The multiple choice sections of the AP® Physics C exams are often where students lose points due to improper exam preparation or a lack of understanding of what the questions are asking. However, using these five steps, you are sure to get a high score on the AP® Physics C multiple choice section of the exam.

1. Understand What You Are Being Tested On

This first step may seem simple or straightforward, but many students get questions wrong because they failed to understand what the questions were asking. The questions in the AP® Physics C multiple choice sections of the exams ask you to take the physics formulas and concepts that you have learned in class and use them in a given situation to find a solution. The questions are NOT asking you to take the formulas and concepts you have learned and apply them to questions with greater depth; you will be tested on that in the free response section of the exam. With an understanding of the material to be covered, the questions should be easy to answer. This brings us to the more literal part of understanding. There is a breadth of topics that you should be well versed in before taking the exam. You do not need to know the details of each topic, but you should have a working knowledge of the relevant formulas and basic concepts for each topic.

2. Create a Formula Sheet

Go through each topic that will be on the exam, and note the equations that you should know to solve basic problems on those topics. Then, find a way to remember those formulas. The best way to do this is to make flash cards with the name of the formula or a problem that would use it on one side, and the formula itself on the reverse. Use the flashcards to quiz yourself on the formulas you need to know, and when you take practice exams try to write down as many formulas as you can remember on the first page of the test, so that you do not have to worry about remembering the correct formulas for each problem you come across.

3. Take a Practice Multiple Choice Exam

Taking old AP® exams from previous years is one of the best ways to prepare for the multiple choice section of the exam, because these exams cover the same material in the same manner as the actual exam. Try to take as many practice exams as possible before the actual exam to make sure you are comfortable with the format of the exam. One thing that many students overlook while taking practice exams is making sure the practice exams are relevant. The AP® Physics C curriculum has changed over the past couple decades, so some tests will cover different material than the exam that you will take. If you take an exam and notice material that you have not seen before, show it to someone who knows the material to make sure it is okay to use for review. Albert.io offers hundreds of AP® Physics C practice questions for you to work through.

4. Review Wrong Answers

Although taking the practice exams in order to get comfortable with the process is important, understanding why you are getting questions wrong is even more important. After taking practice exams, try to write down or circle all of the questions you got wrong and review them at the end of your study session. If you got a question wrong because you did not understand the topic, you should review that topic or ask for help. If you got a question wrong because you did not understand the question, you should look at similar questions and their answers to get an idea of what the question is asking for. You should also review the questions with a teacher or a student who has previously done well on the exam, as they should be able to tell you whether you are applying the material correctly. Keep reviewing the types of questions you get wrong until you get them consistently right.

5. Take a Timed Exam

While understanding the material that will be covered on the exam is probably the most important part of preparing for the AP® Physics C multiple choice section, one of the hardest parts of the is not learning the information that will be on the exam, but finishing the exam within the given time period. This is also the part that most students do not prepare for. On the AP® Physics C multiple choice section you will be given 45 minutes to answer 35 multiple choice questions, and many students find that at the end of that period they have not answered all of the questions. You are much more likely to score high on the multiple choice section of the exam if you finish the section, so take a practice exam under testing conditions.

The AP® Physics multiple choice section may seem difficult or daunting, but that is because most students make the mistake of not properly reviewing for the exam. Proper review can mean the difference between walking into the exam completely confident in your abilities, and walking in unsure of how you will do. If you use these five steps, you will be completely prepared to ace the AP® Physics multiple choice section.

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