Introduction
Taking AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism can be a painful experience if you don’t have the right resources. This tough course includes integral and differential calculus, difficult concepts, and a massive set of equations that you’ll need to memorize. But learning AP® Physics does not have to be filled with suffering. With a comprehensive study guide and the most helpful resources, it can be simple, painless, and maybe even fun.
We’ve created this study guide to review all the essential ideas in AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. This way, you’ll focus only on what you need. Plus, we’ve scoured the web and found the best resources for AP® Physics so you don’t have to look for them. With enough motivation and the right material, you can excel in your AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism exam and learn valuable problem-solving skills along the way.
By the time you finish this AP® Physics C review, you’ll be on the track to becoming a master of electricity and magnetism. Push through this guide and you will be able to use calculus, algebra, and physics to predict and understand electromagnetism.
To get more tips on acing the AP® Physics exam, check out this article onHow to Study for AP® Physics C Electricity and Magnetism.
What You will Need for this One-Month AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Study Guide
If you don’t have the right materials, it will be difficult to score well on the AP® Physics C: E&M exam. We’ve collected a set of the best courses, books, and websites for understanding AP® Physics C. Our study guide is based on the resources listed below, so make sure you have a way to use them. If you can’t get access to any one of these, try to find a substitute.
Albert.io AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism questions.The Albert.io system has hundreds of problems to test your knowledge and it tracks your progress to improve your study. It’s a perfect way to increase your chances on the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism test.
Plenty of practice tests.If you don’t use real AP® exams to practice, there is no way you’ll be prepared for the test. Luckily, there are plenty of online resources that allow you to download official practice tests for free. For instance, there’sCollegeBoard’s AP® Centralfor AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. The AP® Central website is published by the people that designed the AP® test, and it includes a full online practice exam, a multiple-choice exam, and all of the official free response questions since 2004. The main problem is that it’s hard to find full multiple-choice sections. However, we’ve found some rare AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism multiple-choice exams:the 2009 released examand theofficial released practice exam. If you use these resources, you can walk into the AP® exam already familiar with the format and content of the test.
Flashcard site likeQuizletor flashcard app likeAnki.You could also use paper index cards, but those are quite a bit harder to make and study. Anki is great because it uses spaced repetition to remind you to study at the best possible times. If you’re using Quizlet, you can find decks that other AP® Physics C students and teachers have created. For example, this set ofAP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism flashcardswill help you review all the equations you need to know for the exam.
An AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism review book like thePrinceton Review.There are two main options when you’re choosing a review book for AP® Physics C. Princeton Review is great if you need a review, not a full course. In contrast, theBarron’s bookfor AP® Physics: C covers a lot of material that isn’t on the exam, but it is very thorough. Choose your book based on what you need. In this guide, we’ll be referencing the Princeton Review, but you can relate our advice to whatever review book you’re using. If you need help choosing,check out this resource.
Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism on MIT OpenCourseWare.This introductory course is completely free to use and is built for high school students and other people who are new to electromagnetism. It is a phenomenal resource for acing the AP® exam. If you want to complete the entire class, it would be an excellent way to prepare. But in this one-month study guide, we’ll just reference specific parts of the course. Since you’ll be looking at this site often, we recommend making it a bookmark on your browser right now.
The websiteLearnAPPhsics.com.While we will not be using this resource constantly, it is a great way to practice physics. The website includes practice questions for every major section of the AP® Physics course. It also allows you to sign up for an email list, which will send you an AP® Physics practice question every day. Completing a practice question every day is one of the best ways to brush up on your electromagnetism skills and ensure you’re ready for the AP® test.
Viren’s Videos: Free AP® Physics Review.An experienced AP® Physics teacher created this site, and it includes a ton of videos for reviewing the entire course. There are two sections, one for electricity and magnetism and one for mechanics. In this study guide, we’ll only be looking at the electricity and magnetism section. The videos are arranged by topic, and they cover all the important material in AP® Physics C.
Extra Resources for AP® Physics C:Electricity and Magnetism
You probably will not need these resources to pass the test, and you don’t need them to use this study guide. But we might talk about these resources at some point, and they will be super valuable on the AP® Physics test. Since most of them are free, you can use them as an extra way to enhance your study.
