What is the chance of getting 5s on both AP Physics C exams without taking the course?

I’m currently a junior in high school, and my school doesn’t offer AP Physics C as a part of their curriculum (because of low standards? I really don’t know) - so instead I resorted to the highest level of physics offered in my school, AP Physics 1. I am currently taking AP Calc BC and I have taken AP Calc AB last year(so I have background knowledge of calculus) and I am aware that the concepts in these courses will tie into the Physics C concepts. My dad is a physics major, and I am hoping that he will aid me in an attempt to ace these exams. Hopefully I am not getting too ahead of myself, but the reason I am rushing these exams is that many universities outside of the U.S. require 5s in both AP Physics C exams for a physics major, and Calc BC for a maths major (and application season is right after the AP exam) Although I would like to think that education systems outside of the States are flexible enough that one can transfer from a maths major to a physics major, I have heard quite the contrary about international education systems. I’m probably just posting this for false reassurance, but I’m also a bit curious. Also, my physics C exam can be delayed to May 19 because I will have three exams on May 8, so maybe that’ll give me extra time to study?

Universities in most countries admit you to study a specific subject in a specific way, and they expect you to be ready for it- and, yes they are generally inflexible (though there are double courses, such as Physics + Math)

Nobody who doesn’t know you, how quickly you grasp physics, your overall workload, your self-discipline & determination, your Dad’s ability, availability & willingness to teach you, etc. can say whether it is possible. Imo starting to self-teach oneself the courses 16 weeks before the exam seems quite the challenge- but there are certainly people who are capable of doing that successfully.

But: what country are you applying to? Most unis won’t expect you to have completed all of the requirements for admission by the end of your penultimate year. For example, in the UK nearly all applicants apply with ‘predicted’ grades for the exams that they will take at the end of the final year. There is some stress in that- you get an offer ‘conditional’ on achieving the required mark- but for you it would allow you to spread the work over the year.

I am applying to the University of Delft, Cambridge, Imperial College of London, and other technical universities within the U.S. :slight_smile:

Do you speak Dutch, or are you applying for Aerospace Engineering, Applied Earth Sciences or Nanobiology at Delft?

You’ll need that Calc BC for both Cambridge & Imperial, whether you apply for physics or maths, and either Bio or Chem for Cambridge.

Cambridge & Imperial will both give you a conditional offer, based on what you are missing from their requirements.

AP Physics I doesn’t cover most of the topics on the EM tests; it covers a very small amount of circuits.

However, if you learned Phys I well enough to be poised to get a 5 on the AP Phys. 1 test, your dad can probably teach you the small extension you need to pass the AP Physics C ME test. Basically:

(A) know how to express 1-d kinematics problems as
a=dv/dt
v=dx/dt

Be able to differentiate and integrate and … mostly that’s it.
(B) Know how to find work, potential energy and what not by integrating. (So if you have a non-hookean spring be able to integrate (F(x)dx) to get work where F(x) equals something different from “kx”.

It seems to me in Mechanics all integrals will be polynomials. (Wracking my brain to remember if there’s ever been a non-polynomial… but I think not in ME)

You would need to learn the AP Phys C EM portion on your own in their entirety. That would be a tough climb.