AP Physics and AP Chem in Junior

writerzt71
Sun, 08 May 2016 21:30:19 +0000

@annamom Since the AP Physics 1 redesign, there has been a substantial drop in student performance on the exam. About 66% of test takers failed the AP Physics 1 exam in 2015, which was the first year of the redesigned test. The curve on the AP exam is harsher, and I think I used my calculator only three or four times on the entire AP Physics 1 test this past Tuesday. In addition, many teachers have yet to catch on and adjust their teaching methods to the new style of the course, which leans more heavily towards conceptual thinking rather than mathematical calculations. My teacher simply taught us the math this year, but none of us really knew the concepts behind physics so our class average was typically 60 or below on tests.

I also took AP Chemistry this year (along with AP Physics) and found it to be much easier than physics. The course was redesigned in 2013 and likewise is geared more towards conceptual thinking, but math is still prevalent in AP Chemistry. Many teachers have adjusted their teaching methods to the new exam and there is plenty of test prep material out there that caters to the redesign. Moreover, at least in my opinion, chemistry is just easier to understand than physics.

I definitely recommend AP Chemistry to your daughter. It’s a challenging class, but she can certainly succeed with enough effort. Science/math are my weak subjects but I worked very hard and achieved an A. I believe that your daughter could handle both Chem and Physics in the same year, but she may find physics to be more frustrating, and her ADD might compound her success in a course in which many teachers do not teach too well and there are not an abundance of resources to assist in one’s understanding.