A physics textbook.A textbook will allow you to gain a deeper, more mathematical understanding of mechanics. One very solid textbook isPhysics for Scientists and Engineers. For more textbook options, you can check out theCollegeBoard Textbook Suggestions for AP® Physics C. While you’re looking through these textbooks, you should remember that most of them cover both mechanics and electricity and magnetism. You can skip the first part and move straight into electromagnetism, or you can study both subjects at the same time.
TheFeynman Lectures on Physics.Richard Feynman is one of the most influential physicists of the last century. He won the Nobel Prize, helped on the Manhattan Project, and did incredible work in quantum mechanics. Most amazing of all, his introductory lectures are available for free online. This resource is mainlyfor students who are already familiar with most of the AP® Physics C content, and just want to expand their knowledge and increase their understanding.
AP® Physics 2 on KhanAcademy.While this series of videos does not cover any calculus, it is still a wonderful tool to understand the fundamental ideas of electromagnetism. Plus, KhanAcademy has practice questions at the end of each series of videos. These practice quizzes are useful for testing how well youreallyknow the concepts in electromagnetism.
How to Use the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Study Guide
Your study should be based on how prepared you are. If you feel very prepared, for example, you will not spend much time reviewing the basic concepts. Instead, you will focus on answering sample questions and practicing. Before you start using this study guide, you might want to take the diagnostic test at the beginning of the Princeton Review book. Make sure to just take the electricity and magnetism test, not the mechanics test.
Once you’ve taken the test, grade it. If you got a 4 or 5, you’re prepared enough for the test. However, remember that practice tests are easier than the real exam. You should keep reviewing until the test. If you got a 3, you’re somewhat prepared. If you got a 1 or 2, you’re not prepared yet, and you should use this study guide to improve your score before the test.
If you don’t feel prepared at all:Learning the content well enough for the exam will require extra work – you need to study about10 to 15 hours a week. Do not skip any of exercises or practice tests that we assign in this guide. Use this study guide to make the most of your study time, so you don’t waste your valuable hours on material you don’t need to know for the AP® exam.
If you’re somewhat prepared:This guide is an effective way to fill the gaps in your knowledge of AP® Physics. Since you already know most of the course’s concepts, you probably don’t need to learn any new material. Your focus should be on practice. You should study about 10 hours a week in the month before the exam. Every day, practice a few physics problems or answer some AP® questions.
If you’re very prepared:You might have already taken physics before, and maybe you already know a lot. You might have scored a five on a few practice exams. No matter which situation you’re in, you mostly need to focus on polishing your physics abilities. Even if you’re a master, there are almost certainly a few rough spots in your knowledge. This study guide will make sure you know all the content you need to walk out with a five. You should spend at least five hours a week studying for the test in the next 30 days.
We recommend doing a few things every day this month, regardless of how prepared you are. First, you need to make a deck of flashcards for reviewing and memorizing the key equations, terms, and ideas in AP® Physics. Second, you should be taking notes constantly. Use your notes to keep track of what you know and what you need to study. Nearly every day, you should review your notes and go through your flashcards to keep the material fresh.
There are a few main ideas the CollegeBoard wants you to understand for the AP® test:
- Electrostatics –As you might guess from the name, electrostatics is the study of electric charges and fields that don’t move. It is opposed to electric currents, which are electric charges and fields that move across space. About 30% of the questions on the AP® test are about electrostatics. This makes this unit the largest and most important section of AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. In this study guide, we’ll spend several days to help you understand the vital concepts in electrostatics.
- Conductors, Capacitors, Dielectrics–If you want to be an electrical engineer, the concepts in this unit are absolutely essential. Plus, questions about conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics make up about 14% of the AP® exam. You should notice that this is the smallest unit on the AP® test, so this study guide won’t spend too much time on it.
- Electric Circuits–An electric circuit is just a loop of material that allows electrons to flow continuously. But there are plenty of nuances and mathematical principles you have to know to really understand circuits. Questions about electric circuits make up 20% of the average AP® exam.
- Magnetic Fields–Now that you’ve learned about electricity, you need to understand magnetism. Magnetism is a force that acts on electric currents and electrical conductors. A magnetic field is just the area that the magnetic force acts upon. Questions about magnetic fields make up 20% of the AP® test.
- Electromagnetism–One of the most incredible discoveries in physics is that electricity and magnetism are fundamentally the same force. In this unit, you will combine your knowledge of electricity and magnetism to learn about electromagnetism. This unit makes up 16% of a typical AP® test.
We based this guide on a study schedule of six days a week and two hours a day. If you don’t need to review certain ideas, feel free to skip over them. You get a break at the end of each week. However, even on your rest day, you may want to skim over your notes and test yourself on a few flashcards.
