If you’re looking for an AP Physics: C Mechanics score calculator, then look no further. And congratulations: if you’re taking AP Physics C: Mechanics, you’ve already taken your understanding of both physics and math further than I ever did over the course of my entire academic career (a prerequisite of AP Physics C is that you’ve already take calc, or are taking it concurrently). But that doesn’t mean I’m physics-uninterested. On more than one occasion I’ve found myself listening to a podcast about astrophysics, lamenting the fact that I lack the intellectual tools to really understand it. And it’s not just the esoteric stuff like black holes and the expansion of the universe that mystifies me (if the universe is expanding, what the heck is it expanding into?).

I also wish I was more fluent in the physics of everyday life. The arc of a three-pointer or a looping fly ball to center. The momentum of a bike rolling down a hill. Even the gravitational pull of high and low tide. Take it from a physics layperson: a basic understanding of physics, regardless of whether you plan to pursue a career in engineering or science, is worth having. Our AP Physics C: Mechanics score calculator is a great tool to help you prepare for the exam.

AP Physics C Mechanics Score Calculator

What’s on the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam?

The AP Physics C: Mechanics exam is broken up into two parts: a multiple-choice section and a free-response section. The multiple-choice section consists of 35 questions, and students are given 45 minutes to complete it. The free-response section is made up of just 3 questions, and also takes 45 minutes to complete. This makes the total exam time 1 hour and 30 minutes. Each section is weighted equally, accounting for exactly half of a student’s overall score.

Like other AP exams, the questions on the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam can be separated into two broad categories. 1) Those questions pertaining to theory (being able to identify and define key concepts). 2) Praxis (actually using calculus to solve problems related to kinematics, linear momentum, etc.). Students will be confronted with both types of questions throughout the exam.

Note: students may use a four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator throughout the duration of the exam. Also available is a table of commonly used physics equations and formulas.

Equation sheet

The full AP Physics C tables and equation sheet can be found here.

AP Physics C: Mechanics FRQ

Using the AP Physics C: Mechanics score calculator is a great way to prepare for the exam. It’ll help you identify your areas of strength and weakness, and from there, you can adjust your study routine accordingly. But familiarizing yourself with the types of questions you’ll be presented with is also a prudent test prep strategy.

Because the free-response section is made up of just three questions, each question is crucially important. Generally, the free-response questions test a student’s ability to design experiments, create representations of data and physical situations, analyze data, solve physics problems, and use mathematical relationships. Especially important in the free-response section is a student’s ability to support their claims with evidence. In other words: it’s not just about arriving at the correct answer. It’s about justifying your answers with evidence.

Below are two examples of free-response questions from past exams (click the links to access the full versions of the questions).

1) A block of mass m is placed on top of an ideal spring of spring constant k. The block is pushed against the spring, compressing the spring a distance x. Then the block is released from rest, leaves the spring at the position shown in the figure, travels upward, and enters a track with a constant radius of curvature R that has negligible friction. The block enters the tract at point A, maintains contact with the track, and exits horizontally at point B, a distance 3R above the point the block was released.

AP Physics C Mechanics Score Calculator (Continued)

The block then falls to the ground and lands a horizontal distance D from the end of the track. Express all algebraic answers in terms of m, k, x, R, and physical constants, as appropriate. The size of the block is much smaller than the radius of curvature of the track.

• A) Draw and label the forces (not components) that act on the block while still in contact with the track at point B. Each force must be represented by a distinct arrow.

2) In an experiment, students used video analysis to track the motion of an object falling vertically through a fluid in a glass cylinder. The object of m = 12 g is released from rest at the top of the column of fluid. The data for the speed v of the falling object as a function of time t are graphed on the grid below. The dashed curve represents the best fit chosen by the students for these data.

• A) Does the speed of the object increase, decrease, or remain the same?
• B) In a brief statement, describe the direction of the object’s acceleration and how the magnitude of this acceleration changed as the object fell.
• C)Using the graph, calculate an approximate value for the magnitude of the acceleration of the object at t = 0.20 s.

Is AP Physics C: Mechanics hard?

The answer to the above question depends on how we define “hard”. If we go by the percentage of students who receive a passing score of 3 or above, then AP Physics C ranks among the easiest AP courses. According to last year’s data, 73% of students who took the AP Physics C exam received a passing score of 3 or better. To put that in context, the hardest AP course is Physics 1. This course has a pass rate of just 43%. Lastly, the easiest AP course is Chinese Language & Culture, with a pass rate of 88%.

Of course, a course’s ease or difficulty is hardly reducible to the raw percentage of students who pass or fail the exam. Several other, more difficult to quantify, factors determine whether or not a course is easy or difficult, among them: the quality and experience of the teacher and the student’s academic strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

As with any AP exam, preparation is key. This is why a tool like the AP Physics C: Mechanics score calculator is such a valuable tool.

Score distribution

As I mentioned, 73% of AP Physics C exam test-takers received a passing score of 3 or above. Of that 73%, 23% received a 5, 28% received a 4, and 22% received a 3. Of the non-passing cohort, 15% received a 2, and 12% received a 1. The average score in 2022 was a 3.41.

How do I get a 5 on AP Physics: C Mechanics?

Use the AP Physics C: Mechanics calculator to get a feel for how you’d do on the exam. From there, adjust your study routine. But looking to past trends can also help you prepare. If, for example, you know that students typically struggle with a particular content area, you can devote extra time to studying it and not be caught off guard.

So let’s take a look at the 2021 AP Physics C exam results in detail. The first thing to observe—and this applies to most, if not all, AP exams—is that students fare much better on the multiple-choice questions than they do on the free-response questions. What kernel of test-prep wisdom can we pull away from this tidbit? Well, it behooves test takers to spend significant amounts of study time practicing free-response questions. Free-response questions require written explanations and justifications. So even though AP Physics C is hardly a comp lit course, writing—in particular, clarity and conciseness—is paramount. The scoring guidelines for previous free-response questions indicate that correct justifications or explanations are necessary to receive the maximum possible points on any given question.

AP Physics C Mechanics Score Calculator (Continued)

In 2021, students scored best on questions that pertained to Unit 1, Kinematics. Test takers performed worst on questions that pertained to Units 5, 6, and 7, Rotations, Oscillations, and Gravitation, respectively. Of course, this pattern doesn’t guarantee that you’ll absolutely crush the questions on Unit 1 and totally struggle on all the questions related to the latter part of the course. But you can use this info to arm yourself. It’s probably a good idea, no matter how confident you feel about Units 5, 6, or 7, to spend a little extra time studying those content areas.

In terms of praxis, test takers did best on questions that required the use of Science Practice 1, Visual Representations. Here, 12% of students received perfect scores. But on the flip side, only 1% of test takers received a perfect score on questions that required Skill Category 4, Mathematical Routines. Again, these numbers are neither condemnatory nor exculpatory. You should still practice Science Practice 1 even though it’s generally the easiest skill to master. Additionally, you shouldn’t give up on practicing Skill Category 4 just because it’s proven to be the most difficult.

To sum up: use the AP Physics C: Mechanics score calculator, learn from test takers of years past, and prep accordingly.

Additional Resources

In conclusion, we also wanted to suggest checking out some of our other useful calculators such as:

• SAT Score Calculator
• ACT Score Calculator 
• APUSH Score Calculator