AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 1-Month Study Plan

You have four weeks to build mastery in AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. This plan scaffolds each unit: start with foundational concepts and drills, build to multipart problem solving, and culminate in full FRQs by Week 4.

Daily commitment: 2–3 hours. Weekends are lighter (review + 1 FRQ).

Week 1: Electrostatics & Foundations

Day	Topics	MCQ count	FRQ	Notes
Mon	Coulomb's law, electric field ( $E = kq/r^2$ ), superposition	20	None	Algebra & vectors only
Tue	Continuous distributions: ring, rod, disk ( $dE = k \frac{dq}{r^2}$ )	20	3 short setups	Know the integral form
Wed	Electric potential ( $V = -\int E \cdot d\ell$ ), relating $E$ and $V$	18	None	1D derivative: $E = -dV/dr$
Thu	Gauss's law I: statement, choosing Gaussian surface, spherical symmetry	25	1 full (sphere)	This is the unit. Spend time here.
Fri	Gauss's law II: cylindrical & planar symmetry, inside/outside	25	1 full (cylinder)	Drill symmetry recognition
Sat	Review Day 1–5 topics, redo 2 hardest FRQs	—	2 re-worked	Consolidate before Sunday
Sun	Light review + conceptual Q&A (no new problems)	—	—	Rest & reset

Week 1 goal: Recognize Gauss's law as the foundation. Every exam includes a Gauss's law FRQ.

Week 2: Conductors, Capacitors, Circuits

Day	Topics	MCQ count	FRQ	Notes
Mon	Conductors in equilibrium, field inside/outside, surface charge	15	None	Qualitative properties
Tue	Capacitance: definition, parallel-plate formula $C = \epsilon_0 A/d$	20	1 short (energy calc)	Master the three energy forms
Wed	Series & parallel capacitor combinations, reduction	25	1 short (multi-cap)	Opposite of resistor rules
Thu	Dielectrics ( $\kappa$ ), modified capacitance $C = \kappa \epsilon_0 A/d$	15	None	Mostly for context
Fri	Resistivity $R = \rho L/A$ , Kirchhoff's junction & loop rules	20	1 multiloop setup	No solution yet, just setup
Sat	RC Circuits: charging $Q(t) = Q_0(1 - e^{-t/\tau})$ , discharging, $\tau = RC$	20	1 full RC FRQ	This is high-yield
Sun	Review week, light drill	—	—

Week 2 goal: Master RC transient behavior and multiloop Kirchhoff analysis.

Week 3: Magnetism & Induction

Day	Topics	MCQ count	FRQ	Notes
Mon	Lorentz force $\vec F = q\vec v \times \vec B$ , right-hand rule, circular motion	20	1 short (radius of path)	Lots of vector cross products
Tue	Force on current $\vec F = I\vec L \times \vec B$ , parallel current attraction	15	None	Setup & direction only
Wed	Biot-Savart law $d\vec B = \frac{\mu_0 I}{4\pi} \frac{d\vec\ell \times \hat r}{r^2}$ setup (not always integration)	15	1 short (setup only)	Conceptual; full integration rarely asked
Thu	Ampère's law I: $\oint \vec B \cdot d\vec\ell = \mu_0 I_{enc}$ , infinite wire, solenoid	25	1 full (solenoid + force)	Major FRQ archetype
Fri	Ampère's law II: toroid, boundary conditions, $B$ inside vs outside	20	1 full (toroid or thick wire)	Symmetry choice is critical
Sat	Induction Intro: magnetic flux $\Phi_B = \int \vec B \cdot d\vec A$	15	1 short (flux calc)	Setting up the integral
Sun	Review week, light drill, mini mock (25 MCQ)	—	—

Week 3 goal: Lock in Ampère's law symmetry and begin Faraday's law setup.

Week 4: Induction, RL Circuits, Full FRQ Practice & Mock Exams

Day	Topics	MCQ count	FRQ	Notes
Mon	Faraday's law: $\varepsilon = -\frac{d\Phi_B}{dt}$ , Lenz's law (direction), motional EMF	25	1 full (changing flux)	Negative sign = Lenz. Master it.
Tue	RL circuits: inductor $\varepsilon = -L \frac{dI}{dt}$ , charging $I(t) = I_0(1 - e^{-t/\tau})$	20	1 RL FRQ (current vs time)	Parallel to RC, but with current not charge
Wed	Full FRQ practice: 1 Gauss + 1 Ampère + 1 Faraday (90 min total)	—	3 full	Timed, realistic conditions
Thu	FRQ review: common scoring rubric items, rework rubric-incomplete FRQs	—	3 re-worked	Why did you lose points? Cite symmetry, cite Lenz's law, show integral.
Fri	Full mock exam: 35 MCQ + 3 FRQ in 90 minutes	35 + 3 FRQ	—	Calculate your score (see last-minute review)
Sat	Mock review: identify weak units, redo 1 FRQ per weak area	—	1–3	Drill specific gaps
Sun	Final light review + sleep. Skim formula sheet one last time.	—	—	8 hours sleep before exam.

Week 4 goal: Drill all FRQ archetypes under time pressure. Build confidence.

Daily workflow (each day)

Review (30–45 min): Read the textbook section or watch 1–2 Khan Academy videos. Write 2–3 key equations by hand.
Drill MCQ (1 hr): Timed, no calculator except where allowed. Mark and skip tough ones; come back.
FRQ (30–45 min): Work fully. Write the integral or derivative expression, not just the answer.
Self-check: Compare to topic library → or worked examples. Write down your error (e.g., "forgot Lenz's direction" or "used $k$ instead of $\epsilon_0$ ").

Common mistakes by unit (watch for these)

Unit	Trap	Fix
Electrostatics	Forget to cite which symmetry was used for Gauss's law	On FRQs, name the surface (spherical, cylindrical, planar) and explain why symmetry applies
Capacitors	Capacitors in series: treat like resistors	Capacitors in series have same charge, different voltage. Use $\frac{1}{C_{tot}} = \sum \frac{1}{C_i}$
Circuits	Capacitor conducts current in steady state	No. In steady state, $dQ/dt = 0$ , so $I = 0$ through capacitor (open circuit)
Magnetism	Right-hand-rule sign errors	Practice 3 Lorentz & 3 Ampère problems daily until it's automatic
Induction	Forget the negative in $\varepsilon = -\frac{d\Phi_B}{dt}$	That negative sign is Lenz's law. Always cite Lenz when asked for current direction
RL circuits	Confuse $\tau = RC$ and $\tau = L/R$	RC (charge curves), RL (current curves). Write both on your exam reference card.

Weekly mock exam guidelines

After Week 2, 3, 4, administer a 90-minute mock in exam conditions. Score using the rubric in the last-minute review →.

≥70 points = 5
58–69 = 4
42–57 = 3
etc.

If you're at 3 or below after Week 3, spend extra time on FRQ setup and Lenz's law direction (these are 30% of the score and often rushed).

Resources

Struggling with a topic? Browse the full topic library →

FRQ patterns & worked examples? See the FRQ practice guide →

Night-of review? Last-minute formula sheet & traps →

Good luck. You've got a month — use every day deliberately. 🎯