IB classes vs AP [physics, prospective physics major]

Applying to College
1

Hi. I’m a rising HS sophomore and I need some advice regarding courses etc.

My school doesn’t offer AP Physics, but it does offer IB physics. I am not in the IB program nor do I plan to be, but this is the only physics my high school offers (besides introductory physics, which I already took), so they’re letting me take it.

My counselor told me that there are two IB physics classes, an easier one and a harder one, and I am only allowed to take the hard one until I’ve completed the easy one.

So, I have a few questions:

  1. What do they mean by “easier” and “harder”? Is it sort of like the difference between calc ab and bc?
  2. If I take the IB class, can I take the AP test? Would I have to do self studying or anything extra?
  3. I know there are multiple AP physics courses. Which IB course aligns with which AP course? For example, is the easier IB class similar to AP physics 1?
  4. Can I double up IB classes with other classes? I also really want to take AP bio.

Thanks!

2

IB subjects like Physics are offered at the Standard Level and the Higher Level. The HL goes into subjects in more depth and requires more instructional hours. They end with taking either the SL or HL exam.

I’m not sure about your school, but the way some US high schools do IB, you can take one or two years of Physics. If you do just one you can take the SL exam at that point. Or you can do a second year and take the HL exam. Or sometimes you can do a second year and still take the SL exam. Here is an example of how that works at one HS:

https://webinfo.uscsd.k12.pa.us/cm-course/ib-physics-sl-standard-level-1st-year-of-two-year-course/

Last I knew, IB Physics, even HL, was not Calculus-based. So that does basically make it roughly equivalent to AP Physics 1 and 2, but not the AP Physics Cs. But SL and HL both cover the topics (more or less) in both AP Physics 1 and 2, it is just again that HL goes into everything in more depth. But for college credit purposes, you need to check. Some might give some sort of credit for both SL and HL (depending on score), some only HL, some for neither.

Unless you need the college credit for Calc-based Physics, I would not particularly advise trying to self-study for any AP Physics tests. The IB tests themselves are quite challenging.

What you can take concurrently is up to your HS, but normally if you have already taken a year of Physics and Chemistry, you should be prepared for AP Bio. You do not normally need AP or IB Physics before AP Bio.

3

Okay, thanks. This is really helpful.

I’m interested in being a physics major, so will it look bad to top colleges if I don’t take the AP tests for physics? Will IB be enough?

Also, how hard are IB tests and classes compared to APs? I know that it’s supposed to be really hard to score a 7 on IBs.

4

What does your school offer in physics outside of IB? Take that. Colleges will also see your school doesn’t offer an AP. You’re not in an IB program so you can’t be expected to take that.

Yes it will be enough.

At most schools Physics is in Arts & Sciences and your high school experience in the subject won’t matter - you’ll be admitted to the college of arts & sciences - and you’ll happen to choose physics as a major. If you’re applying to a high level school, rigor will matter - but there are many ways to get rigor.

Self studying for APs - isn’t good - and if you went to a school that granted credit for it, you’d then be skipping the class and would potentially struggle later.

So to me, take what’s offered - and don’t sweat it at all.

5

Generally speaking if your HS only offers IB Physics for advanced Physics, then it is likely fine to only have taken IB Physics. Obviously you want to do as well as possible, and as a first-year you will need to take some Calculus-based Physics classes other majors might be able to skip. But if you look at the Physics Department pages for undergraduate majors, most have such a sequence available for majors. Which wouldn’t exist if they demanded everyone have already taken Calculus-based Physics in high school.

I think most people find most of them significantly more challenging than their closest AP equivalent. For sure part of that is just the additional score discrimination (going up to 7 and not just 5). But also the whole point of the IB program is to set a high, international standard for what we would call college prep, really university prep. And in most of the world, there is much more emphasis on university prep students being able to succeed at very hard, high stakes tests.

So I think a lot of US students find even the SL tests more challenging than anything they are really used to, and the HL tests are even more challenging than that. They just haven’t really been training for such tests like the students in most of the world.

That said, if you have a good IB instructor it is totally doable. I just would be aware that it is considered very challenging.

1 Like
6

By the way, just to quickly illustrate some of this, I pulled up a more or less random Physics Department, Pitt’s.

In terms of credit, you can look here:

https://admissions.pitt.edu/first-year-student/ap-ib-credit/

It looks like Pitt gives no credit for Physics SL, for a 5 in Physics HL it gives 3 credits for Physics 0110, and for a 6 or 7 it gives 6 credits for 110 and 111.

For APs, if you get 5s on both Physics 1 and 2 you get that 6 credits for 110/111, and if you get a 4 on one and a 5 on the other you get just the 3 credits for 110. Kinda similar to the HL deal.

OK, but for Physics C Mechanics, you can get 4 credits for Physics 0174.

This is the first thing really relevant to majors, because 174 actually satisfies a major requirement (110/111 do not, just general requirements):

But just the one term. So all this really means is if you don’t take, or don’t get a 5 in, AP Physics C Mechanics, you have to take 174, or 475 (the Honors version, which they recommend for majors) your first semester.

And that’s basically it, you are then on the same sequences as other Physics majors who did get that AP Physics C Mechanics 5.

So, yeah. IB Physics HL doesn’t let you skip that one course, Physics C Mechanics (with a 5) does, and also gives you potentially 4 more general credits. But not such a big deal in the greater scheme.

Of course that is just one random department, but I think it illustrates the point. Calc-based APs are fine if convenient, but majors quickly move on, and it is not hard to get on track without the Calc-based APs–assuming you are really good at college level Physics (and Math).

7

I’m not sure the OP must take IB Physics, but if they like Physics, and the HS is letting them, I wouldn’t discourage it either.

It may not do much for admissions (although I do think high IB scores are notable). But I am confident it could do a lot for preparation.

And I really think this point gets lost way too much. Getting into a good college is just the start, the even more important part comes next–doing well in college! And I think kids who have reasonably challenged themselves in HS can end up better prepared as a result.

Indeed, this is basically WHY selective colleges like rigor. It isn’t so much a test of moral virtue, they just know kids who have done more rigorous classes in HS are likely to do better when they hit college classes. Again, they will understand if you did what you could, but why not better prepare yourself (within reason) for the same purpose?

8

Having high school level physics is enough for any physics prerequisite for college physics for physics majors. The math prerequisite is more important – often the college physics for physics majors requires a semester of calculus (or a high enough AP calculus AB score) to start, with the expectation of continuing math along with physics. (Students starting college in calculus 1 may be expected to delay starting the physics sequence by a semester.)

Neither IB physics nor AP physics 1/2 will give advanced placement in college physics for physics majors. AP physics C may, but some colleges do not allow advanced placement for that due to lesser math intensity and/or lesser topic coverage.

1 Like
9

Sorry - I was just trying to answer this question.

10

This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.