting generally of 3 questions of 5 minutes each. The two sections are weighted equally in the determination of each grade.
Use of Calculators

Calculators are allowed on the free-response section of all exams. Any programmable or graphing calculator may be used except as given below. Students are not required to erase their calculator memories before and after the exam

Exceptions to calculator use. Calculators that are not permitted are PowerBooks and portable/handheld computers; electronic writing pads or pen-input/stylus-driven devices (e.g., Palm, PDAs, Casio ClassPad 300); pocket organizers; models with QWERTY (i.e., typewriter) keypads (e.g., TI-92 Plus, Voyage 200); models with paper tapes; models that make noise or ” talk ” ; models that require an electrical outlet; cell phone calculators. Students may not share calculators.

Calculators are NOT permitted on the multiple-choice sections of the Physics B and Physics C exams

Equation Tables: While taking the Free Response Secion, tables containing commonly used physics equations are printed in the green insert provided with each exam for students to use.

Laboratory and experimental situations:

Each exam has one or more questions or parts of questions based on a laboratory or experimental setting. These questions are generally aimed at assessing understanding of content as well as experimental skills.

Study Packages

The study packages for AP Physics Exam are available here. The packages can be customized as per your requirements.

Diagnostic Test. The students are first put through a diagnostic test to assess their strengths and areas where they may need greater emphasis.

Study Topics .The study topics which are covered in the AP Physics B and AP Physics C exam have been given out below.


Study Topics for AP Physics B and AP Physics C
Content Area Percentage Goals for Exams
Physics B
Physics C
I.   Newtonian Mechanics ……………………… 35% 100%
A. Kinematics (including vectors, vector algebra,components of vectors, coordinate systems,
displacement, velocity and acceleration)		 7% 18%
1. Motion in one dimension √ √
    2. Motion in two dimensions, including projectile motion √ √
B. Newton’s laws of motion 9% 20%
1. Static equilibrium (first law) √ √
2. Dynamics of a single particle (second law) √ √
3. Systems of two or more objects (third law) √ √
C. Work, energy, power 5% 14%
1. Work and work–energy theorem √ √
2. Forces and potential energy √ √
3. Conservation of energy √ √
4. Power √ √
D. Systems of particles, linear momentum 4% 12%
1. Center of mass √
2. Impulse and momentum √ √
3. Conservation of linear momentum, collisions √ √
E. Circular motion and rotation 4% 18%
1. Uniform circular motion √
2. Torque and rotational statics √
3. Rotational kinematics and dynamics √ √
4. Angular momentum and its conservation √ √
F. Oscillations and gravitation 6% 18%
1. Simple harmonic motion (dynamics and energy relationships) √ √
2. Mass on a spring √ √
3. Pendulum and other oscillations √ √
4. Newton’s law of gravity √ √
5. Orbits of planets and satellites
a. Circular √ √
b. General √
II. Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics………………………. 15%
A. Fluid Mechanics 6%
1. Hydrostatic pressure √
2. Buoyancy √
3. Fluid flow continuity √
4. Bernoulli’s equation √
B. Temperature and heat 2%
1. Mechanical equivalent of heat √
2. Heat transfer and thermal expansion √
C. Kinetic theory and thermodynamics 7%
1. Ideal gases
a. Kinetic model √
b. Ideal gas law √
2. Laws of thermodynamics
a. First law (including processes on pV diagrams) √
b. Second law (including heat engines) √
III. Electricity and Magnetism ………………………………. 25% 100%
A. Electrostatics 5% 30%
1. Charge and Coulomb’s law √ √
2. Electric field and electric potential (including point charges) √ √
3. Gauss’s law √
4. Fields and potentials of other charge distributions √
B. Conductors, capacitors, dielectrics 4% 14%
1. Electrostatics with conductors √ √
2. Capacitors
a. Capacitance √ √
b. Parallel plate √ √
c. Spherical and cylindrical √
3. Dielectrics √
C. Electric circuits 7% 20%
1. Current, resistance, power √ √
2. Steady-state direct current circuits with batteries and resistors only √ √
3. Capacitors in circuits
a. Steady state √ √
b. Transients in rc circuits √
D. Magnetic Fields 4% 20%
1. Forces on moving charges in magnetic field √ √
2. Forces on current-carrying wires in magnetic fields √ √
3. Fields of long current-carrying wires √ √
4. Biot–Savart law and Ampere’s law √
E. Electromagnetism 5% 16%
1. Electromagnetic induction (including Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law) √ √
2. Inductance (including lr and lc circuits) √
3. Maxwell’s equations √
IV. Waves and Optics …………………………. 15%
A. Wave motion (including sound) 5%
1. Traveling waves √
2. Wave propagation √
3. Standing waves √
4. Superposition √
B. Physical optics 5%
1. Interference and diffraction √
2. Dispersion of light and the electromagnetic spectrum √
C. Geometric optics 5%
1. Reflection and refraction √
2. Mirrors √
3. Lenses √
V. Atomic and Nuclear Physics …………………………………… 10%
A. Atomic physics and quantum effects 7%
1. Photons, the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, x-rays √
2. Atomic energy levels √
3. Wave-particle duality √
B. Nuclear physics 3%
1. Nuclear reactions (including conservation of mass number and charge) √
2. Mass–energy equivalence √