If you miss a day, try to catch up the next day. Don’t cram, as it will not be effective in the end.
Week 1
Day 1
We’ll start off this month of studying by making sure you understand what you’re going up against on the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism test. By the end of the day, you should know what you know well and what you don’t know. This is crucial information for deciding what to study.
First, open upAP® Physics C Course Description,and go to page 14 of the document. We would recommend printing this page out, since it describes the entire course. Then, read through the outline carefully. Every time you see a word or concept that you are unfamiliar with, write it down in your notes. You’ll want to come back to these concepts regularly, so put this page somewhere you can find it later.
Then, read pages 26 through 33 of theCourse Description. These pages include a more detailed version of the course outline. Read through them to find out almost everything you’ll need to know for the exam.
After you’ve finished reading, go to page 40 of theCourse Description. This part of the description includes ten practice multiple-choice questions and three practice free-response questions. Set aside some time to answer all of these questions. Go to a place where you won’t be interrupted. After you finish the test, grade your answers. What do you know already? What do you need to learn still?
Hopefully you’re excited to start learning electricity and magnetism! Get some rest today. For the rest of this guide, we’ll be solving problems, learning complex ideas, and practicing your skills.
Day 2
Let’s jump right into learning AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism! The largest unit on the AP® test is Electrostatics. It makes up 30% of the exam – twice as much as some units, and larger than every other unit by at least 10 percent. Because this unit is so important, we’ll spend most of the first week reviewing electrostatics.
First, watchthis lectureby Professor Lewin of MIT Physics. The video might seem outdated and old to you, but it is a phenomenal introduction to electricity and magnetism by one of the best physics professors in the nation. If you’ve already been introduced to electricity and magnetism, you can skip the first 10 minutes of the video without missing too much. Also, you can try speeding up the video with Youtube’s speed adjustment settings.
Then, open up your Princeton Review book. Flip all the way to Chapter 12: Electric Forces and Fields. We’re skipping the other chapters because they focus on mechanics, not electricity and magnetism. Now, read the chapter all the way to page 347. You don’t need to do the chapter drill today. Remember to take notes on everything you learn!
Day 3
Now that you’ve finished reading Chapter 12, you can test yourself on your knowledge. First, read through the notes you took yesterday. If you forgot anything, go back to the book and re-read whatever you don’t remember. Then, take the Chapter 12 Drill on page 348 of the Princeton Review book.
Now, grade yourself on the drill using the answers in Chapter 17 of the book. How did you do? How long did it take you? On the real test, you’ll have about one minute and twenty seconds for each multiple-choice question. So these ten problems should have taken you about twelve minutes or less to finish. If not, don’t worry too much about it, but try to improve your speed as you keep studying.
Then, take the Free Response test for Chapter 12, which starts on page 351 of the Princeton Review book. After you’re done, grade your answers. Look back through the chapter to review any concepts you missed.
Now that you’re done testing yourself on Chapter 12, go toAlbert.ioand work through some problems from the Electrostatics section. Finish all the questions about Charge and Coulomb’s Law, and then work on Electric Fields and Electric Potential. When you’ve answered about 50 questions, evaluate your accuracy. Albert.io will show your performance so far. Use this information to decide what you need to study.
Day 4
Start off your study session by finishing the Electric Fields and Electric Potential section onAlbert.io. If you already completed this yesterday, just skip to the next step.
Now, we’re going to review Gauss’s Law. Watchthis video on Gauss’s Law Basicsas a refresher on this extremely important idea. When you’re done, go back to the Princeton Review book and skim through the section about Gauss’ Law in Chapter 12.
After you finish reviewing, test yourself by going to Albert.io and working through the entire section on Gauss’s Law.
Now, we’re going to do some multiple-choice questions as a comprehensive review of the electrostatics unit. Open up this link:Electric Forces and Fields on Learn AP® Physics. Work through all the multiple-choice problems. As you go, evaluate your performance and see what you need to review. Go back to the Princeton Review and your notes to re-learn anything you missed.
Spend the remainder of your study time today working through the Fields and Potentials section on Albert.io.
Congratulations! You’ve now learned virtually everything you need to know about electrostatics for the AP® exam. That means you’re 30% done with your review! You are making incredible progress in this first week. Take a few minutes to go through your flashcards and notes, and then we’ll get started on the next topic tomorrow.
