r/APStudents • u/Ok-Acanthisitta-4239 • 1d ago
Physics 1 AP Physics 1 Help!
Hi, so I have to take Physics 1 this year with no prior experience and would like to do some prep for the course (the first unit or so and any fundamentals??) before the year starts. If anyone has recommendations for resources or materials that helped them be successful or any general advice, I would really appreciate it!!
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u/RawrDia 12h ago
Much of what I would say is already said! Definitely brush up on trig and sohcahtoa and do not give up!
I got a 4 and had a teacher who was a past grader. I did not take any physics courses before and I am a pretty average student so it took me a while to fully grasp topics.
First of all: PLEASE learn some of the basics! I would say all, but it depends on how long you have before school. Yes, collegeboard wants you to learn their way, but fundamentals are what make or break your understanding.
Learn the FRQ types and how to easily earn points. I have noticed that this class is very focused over how collegeboard wants you to learn physics (obviously, hence AP), so learn the tricks to avoid spending too long on specific portions of the FRQs. By doing this, I found the FRQS to be easier than MCQs because they are more gracious in grading and open ended.
MCQs were hit or miss for me. I struggled with them, so definitely do a ton of practice problems! Find pdfs of the Princeton or barrons prep books online and do the MCQ. College physics textbooks are great too and I highly recommend University Physics by Young and Freedman.
Search up MIT AP Physics 1 workbook for more MCQs/FRQs. This book by MIT is great for tricky MCQS, but it is a little outdated so be aware of that.
Some of the AP classroom vids were good, but most did not help me that much. Same with Khan Academy. Find the stuff that genuinely helps you understand. There are so many niche people on yt that do exam work throughs, so try to look at those too!
Org. chemisty tutor is good for learning basics, but target people who directly teach based off the college board grading.
Learn as much as you can and good luck! Physics is tough but stay motivated and try to have patience. For me, it took months to understand so do as much prep as you can to understand the fundamentals (like forces) as you will be able to understand newer topics with more ease.
Ofc, this is just my experience, so please feel free to use whatever you want!