AP Physics 2 Study Schedules
Choose a pre-built study schedule covering fluids, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics — automatically scheduled for you.
4-Week AP Physics 2 Sprint
Rapid review of all AP Physics 2 topics — fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics — for students needing a final exam push.
10-Week AP Physics 2 Plan
Balanced study schedule covering all AP Physics 2 units systematically — fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics — with conceptual lessons, problem solving, and quizzes.
16-Week AP Physics 2 Mastery
Complete, in-depth preparation for AP Physics 2 covering every unit with conceptual understanding, quantitative problem solving, lab analysis, and multiple full-length practice exams. Ideal for students aiming for a 5.
Schedules are added to your dashboard (Practice › Study schedules), where you can track progress, check off tasks, and adjust the dates. Want to know what to study first? Take the course diagnostic for a personal study plan.
These study plans break exam prep into a day-by-day schedule, with options sized for different timelines — from a full runway down to a final-weeks push. Whichever plan you pick is added to your dashboard planner, where you can check off tasks and adjust the pace as you go. Choose the one that matches the time you actually have.
About the AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based exam
AP Physics 2 is an algebra-based, second-year physics course that picks up where Physics 1 leaves off and, after the 2024-25 redesign, no longer includes fluids (now part of Physics 1). The course concentrates on thermodynamics; electric force, field, and potential; electric circuits; magnetism and electromagnetic induction; geometric and physical optics; waves and sound; and modern physics, including quantum, atomic, and nuclear phenomena along with topics like blackbody radiation and Compton scattering added in the revision. As an algebra-based course it avoids calculus but demands sophisticated conceptual reasoning across a broad range of phenomena that are often less intuitive than mechanics. Students must reason about invisible fields, energy at the particulate and electromagnetic level, and wave behavior, and they must connect microscopic models to macroscopic observations. The exam, like Physics 1, emphasizes explanation and argumentation: free-response questions require translating between representations, designing experiments, and justifying conclusions in clear prose, not just computing answers. Common difficulties include applying conservation principles in electrical and thermal contexts, keeping track of signs and directions for fields and forces, and analyzing circuits with combinations of resistors and capacitors. Optics trips up many students because ray diagrams, lens/mirror equations, and interference all require careful sign conventions and geometric reasoning. The four-option multiple-choice format and removal of multi-select questions match the broader AP Physics redesign. The most effective preparation revisits Physics 1 reasoning habits while drilling each new domain conceptually, practicing released free-response questions against official rubrics, and treating diagrams, equations, and words as equivalent ways to express the same physics.
Exam structure
Two sections over 3 hours, each worth 50%: Section I is 40 single-select multiple-choice questions (four options) in 80 minutes; Section II is 4 free-response questions in 100 minutes with varying point values, spanning question types such as mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design, and qualitative/quantitative translation.
Scoring
Section I (50%) and Section II (50%) combine into a composite that is converted to the reported AP score of 1 to 5.
Common mistakes
- Losing track of signs and directions for electric and magnetic fields, forces, and potentials
- Misanalyzing circuits, especially series/parallel resistor combinations and capacitor behavior in steady state versus transient conditions
- Mishandling optics sign conventions in lens and mirror equations and confusing real versus virtual, inverted versus upright images
- Applying conservation of energy and charge incorrectly in thermal and electrical contexts
- Computing numerical answers without the conceptual justification and clear reasoning the free-response rubrics require