Day 5
The next major concepts in this AP® Physics C review are conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics. We’ll only spend two days on this unit, since it takes up only 14% of the AP® exam. However, if you want to spend extra time studying it, feel free to do so! It will definitely help you on the AP® test.
First, read through Chapter 13: Electric Potential and Capacitance in the Princeton Review.
When you finish reading the chapter, complete the Chapter 13 drill and grade your performance. Did you do better than you did on the Chapter 12 drill? How long did it take you? Write down all this information in your notes, so you can track your progress over time.
Then, do the Free Response questions for Chapter 13. These questions start on page 393 of the Princeton Review. It should take you about 60 minutes to finish all the free response questions.
That’s it for today! If you have extra time, work through the Electrostatics with Conductors section onAlbert.io.
Day 6
Before we begin, here’s a quick preview of what’s coming next in this guide. In exactly two weeks, we’re going to be taking your first real AP® Physics practice test. You need to know and review all of the basic concepts in AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism before that test. Luckily, we’re already almost done with the first two units.
Now, review your notes from yesterday’s reading. If you forgot anything, go back to the book and try to figure out a way to remember it more effectively. If you can think of a mnemonic or memory device, that is usually the best way to remember concepts in physics. If not, just try to understand the concept deeply and relate it to your everyday life. For example, don’t think of dielectrics as just an abstract concept. Think of them as the white rubber that insulates the wire in your phone charger.
Then, work through all the questions in the Conductors, Capacitors, and Dielectrics section onAlbert.io. Use this to test your knowledge and see what you need to review.
Great work so far! You’ve made it through the first week.
Day 7
It’s been an action-packed week! In the last six days, you have reviewed about 44% of the material that will be tested on the AP® exam. But don’t worry if you don’t remember everything, as you’ll have time to review this later on. Take a break today. Catch up on your sleep and exercise. Over your rest day, try to find some time to review your flashcards or skim through your notes a little bit.
Week 2
Day 8
We’ll start this week by introducing you to electric circuits. Start by opening up the section about currents fromPhysics II on MIT OpenCourseWare. Watch the two lecture videos from this course. Then, go through theConcept Questionsfor these lectures, and answer every question. When you’re done, grade your answers to the questions using thesolutions.
Then, open up Chapter 14: Direct Current Circuits in the Princeton Review. This chapter starts on page 401 of the book. Read the entire chapter, taking notes and making flashcards along the way.
When you’re finished reading, work through some of the Electric Circuits questions onAlbert.io. Answer as many questions as you can in whatever time you have left.
Day 9
Now that you’ve been thoroughly introduced to electric circuits, we’re going to review what you’ve already learned and test your abilities.
You have already read Chapter 14, but you haven’t yet taken the drill. Open to page 427 and complete the drill. Again, this should take you about 12 minutes. If it’s taking you any longer than that, you need to go back and review the concepts and practice your problem-solving skills. Remember to grade the drill so you can see your progress.
Then, flip to page 429 and answer all of the free response questions for Chapter 14. There are only two questions, so it should take you about 30 minutes to finish answering them. When you finish, grade your responses.
To review what you already have learned and to practice answering multiple-choice questions from the AP® exam, go toLearn AP® Physics: Circuits. Don’t worry about any of the videos. Just scroll down to the multiple-choice questions and start answering them. Finish all of them.
Today has been filled with tests and practice. Using all the information you’ve gained about your performance so far, go back and review the concepts you missed frequently. Try to brush up your problem-solving skills and ensure that you know all the mathematical definitions and equations about electric circuits.
Day 10
We have already learned most of the material you need to know for electric circuits and currents. But we still need to practice, increase the depth of your understanding, and make sure you know all the vital ideas from this unit.
Start your review by going toViren’s Videos on Circuits. Don’t try to watch all the videos. Only watch the videos on concepts you need to review. This site splits the circuits unit into two parts: DC and RC currents. Make sure to review both of these parts. Regardless of how well you know this unit, you should watch the following review lectures from Viren’s Videos: video M7, M8, M9, N5, and N6. These videos go over all the key ideas in electric circuits, so they are a great way to review everything you’ve learned in this unit.
Once you’re finished watching the videos, spend the remainder of your study session onAlbert.io. Answer as many questions as you can from the Electric Circuits section. There’s a huge collection of questions in this section, so it will probably take you a while to work through them all.
