We are all facing challenges and new territory this year. For the first time, students will be taking a shortened AP exam from the comfort of their homes. Whether you are student preparing to take the AP Physics exam or a teacher guiding students, it is important that we think about how we can be ready.
I previously posted tips for the AP Physics 1 and 2 FRQs, but this post will be more targeted to the unique challenge of taking the exam at home.
Many college exams are open book / open note, so these tips may help you even if you aren’t taking the AP Physics exam this year!
1. Use Student-Created Notes
This will be the very first time that the AP Physics exam is open note! While some students may think this means the exam will be easy and they will be able to find the answers online, that is not the case. You can be sure that College Board will give scenarios that are still challenging and require critical thinking.
Remember that students can still use the AP equation sheet, but they can also use other materials. Class notes and student-created fact sheets will be much more beneficial than internet searches. Students should make sure that they are familiar with the notes they are using, so notes they have taken themselves is the best way to go.
2. Prepare Your Resources
Having a notebook full of class notes might be helpful, but it also might be time consuming to flip through a ton of material. Think smarter when preparing resources to help you.
Remember that resources are there to jog your memory or reinforce what you already know, not give the exact answer. Don’t waste time searching for answers. Here are a few things students can do to help prepare their resources:
- Use tabs to mark sections / concepts in a notebook
- Rewrite the equation sheet in a more user-friendly manner or how the equations were learned in class
- Create one page concept “Cliff Notes” sheets
- Create a FRQ checklist of top tips
3. Have an Exam Day Plan
Students will have the option of typing responses or working on paper and submitting a photo. I recommend for AP Physics that students work on paper – this is more in line with what we have been practicing all year. Make sure your cell phone is charged and the camera works if you are using it to photograph your answers. Practice making sure your images come out clear.
College Board has indicated that they will have a tutorial video before the exam day on how the upload process works. Make sure to watch that and know exactly what you are doing.
4. Familiarize Yourself with the AP Physics Exam Format
College Board has all up to date exam information published here.
The 2020 AP Physics 1 and 2 exams will have two free response questions: one qualitative-quantitative translation and one paragraph length response. Students will have 25 minutes to respond to question 1 and 5 minutes to upload their response. Then, they will have 15 minutes for question 2 and 5 minutes of upload time.
AP Physics C will have the same timing, but slightly different question format. Question 1 will be the long-form question with an increased emphasis on analysis and explanations. Question 2 will be a shortened experimental design question.
Remember that not all of the content taught will be on the exam. Don’t focus on the wrong topics. For example, AP Physics 2 will not have any optics or modern physics.
5. Practice AP Physics Exam Day Conditions
At this point, students have reviewed and reviewed and hopefully have main idea down. Now, we need practice. However, not just any practice will suffice. Students need to practice in a timed setting where they cannot just look up the answer when they are stuck.
Here are some tips for practicing smarter:
- Use previously released AP Physics exam questions
- Set a timer when working on the problem
- Do NOT look up the answer if you are stuck. Keep working and try writing something.
- Use the scoring guide or a video, such as the ones College Board is producing, to score the FRQ.
- Score yourself realistically – no “kinda” points