Night before
Physics 2 cram sheet
Every unit on AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based, with the multiple-choice weighting from the CED and the topics the framework actually names. Then the exam format and the 2025 score facts, sourced from College Board.
How the exam is scored
- Length: 3 hours.
- 42 multiple-choice questions, 85 minutes, 50% of exam score.
- 4 free-response questions, 95 minutes, 50% of exam score: Mathematical Routines, Translation Between Representations, Experimental Design and Analysis, Qualitative/Quantitative Translation.
- A four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator is allowed on both sections of the exam.
In 2025, 72.6% of 24,322 students scored a 3 or higher, mean 3.38 (official score distributions). That is the published distribution. It is not a personal 1 to 5 predictor.
Units and MCQ weight
Unit 9: Thermodynamics
15-18% of the multiple-choice section
- 9.1 Kinetic Theory of Temperature and Pressure
- 9.2 The Ideal Gas Law
- 9.3 Thermal Energy Transfer and Equilibrium
- 9.4 The First Law of Thermodynamics
- 9.5 Specific Heat and Thermal Conductivity
- 9.6 Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Unit 10: Electric Force, Field, and Potential
15-18% of the multiple-choice section
- 10.1 Electric Charge and Electric Force
- 10.2 Conservation of Electric Charge and the Process of Charging
- 10.3 Electric Fields
- 10.4 Electric Potential Energy
- 10.5 Electric Potential
- 10.6 Capacitors
- 10.7 Conservation of Electric Energy
Unit 11: Electric Circuits
15-18% of the multiple-choice section
- 11.1 Electric Current
- 11.2 Simple Circuits
- 11.3 Resistance, Resistivity, and Ohm's Law
- 11.4 Electric Power
- 11.5 Compound Direct Current (DC) Circuits
- 11.6 Kirchhoff's Loop Rule
- 11.7 Kirchhoff's Junction Rule
- 11.8 Resistor-Capacitor (RC) Circuits
Unit 12: Magnetism and Electromagnetism
12-15% of the multiple-choice section
- 12.1 Magnetic Fields
- 12.2 Magnetism and Moving Charges
- 12.3 Magnetism and Current-Carrying Wires
- 12.4 Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday's Law
Unit 13: Geometric Optics
12-15% of the multiple-choice section
- 13.1 Reflection
- 13.2 Images Formed by Mirrors
- 13.3 Refraction
- 13.4 Images Formed by Lenses
Unit 14: Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics
12-15% of the multiple-choice section
- 14.1 Properties of Wave Pulses and Waves
- 14.2 Periodic Waves
- 14.3 Boundary Behavior of Waves and Polarization
- 14.4 Electromagnetic Waves
- 14.5 The Doppler Effect
- 14.6 Wave Interference and Standing Waves
- 14.7 Diffraction
- 14.8 Double-Slit Interference and Diffraction Gratings
- 14.9 Thin-Film Interference
Unit 15: Modern Physics
12-15% of the multiple-choice section
- 15.1 Quantum Theory and Wave-Particle Duality
- 15.2 The Bohr Model of Atomic Structure
- 15.3 Emission and Absorption Spectra
- 15.4 Blackbody Radiation
- 15.5 The Photoelectric Effect
- 15.6 Compton Scattering
- 15.7 Fission, Fusion, and Nuclear Decay
- 15.8 Types of Radioactive Decay
Equation sheet: the Physics 2 sheet. Projectile, step by step: walk through a launch. Course hub: AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based.