Give yourself some kind of reward, because you have already finished 64% of the material on the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism exam! You’re about halfway done, and you only have two big ideas left. After that, it’s just a lot of review and practice to make sure you’re prepared for test day.
Day 11
The next major idea in this AP® Physics C study guide is magnetic fields. We’ll introduce you to magnetic fields usingKhanacademy’s videos on magnetism.First, take the skill check at the top of the page. This skill check will evaluate how well you know magnetism already, and then suggest areas for you to study. Taking a quiz before you start reviewing takes out a lot of the work, because it means you don’t have to re-learn ideas you already know.
When you finish the skill check, start watching the videos on all the concepts you missed. As you go through the videos, take each of the quizzes to make sure you really know the material. Just watching videos is not an active way to learn. You need to take notes, make flashcards, and quiz yourself as you watch the videos.
Use the rest of the time today to review your notes and practice your flashcards. If you finish early, go toAlbert.ioand answer as many practice questions as you can. You can answer questions from this unit or from previous units if you haven’t completed them yet.
Day 12
Pull out your Princeton Review book and flip to Chapter 15: Magnetic Forces and Fields on page 435. Read through the chapter, making sure to take notes, highlight, and make flashcards for any ideas you think are important. Focus on the sections that you don’t fully understand.
When you’re finished reading, take the Chapter 15 Drill on page 458. Grade your answers. By this time, you should be able to finish the chapter drills in within 12 to 15 minutes. If you go over 15 minutes, take the drill again. Don’t just circle the same answers – you still need work through each question. But this time, think of ways to solve the problems more quickly. Try to finish the drill as quickly as possible. Even if the first drill took you less than 15 minutes, taking the drill again can be an effective exercise.
Then, answer all the Chapter 15 Free Response questions on page 460. This should take you about an hour at this point. If it took you longer than that, go back through the problems and analyze why you didn’t answer them quickly. Do you really know the material? Is there a faster way to answer the question? Think about optimizing your speed.
Use any remaining time to answer questions from the Magnetic Fields section onAlbert.io.
Day 13
Today is all about reviewing and practicing what you’ve learned about magnetic forces and magnetic fields.
Start by watching some of the review lectures fromViren’s Videos: Electricity and Magnetism. Skip down to section O, on Magnetic Fields. Watch videos O6 through O9 to review magnetic fields. Then, go down to Section P and watch videos P16 and P17. These videos are focused on the practical, problem-solving aspect of physics, so they are an excellent way to prepare for the AP® exam.
Then, answer all the multiple-choice questions fromLearn AP® Physics C: Magnetism.If you get a question wrong, make sure to mark it down and review why you chose the incorrect answer. One of the most important study methods is finding your weaknesses, so you should be constantly writing your mistakes down as you complete practice questions.
Spend the rest of today’s study session working on problems fromAlbert.io. Focus on finishing all the questions from the Magnetic Fields section.
Day 14
Have a reinvigorating rest day! We’re about halfway through the month. In the last 13 days, we’ve already completed our review of 84% of the material on the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism exam. We only have one unit left. If you’ve already made it this far, great work!
Week 3
Day 15
At the end of this week, you will take your first real AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism practice test. We still have two units to go, so we’ll quickly learn the concepts from those units. This week will be very intense, but try to keep up so you can perform as well as possible on the practice exam.
The very last big idea you need to learn is Electromagnetism. The unification of electricity and magnetism is one of the most remarkable concepts in modern physics. In this unit, you’ll learn all about the relationship between these two powerful forces.
Before anything else, read through Chapter 16: Electromagnetic Induction, the very last chapter on electricity and magnetism in the Princeton Review. This chapter starts on page 467. Remember to take notes and add to your flashcards while you read.
Then, start on the questions about Electromagnetism fromAlbert.io. Try to get through at least 30 questions today, but do as many as you can.
Day 16
First of all, we need to finish the Chapter 16 Drill. Open to page 493 of your Princeton Review book and answer all ten multiple-choice questions. Grade your responses and determine what you need to review. This drill should take you about 12 minutes. If it takes you any more than 12 minutes to finish the ten multiple-choice questions, you need to take the drill again. On your second time through, focus on finding ways to answer the questions more quickly.
Then, answer the four free response questions from Chapter 16. It should take you about an hour to finish these questions. If it takes you longer than 60 minutes, go back through your responses and evaluate why you went over the time limit.
You should have about thirty minutes left in your study session today. We’ll use this time to do a quick content review. Watch this shortreview video on Maxwell’s Equations. These equations are an invaluable tool in electromagnetism. Then, practice your knowledge by heading over toAlbert.ioand finishing the section on Maxwell’s Equations.
