AP Physics 1 units and exam format for 2027

AP Physics 1 is a dynamic, engaging course designed to provide high school students with budding interests in science and mathematics the opportunity to master introductory college-level physics concepts (and potentially earn valuable college credit). Just as physical objects shift and change due to external forces, the AP Physics 1 class and its exam have evolved over recent years. To succeed on the test, you must become familiar with the specific units covered in the curriculum and understand the latest AP Physics 1 exam format, distribution methods, and recent updates. Equipped with a reliable AP Physics 1 study guide and accurate course information, you can concentrate your preparation on the current version of the test. This focus will help you avoid confusion from outdated or conflicting online resources and ensure your study efforts align with today’s official standards.

AP Physics 1 exam format

Let’s start with the basics: understanding the test format. Here’s how the AP Physics 1 exam is structured, starting with the May 2027 exam:

Each major section contributes equally toward your final score, with each accounting for 50% of your total results. You are allowed to use a calculator throughout the exam, provided that it’s a permitted four-function, scientific, or graphing model. Bluebook also has a built-in Desmos calculator.

Now that you have clarity on the exam structure and expectations, you can craft a plan that ensures a thorough review of all course and exam units.

The eight AP Physics 1 units

The standard AP Physics 1 curriculum is organized into eight key units:

Unit 1: Kinematics (10-15% of multiple-choice score)

• The first unit of AP Physics 1 introduces kinematics, the study of motion, which is essential for understanding the relationships among force, mass, and energy. This section helps you develop the insight to learn later on how objects move both linearly and rotationally.
• Topics include: Scalars and vectors in one dimension; displacement, velocity, and acceleration; representing motion; reference frames; relative motion; vectors; and motion in two dimensions.

Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics (18-23% of multiple-choice score)

• Building on Unit 1, this section of AP Physics 1 focuses on force and translational dynamics. Here, you’ll revisit earlier concepts to explore how forces act between objects.
• Topics include: Systems and center of mass, forces and free-body diagrams, Newton’s three laws of motion, gravitational force, kinetic and static friction, spring forces, and circular motion.

Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power (18-23% of multiple-choice score)

• This unit in the AP Physics 1 units sequence delves into work, energy, and power.
• Topics include: Translational kinetic energy, work, potential energy, conservation of energy, and power.

Unit 4: Linear Momentum (10-15% of multiple-choice score)

• The fourth unit in the AP Physics 1 framework explores linear momentum, force, and time.
• Topics include: Linear momentum, change in momentum and impulse, conservation of linear momentum, and elastic and inelastic collisions.

Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics (10-15% of multiple-choice score)

• This unit applies previous models to analyze rotational motion.
• Topics include: Rotational kinematics, connecting linear and rotational motion, torque, rotational inertia, rotational equilibrium, Newton’s First Law (rotational form), and Newton’s Second Law (rotational form).

Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems (5-8% of multiple-choice score)

• In this section of the AP Physics 1 units, you’ll examine how energy and momentum apply to rotating systems.
• Topics include: Rotational kinetic energy, torque and work, angular momentum and angular impulse, conservation of angular momentum, rolling motion, and orbiting satellites.

Unit 7: Oscillations (5-8% of multiple-choice score)

• The seventh unit in the AP Physics 1 units sequence covers oscillations. Here you’ll use previously learned models to analyze simple harmonic motion.
• Topics include: Defining simple harmonic motion (SHM), frequency and period of SHM, representing and analyzing SHM, and energy in simple harmonic oscillators.

Unit 8: Fluids (10-15% of multiple-choice score)

• The final unit in the updated AP Physics 1 units explores fluids.
• Topics include: Internal structure and density of fluids, pressure, fluids and Newton’s laws, and fluids with conservation laws.

The first three AP Physics 1 units serve as the building blocks for all subsequent topics. Notably, the Fluids unit moved to AP Physics 1 from AP Physics 2 in the 2024-25 school year and was first tested in May 2025, reflecting recent changes to the course and exam structure.

What’s new in the AP Physics 1 exam

In the 2024-2025 school year, the AP Physics 1 exam and course went through a redesign, introducing new topics and adjusting the format of the test:

• The biggest change by far was the addition of Unit 8: Fluids, which exposes students to advanced conceptual thinking about fluid motion and the movement of objects through non-solids.
• The course adds connections between rotational and translational motion, such as how rotational and translational acceleration, velocity, and position relate, and covers topics like the parallel axis theorem and rolling with and without slipping. It also adds learning objectives on power and the equations of motion for simple harmonic motion.
• Exams went from a primarily paper-based format to a hybrid format.
• You answer the multiple-choice questions and read the free-response questions in the College Board Bluebook application, but you handwrite your free-response answers in a paper exam booklet.
• The number of multiple-choice questions decreased from 50 to 40, and will go up to 42 starting with the May 2027 exam onward.
• The exam now has four free-response questions instead of five.
• Free-response questions follow task-based exercises that fall under the same categories for each AP Physics exam:
  • Mathematical routines
  • Translation between representations
  • Experimental design and analysis
  • Qualitative/quantitative translation
• The multiple-choice section went from 90 to 80 minutes, and the free-response section from 90 to 100 minutes. (Each section still counts for 50% of your score, as it did before.)
• “Pick two answers,” “select more than one,” and “clear, coherent paragraph” style questions have been removed.
• The two AP Physics C exams no longer share one exam session. If you’re taking more than one physics exam, check the exam schedule, though: in May 2027, AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism are in the same Wednesday afternoon slot, so you’d ask your AP coordinator about late testing for one of them.

