So, you're in AP Physics, and the big question is always, "Am I cruising through the syllabus fast enough for the big AP Exam?" It's a legitimate concern, and you're not alone in thinking about it.
For many different reasons ( and we will look at them in a future post), teachers tend to take a long time on each topic and cover very few units in the first semester.
So how can you know if you are “on track”? It’s easier than you think, and the College Board will help us with that (I’m sure I surprised you with that one!)
Let’s start by taking a look at the framework for the course as defined by the College Board in their Course and Exam Description: In both cases, AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C Mechanics, the material is divided into 7 commonly taught units:
AP Physics 1
Unit 1: Kinematics (12%–18%)
Unit 2: Dynamics (16%–20%)
Unit 3: Circular Motion and Gravitation (6%–8%)
Unit 4: Energy (20%–28%)
Unit 5: Momentum (12%–18%)
Unit 6: Simple Harmonic Motion (4%–6%)
Unit 7: Torque and Rotational Motion (12%–18%)
AP Physics C Mechanics
Unit 1: Kinematics (14%–20%)
Unit 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion (17%–23%)
Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power (14%–17%)
Unit 4: Systems of Particles and Linear Momentum (14%–17%)
Unit 5: Rotation (14%–20%)
Unit 6: Oscillations (6%–14%)
Unit 7: Gravitation (6%–14%)
Even though the names of the units might be different, the topics covered by both courses are basically the same (the depth and approach changes, though). Now, if I am going to take a final exam in a class, I definitely like to have some time right before th exam where I can review all the topics, practice some problems, and get more comfortable with the exam format. It makes sense to finish the syllabus at the very minimum 3-4 weeks before the AP Exam and use that time for reviewing using exclusively true AP Material.
AP Exams are always scheduled on the first two weeks of May, with Physics being on the second week most of the time. But if you are taking this class, you are most likely taking a bunch of other APs, so being realistic, you will be reviewing other classes during that week. That puts us by the end of April, and we want to set aside almost all month for review.
Hopefully, by now, you can see that my approach is kind of “reverse engineering.” So, ideally, we want to be done with the syllabus by the end of March or the beginning of April. As a rule of thumb, and considering that not every class follows the exact same order, you want to have worked on kinematics, dynamics (forces), circular motion, and energy by the end of December.
“But that is more than 50 % of the syllabus!” my students always tell me. And believe me, I know, but I also know that the second semester tends to run shorter, students tend to have more extra-curricular activities and/or more absences, and, if you are a senior, you are already thinking about Prom by February!
This is the pace that I usually follow with my classes:
September: Kinematics - Dynamics
October: Dynamics - Circular motion
November - December: Energy (and midterm, of course!)
And if we get really lucky and have some extra time, I jump to the end and cover simple harmonic motion/oscillations.
We are just coming back to school after the holiday break, your teacher should be just starting Unit 4, which covers impulse and momentum.
I hope this information proves helpful to you, but if you have any doubts or questions or you need help determining if you are moving at the right pace, book a 15-minute free consultation with me by clicking below.
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