Next, watch thisreview video on Faraday’s Law and Lenz’s Law. When you finish the video, do as many practice questions as you can from the Inductance section onAlbert.io.
Day 17
It’s been pretty intense in the last few weeks! You have completed a full review of all the content you need to know for the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism test. But you have probably fallen behind in some sections. Maybe you didn’t really understand dielectrics as much as you would like, or maybe you want more practice using Maxwell’s equations. Today is reserved for reviewing and practicing past material.
If you haven’t finished all the questions onAlbert.io, now is the time to check off as many sections as you can. If you notice that you have particularly low accuracy on any given section, try reviewing that section and then answering the questions again.
Finally, if you have extra time, go back to your notes and flashcards. Go through all of your flashcards to make sure you have the material down. Read through your notes. If there are any ideas you don’t remember, open up the Princeton Review book to re-learn them.
Day 18
Today is reserved for a full, comprehensive review of everything you have learned so far. We have some suggestions, but you can use today to review however you would like. It’s a great time to catch up on any area you’ve fallen behind on. If you haven’t completed all the questions onAlbert.io, you should definitely finish that today.
You’re going to want to print out theseElectricity and Magnetism review notes. These notes are a perfect reference for your review over the next couple weeks. But this is essentially an annotated equation sheet; don’t try to rely on it too much. Make sure you know everything on these notes, and add all the equations to your flashcards.
Finally, you need to become familiar with the format and content of the AP® test. Open up theAP® Central for AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. Download one of the free response sections. It doesn’t matter which year’s free response questions you choose to download, as long as they aren’t from 2015 or 2016. We’ll be using those sections in our practice tests.
Read through all the questions and try to solve each of them. Spend about an hour working through the free response section. When you’re finished, go back to AP® Central and download the scoring guidelines. Using these guidelines, try to solve the questions again. The purpose of this free response test is not to examine your knowledge, but to help you improve your ability to answer AP® Physics C free response questions.
Day 19
This is your final review day before your first AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism practice exam! Use your time as wisely as possible.
First, go back to the Princeton Review book and re-read all of the chapter summaries. If you don’t understand a concept in the summary, go back to the chapter and read about the concept again.
Then, do a full review of all the notes you’ve taken so far. Quiz yourself on all of your flashcards. Analyze your progress and see what you need to review.
Open upAlbert.ioand see which sections you still need to finish. You should be mostly done, but we don’t expect you to have completed every question by now. Try to answer as many questions as you can in the time you have left.
Finally, open up the AP® Physics Ccourse descriptionand skim through the outline. Make sure you haven’t missed anything important, and look back at the sample questions again. When you’re done with that, find a random AP® Physics C free response section and work through one of the problems. You can find free response practice tests at theAP® Centralfor AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Day 20
Today we’ll be focused entirely on finishing a full AP® practice exam. Open up your Princeton Review book and go to the section called Practice Test 2. This test includes both multiple-choice and free response, and you should complete both sections. Remember, you have 45 minutes to answer all 35 questions in the multiple-choice section and 45 minutes for the three questions in the free response section. Don’t worry about the mechanics section; you just need to take the electricity and magnetism part of the test.
Find a quiet, isolated place where you can just focus on the test. Time yourself as you work through the exam. Set aside about 2 hours and 30 minutes to finish and grade the test.
After you are finished, take a break for about 15 minutes. Then go back to the exam and check your answers. Review all the answers you got wrong and try to understand why.
Grade your practice test and review all the answers you got wrong. Use the answer explanations, the rest of your Princeton Review book, and the other resources in this study guide to understand why you made these mistakes.
What did you get? How much have you improved in the last two weeks? Use your score to analyze your progress so far. Next week, we’ll take another practice exam.
Day 21
Have a wonderful rest day! There are only nine days left until the end of the month, but you have made a massive amount of progress. You’re already done reviewing all the AP® course material! Take some time to rest, and avoid worrying about the exam.
Week 4
Day 22
The AP® exam is getting closer and closer, but you have already equipped yourself with almost everything you need to get the score you want. However, you’re probably starting to lose your grasp of some of the concepts you have reviewed in the last two weeks. We’re going to use this week to get back up to speed and ensure that your skills are polished enough for the AP® exam.
First of all, we need to make sure that you’ve finished every single question onAlbert.io. Go back and finish any sections that you haven’t completed yet.