These changes have been in effect since May of 2025. For the May 2027 exam, College Board made one more update: the multiple-choice section now has 42 questions in 85 minutes (up from 40 questions in 80 minutes), and the free-response section is 95 minutes (down from 100). The exam is still three hours long, and you’ll still answer multiple-choice questions in Bluebook and handwrite your free-response answers on paper.

Why were these changes made?

• Making the two algebra-based courses build on each other in order: fluids moved from AP Physics 2 to AP Physics 1, while waves, sound, and electric circuits, which AP Physics 1 used to cover, moved to AP Physics 2.
• Ensuring consistency across different AP Physics tests (AP Physics 2 and the AP Physics C sequence).
• Making the course frameworks clearer, after feedback from teachers, so it’s easier to see which concepts are “in scope” for the exam.

While the test and course still cover a lot of content, the exam format is now more streamlined and better reflects the subject matter and level of rigor expected in an introductory physics class.

What hasn’t changed

While the structure of the course and the exam have been altered in some significant ways, the fundamental core of AP Physics 1 was relatively untouched:

• Many of the units from the previous course are still in place
• The exam is still three hours long
  • This is now true of all four AP Physics exams, which is a major shift for the AP Physics C exams, which were previously half as long (90 minutes each)
• You’ll still be provided a reference sheet with equations and formulas on the test day
• The purpose of the class, training students in the foundations of physics at the college level using algebraic methods, remains unchanged

The new AP exam is neither “easier” nor “harder” than those administered in previous years; it just has a slightly different format and range of topics.

What’s not covered

Since AP Physics 1 is an introductory, algebra-based course, the following topics and techniques are not taught in the class:

• Relativity (AP Physics 2 introduces modern physics, including mass-energy equivalence, but special relativity isn’t part of AP Physics 1 or 2)
• Thermodynamics and entropy (these are also taught in AP Physics 2)
• Quantum physics (AP Physics 2 introduces it through topics like wave-particle duality and the photoelectric effect) and astrophysics (not part of AP Physics 1 or 2)
• Calculus-based analysis (part of the AP Physics C curriculum)
• Electricity and magnetism (covered in AP Physics 2 and the focus of the second course in the AP Physics C series)

Students who are interested in taking a class that covers similar items but employs calculus for analysis should look into AP Physics C: Mechanics. Otherwise, students who want to explore more advanced physics topics but prefer algebra should stick to the AP Physics 1 and 2 track.

What to know before taking your exam

Because of the recent changes to the AP Physics course and exam, you want to make sure your preparation reflects the most current version of the test. This is especially important if you’re studying for the test independently, rather than taking the course in school, and are relying heavily on online tools.

When approaching your prep, follow these rules:

• Always use up-to-date, accurate study resources, whether from the College Board or high-quality third-party providers.
• Review the latest version of the AP Physics 1 Course and Exam Description (CED).
• Bring topics like fluids to life with exciting lab exercises. Your teacher will host lab sessions in class, but you can also try free virtual fluids experiments at home.
• AI chatbots can act as convenient virtual study buddies, but sometimes the information they share directly from the web can be outdated. Verify what’s written if something seems off using trusted sources, or upload your own notes from class to create custom tools.
• Get comfortable with visual representations, charts, and graphs. AP Physics 1 is very image- and diagram-heavy.
• Practice using mock questions and full-length tests that match the format of today’s exam (42 multiple-choice questions for the May 2027 exam, including questions on fluids and additional rotational motion topics; question styles have been updated).
• When in doubt, ask your teacher or virtual instructor if you’re confused about a topic.

Reputable resources will be updated at this point to reflect the new exam. Still, it’s always good to double-check that your study materials are timely and up to par for the best studying experience.

Final thoughts

Preparing for the AP Physics 1 exam, a challenging, three-hour assessment, can feel nerve-wracking, especially if you’re unsure about what the test expects from you. Begin your AP Physics 1 study guide by reviewing the key course themes, understanding the heavily weighted topics, and familiarizing yourself with how the test is structured and administered, which will give you clarity and peace of mind as exam day approaches. The version of the AP Physics 1 exam distributed after 2024 features significant updates, offering a more streamlined, focused test experience than in previous years. Committing to dedicated preparation and aiming for an excellent performance on the final exam will set you up for continued growth in science, whether you choose to advance in physics or explore new academic challenges.