AP physics as a sophomore?

skieurope
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 15:19:54 +0000

Our school tried AP physics a couple years ago, then stopped, and I guess they are trying it again next year.

While the earlier posts are full of good advice, this quote raises a big red flag for me. Why did the school stop offering it? As an FYI, this is only the 3rd year that AP Physics 1 has been offered and the reality is, the results from years 1 and 2 have been less than stellar. The percentage of students getting 5’s were the lowest of any AP exam each year - about 4%. There are several reasons for this, IMO, which I won’t get into here. One thing that I will say is that while you will need some knowledge of trig, AP Physics 1 is a more conceptual course than a typical honors physics course; it’s not plug-and-chug math.

I’m not saying don’t take it, but go in with eyes open. Having said that, if you enjoy choir, there really is no reason for you to drop choir to try to double up on sciences.

Also note that at most HS’s, AP courses for sophs (and freshman) are limited, so your situation is not unique.