The Albert.io system tracks your progress and analyzes your accuracy over time. You should see statistics about your accuracy on each section. Spend extra time reviewing and completing questions from sections that you have low accuracy on.
If you have extra time after finishing each and every question on Albert.io, work on reviewing your flashcards. Try to focus on the cards you get wrong frequently.
Day 23
Today, we’re going to focus on learning everything about the Free Response section of the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism test. You have already taken a full practice test and you have already gone through a free response section, but we still need to go more in-depth.
Before you answer any AP® Physics free response questions, we need to decide on a strategy for completing the free response section. Watch this video,8 General Suggestions for the Free Response Section of Any AP® Physics Exam, and use it to create your own personal strategy.
Here are some basic tips from Albert.io about how to ace the free response section.
- First, do the easiest question first. It makes you more efficient and ensures that you get at least a few points on the free response section.
- Second, be organized. If you’re disorganized in your answers, it’s hard for graders to give you a good score.
- Third, show all your work. In all math-based exams, you need to show every step in your problem-solving process. This is especially true for AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, where it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll always get the correct answer. Even if you get the answer wrong, you can get points for your correct work. Write out all your equations and write down any important relationships.
Now that you have a strategy, it’s time to test it out against some real free response sections. Start by downloading theAP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism free response questions from 2014.You can find all the released AP® Physics C free response exams onAP® Central.Set aside 45 minutes to answer all the questions in this section. Find a place where you won’t be interrupted. Treat it like a real exam. Remember to write down all your work.
When you finish the exam, download theScoring Guidelinesfor 2014. Try to grade your exam like an AP® grader would. Only give yourself points if you match the grading key. Be strict and rigorous with yourself, because most AP® graders are not going to give you any slack for having “almost right” answers.
When you’re done, evaluate your performance. What did you miss? What did you understand? You can go back toAP® Centralto look at real sample responses and see statistics about each question. Remember, you don’t have to get every single question right. In fact, in 2014, the average percentage correct on the free response section was only 47%, which is about a high three on the AP® test. If you got more than 50% of the points on this practice free response test, you’re on the track to a 5.
Day 24
In two days, we’re going to be taking our final practice test before the AP® exam. To prepare for that, we’re going to spend today reviewing even more previous AP® Physics C free response questions.
First of all, go toAP® Central. Scroll down to 2015 on the AP® Physics C section and download the free response questions.
Follow the same routine as yesterday: find an isolated spot, time yourself as you take the test, and then grade your test as an AP® grader would.
When you’re finished taking the test and grading yourself, review your progress. Did you do better or worse than yesterday? Do you notice any concepts that you missed on both tests?
For the rest of the day, analyze your tests and try to find ways to improve your score. For example, let’s say you missed part (c) of the third question on the 2014 exam. This question is about Gauss’s Law. Then you missed parts (a)(ii) and (a)(iii) on question one of the 2015 exam. These parts also test your knowledge of Gauss’s Law. If this happens, go back to the unit on Electric Fields and Electric Potential in this study guide and start reviewing Gauss’s law. UseAlbert.ioto identify your weaknesses and improve your knowledge.
Day 25
Tomorrow we’ll be taking the second practice test. To prepare for the test, we’re going to do a comprehensive review of the material.
Before you start reviewing the study guide, pull out all the practice tests you’ve taken so far. Go through each practice test, including the free response sections you did on Day 23 and Day 24, and determine what areas you don’t understand. As you go through all your previous practice tests, write down a list of all the concepts you need to study.
Then, make an ordered, ranked list of these concepts. Based on your previous practice tests, decide what your top three missed ideas are. For example, maybe you are struggling with finding electric potentials, the Ampere’s law, and Maxwell’s equations. Decide what your top five or top 10 missed concepts are as well.
After you have decided what you need to review, go through this study guide and skip to the sections you missed the most. If you missed a ton of problems from our first unit, Electric Forces and Fields, go back to that unit and try skimming through it again.
Focus on reviewing your previous practice exams. These are a personalized way to examine exactly how you would perform on a real AP® test. Use them as much as you can.
If you have extra time, review all of your flashcards and notes.
Day 26
Today you will take your last practice exam before the real AP® test. We’re going to use an official exam from the CollegeBoard. These official released exams are very similar to the test, so they’re one of the best ways to prepare. Open up the2012 Released Practice Exam for AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, which is the most recent official practice exam from the CollegeBoard. Finishing it will give you a clear and accurate picture of how you’re going to do on the AP® exam.
