Not to hijack the thread but asking a related question since the OP brought it up:
For students who took Physics 1 Semester 1, then Physics 2 Semester 2 (I’m assuming it was an Honors class because it was a P - college prep - course) during 2019-2020 - and were sent home late Spring to complete classes remotely: could a student still conceivably brush up on their past course work and take the AP test/tests this year (May 2023)? (Didn’t have a chance to back then, and may not get another Physics class in high school as they dropped AP Physics this year.)
Also, does Physics 1 (for a semester) correspond to the AP Physics 1 test, and Physics 2 (second semester) correspond the the AP Physics 2 test? Apologies if this question is redundant, but the OP’s original post about their youngest’s experience on the AP Physics 1 exam was illuminating about the type of class needed to prep for the Algebra-based Physics tests.
The purpose of taking the AP Physics 1 & 2 tests this (junior) year would be to have some AP Physics tests on the transcript and demonstrate basic Physics proficiency to satisfy Mechanical Engineering admission requirements. It would not be to place in a higher-level Physics course, as our family, like @CMCMLM’s, regards physics as a foundational STEM class for their degree. And also, as @ucbalumnus points out, AP Physics is less likely to be a match in material coverage and depth to introductory college physics courses (compared to AP Calculus).
(I also think doing a school’s old tests in key subject areas of interest is a great way for a student to get an idea of the post-secondary workload before they set foot on campus. Bombing the first mid-term can be a shocking experience for most first-year students.)