AP Physics 1 3-Day Cram Plan

You have three days until the AP Physics 1 exam. This is not the time to learn new material from scratch — it's time to drill the highest-frequency topics and lock in the FRQ patterns the College Board reuses every year.

This plan assumes ~4 focused hours per day. Skip nothing on the checklist; if you're short on time, shorten the practice sets, not the topic coverage.

Day 1: Kinematics & Translational Dynamics (4 hrs)

Roughly 25% of all AP Physics 1 points live here. Master kinematic graphs and free body diagrams today.

What to review (90 min)

• Kinematics equations: $v = v_0 + at$, $\Delta x = v_0 t + \frac{1}{2}at^2$, $v^2 = v_0^2 + 2a\Delta x$. Know which to use for which question type.
• Graphical kinematics: velocity from slope of $x$ vs $t$, acceleration from slope of $v$ vs $t$. Read graphs fluently; College Board tests this constantly.
• Projectile motion: horizontal and vertical components are independent. $v_x = v_0 \cos\theta$ (constant), $v_y = v_0 \sin\theta - gt$ (changes).
• Newton's three laws: state them verbatim. Law III (action-reaction pairs) appears on nearly every FRQ.
• Free body diagrams (FBD): draw every force separately, label magnitudes and directions, resolve at angles. No FBD = no justification = lost points.
• Inclined planes: resolve weight into components parallel and perpendicular to the plane. $N = mg\cos\theta$, $F_{\parallel} = mg\sin\theta$.

What to practice (2.5 hrs)

• 15 multiple-choice on kinematics and FBDs (no calculator).
• 1 full kinematics FRQ from a past exam (projectile or graphical analysis).
• 5 quick FBD sketches with force components labeled.

💡 Highest leverage: Free body diagrams appear on every single FRQ. If your FBD is wrong, your justification fails even if the math is correct. Drill 10 FBDs tonight.

Day 2: Work, Energy, Power, and Momentum (4 hrs)

These two units combined account for nearly 30% of all AP Physics 1 points. Conservation principles dominate.

What to review (90 min)

• Work-energy theorem: $W_{\text{net}} = \Delta KE = KE_f - KE_i$. Work is force times displacement in the direction of force.
• Kinetic energy: $KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2$.
• Gravitational PE: $PE = mgh$ (near Earth's surface). Choose a reference point and stick to it.
• Spring PE: $PE_{\text{spring}} = \frac{1}{2}kx^2$. Elastic collisions conserve this.
• Power: $P = \frac{W}{t} = \frac{\Delta E}{t}$. Units: watts.
• Impulse-momentum theorem: $\vec{J} = \vec{F}\Delta t = \Delta \vec{p}$. Impulse = change in momentum.
• Conservation of momentum: $\vec{p}_{\text{before}} = \vec{p}_{\text{after}}$. Use this for collisions (elastic and inelastic).
• Elastic vs inelastic: elastic conserves $KE$; inelastic does not. Both conserve momentum.

What to practice (2.5 hrs)

• 1 timed energy conservation FRQ (often involves springs and/or inclines).
• 1 collision/momentum FRQ (elastic or inelastic).
• 15 mixed multiple-choice on energy, power, and momentum.

⚠️ FRQ trap: When asked "Is the collision elastic?" do not guess. Calculate $KE$ before and after. If they're equal, cite "Kinetic energy was conserved," proving the collision is elastic.

Day 3: Rotation, Oscillations, and Full FRQ Practice (4 hrs)

What to review (90 min)

• Rotational kinematics: $\omega = \omega_0 + \alpha t$, $\theta = \omega_0 t + \frac{1}{2}\alpha t^2$. Parallels linear kinematics.
• Torque: $\tau = rF\sin\theta$. $r$ is the perpendicular distance from the pivot; $\sin\theta$ accounts for angle.
• Rotational dynamics: $\tau_{\text{net}} = I\alpha$ (rotational analogue of $\Sigma F = ma$).
• Moment of inertia: $I = \sum m_i r_i^2$. For a disk or rod, use the formula sheet.
• Rotational KE: $KE_{\text{rot}} = \frac{1}{2}I\omega^2$.
• Angular momentum: $L = I\omega$. Conservation of angular momentum: $L_{\text{before}} = L_{\text{after}}$ (when net torque = 0).
• Simple harmonic motion (SHM): displacement $x(t) = A\cos(\omega t + \phi)$. For springs and pendulums.
• Period of a spring: $T = 2\pi\sqrt{\frac{m}{k}}$. Period of a pendulum: $T = 2\pi\sqrt{\frac{L}{g}}$.

What to practice (2.5 hrs — full timed set)

• 1 torque and rotational dynamics FRQ (often involves rolling without slipping or equilibrium).
• 1 SHM or pendulum FRQ (usually asks for period or energy).
• 25 mixed multiple-choice covering all units, strictly timed.

The night before

Skim our last-minute review checklist. Get 8 hours of sleep — short-term memory consolidation is real, and a tired brain confuses $\sin\theta$ and $\cos\theta$ on inclines.

Calculator must-knows

On the calculator section, use these tools efficiently:

1. Numerical integration: calculate work when force varies (rare, but happens).
2. Graph intersections: find collision points or equilibrium positions.
3. Solver function: solve for unknowns in energy or momentum equations quickly.

Do not use the calculator to verify every computation. Spend time on setup and reasoning instead.

Common point-leaks

• Forgetting to draw and label free body diagrams.
• Using $mg\sin\theta$ instead of $mg\cos\theta$ for the normal force on an incline (or vice versa).
• Forgetting momentum is a vector — direction matters. Negative velocity = negative momentum.
• Using kinetic energy formula with speed instead of velocity (sign error in momentum).
• Confusing $\sin\theta$ and $\cos\theta$ when resolving components of torque.
• Forgetting the $\frac{1}{2}$ in $KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2$ or spring PE.
• Not citing conservation laws by name: write "By conservation of momentum, $p_{\text{before}} = p_{\text{after}}$," not just "momentum is conserved."

What this 3-day plan deliberately skips

You will not fully master fluids, advanced rotational scenarios, or damped oscillations in 3 days. If these topics are weak: skim the definitions, do 2-3 example problems, and accept you may lose 3-5 points. Spend the saved time mastering free body diagrams and conservation laws instead.

Ready to start?

Open the AP Physics 1 topic library → and start with whichever Day 1 topic you're weakest on. Mix in 4-6 practice problems per topic from the worked examples. Good luck — you've got this.