If you’re feeling terrible today, you can delay this practice test to tomorrow or your rest day. You want a real practice test experience, not one that will just intimidate you.
It is vital that you find a place where you won’t be interrupted for at least an hour and 45 minutes. The AP® test takes an hour and 30 minutes, but you want some extra time for the break between the two sections.
Good luck! Remember to grade your results and analyze your progress when you’re finished.
Day 27
We have been pushing through this AP® Physics C study guide at an insane pace for the last few weeks. Today is your catch-up day. You’ve probably missed a few assignments. Maybe you didn’t review a certain concept enough. Use today to go back and finish what you started.
Here are a few things that you should have done by now. If you haven’t finished them, try to complete them today.
- Complete all of the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism questions on Albert.io.
- Read chapters 12 through 16 of the Princeton Review book.
- Finish at least three practice exams and two free response practice tests.
- Have a full deck of flashcards for all the equations and terms in AP® Physics C.
- Notes on all the major topics and notes about your progress in understanding the key concepts of AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Day 28
Today is your last rest day before the end of this one-month study guide! Use it productively, but not too productively. What does that mean? Well, try to do something fun. You’ve already gone through 28 days of intense studying. Your determination over the last month shows that you’re more than ready for the exam. At this point, if you’re close to test day, it’s more productive to lightly review than to study intensely and try to learn all the material in a few days. Remember to eat well, sleep fully, and exercise often.
Week 5
Day 29
Today is the last day of content review in this 30-day guide. After this, you should just be reviewing and preparing.
Start by watching thisReview of All Topics in AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. There are two parts, each about 20 minutes long. Watch both videos and take notes. If you don’t understand or don’t remember any of the concepts, write it down!
After you finish watching the videos, go back to your flashcards, your notes, and your Albert.io account. Review anything you haven’t studied yet. Re-read parts of the Princeton Review book, and skim over all the chapter summaries. Make sure you have memorized all the vocabulary and equations you’ll need on the AP® Physics test. The AP® exam is approaching!
Day 30
You’re finished!In the last 30 days, you have reviewed all of the material you need to excel on AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism exam. If you completed this entire study guide, you don’t need to worry about the AP® test.
What Should I do to Prepare for the AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Test Day?
What you do now depends on how much time you have before your exam. If you’re a week or two away, spend the remaining time reviewing your notes and flashcards, taking more practice exams, working on Albert.io, and even working on the Physics II course from MIT.
If you’re less than a week away, just relax a little. Your score isn’t going to change too much because you spend five hours studying the day before the test. Now, this doesn’t mean you should stop studying. In the week before the test, spend an hour or two every day reviewing past material. Don’t take any practice tests within a week of the test. This will just hurt your confidence.
If you’re going to study, do something you enjoy. For example, you could try to solve some interesting physics problems. You could watch some physics videos from Khanacademy, TED, or Youtube. Try to think about the videos on a deeper level. You could even practice with Albert.io if you like.
We need to repeat this again, since most students forget: don’t try to learn new material when you’re close to test day. Focus on practicing the things you are already familiar with. This will improve your confidence and help you get ready to ace the exam.
Final Wrap up: The One-Month AP® Physics C Study Guide
By completing this AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism One-Month Study Guide, you have shown a tremendous amount of determination, aptitude, and dedication. You have completed hundreds of AP® Physics multiple-choice questions. You have mastered the AP® Physics C free response section and answered an incredible amount of free response questions. You have finishedAlbert.io’s full AP® Physics C review. You have read all the electricity and magnetism chapters of the Princeton Review book. You have built up a huge deck of flashcards you can use to prepare in the future. Finally, you have developed extremely valuable skills in physics, science, and problem solving. Even if you don’t see it now, what you have learned in this study guide will help you throughout college and your career.
With whatever time you have after you finish this guide, you should be regularly going over your notes and flashcards, working through problems, and completing practice questions. Get at least eight hours of sleep each night, eat a healthy diet, and exercise frequently in the week before the test. After completing this 30-day guide, you should feel very confident in your knowledge of AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Let us know what you thought of this AP® Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism study guide. What worked well for you? What methods do you use to study? What is your favorite part of physics, electricity, and magnetism?
Looking forAP® Physics C: E & M practice?
Kickstartyour AP® Physics C: E & M prepwith Albert.Start your AP® exam prep today.
