AP Physics 1 Exam Date 2025: Key Dates and Test-Day Guide
2025 AP Physics 1 Exam Date
The 2025 AP Physics 1 exam date is Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. local time. That’s the official date set by the College Board for the in-school paper exam, and it applies to students in the United States and most international schools. AP Physics 1 is the College Board’s algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course covering mechanics. Because it’s a paper-based exam rather than a digital one, it runs in the standard AP morning slot.
Here’s what you need to know about registration, exam format (including new 2025 content), and how to prepare.
2025 AP Physics 1 Exam Date
The exam is administered as a single session on the morning of May 15, 2025. Students testing at their own schools arrive for an 8:00 a.m. start, though schools often ask students to report 15–30 minutes earlier for check-in and seating.
For students in schools that administer AP exams in the late-testing window, a separate date is available later in May; that requires approval from the school’s AP coordinator.
One planning note: AP Physics 1 is algebra-based and intentionally different from AP Physics C: Mechanics, which requires calculus. If you’re deciding between the two, the algebra-based course is the typical entry point, and the May 15 date applies specifically to Physics 1.
Registration and Late Testing
Registration is handled through your school’s AP coordinator, not directly with the College Board. Your first step is confirming whether your school offers AP Physics 1 and what its internal deadline is — many schools collect registration and payment in the fall, well before the November deadline the College Board sets for most schools.
A few practical points:
- Exam fees: The standard fee for 2025 is $98 per exam in the U.S., with fee reductions available for students with financial need. Schools may add a small administrative fee.
- Late registration: If you miss your school’s deadline, you can often still register for a late fee (commonly around $40 extra), provided space and materials allow.
- Late testing: Students who cannot test on May 15 — due to illness, a scheduling conflict with another AP exam, or a religious observance — may be eligible for the late-testing window. This is arranged exclusively through your AP coordinator and requires documentation.
Deadlines vary by school, so check with your coordinator early rather than relying on national dates alone. Visit AP Central for the official calendar and fee schedule, and College Board for general program information.
Exam Format and Topics
The AP Physics 1 exam is two hours and 40 minutes long and is divided into two sections that contribute equally to your score.
| Section | Questions | Time | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: Multiple Choice | 40 questions | 80 minutes | 50% |
| Section II: Free Response | 4 questions | 100 minutes | 50% |
The multiple-choice section is single-select and split roughly between discrete questions and questions grouped around a shared stimulus, such as an experiment description or graph. The free-response section includes mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design, and qualitative/quantitative reasoning — including one question that asks you to design and justify an experiment.
The 2025 curriculum change: fluids
The biggest update for 2025 is that fluids was added to AP Physics 1. In February 2024, the College Board announced curriculum changes for its AP Physics courses, moving fluids from AP Physics 2 into Physics 1 as the final unit. Fluids now makes up roughly 10–15% of the exam. Alongside this, the College Board made minor adjustments — such as providing equations for simple harmonic motion and for connections between rotational and translational motion.
The rest of the course remains focused on mechanics: kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotation, oscillations, and waves. If you’re studying from older review books, verify they include fluids, since prep materials published before 2025 may omit it entirely.
Test-Day Guide and Prep
On exam day, bring your photo ID, several sharpened No. 2 pencils, an approved calculator, and a watch (a phone won’t work — phones must be off and put away). Your school will typically provide scratch paper or a formula sheet, but an approved graphing or scientific calculator is essential for both sections.
For preparation, focus your effort where the exam rewards it:
- Practice with released free-response questions. Timing yourself on four-question sets trains you for the 100-minute pace better than re-reading notes.
- Build a one-page reference sheet of the equations, including the newly supplied simple harmonic motion relationships, so you’re not hunting for them mid-exam.
- Work a short example: if a 2 kg block accelerates at 3 m/s² across a frictionless surface, Newton’s second law gives F = ma = 2 × 3 = 6 N net force. Chaining calculations like this builds the speed you need for multiple choice.
- Don’t neglect fluids in the final weeks — it’s a small share of the exam but easy to overlook if your primary resources predate the 2025 revision.
Sleep well the night before, eat breakfast, and treat the morning of May 15 as a performance: arrive early, read each question fully, and show your reasoning in free response even when the final answer isn’t certain. For official course and exam descriptions and score information, the AP Physics 1 page and AP Central are the most reliable starting points.
Key Takeaways
- The 2025 AP Physics 1 exam is Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. local time.
- Registration goes through your school’s AP coordinator, with national deadlines set in the fall and late registration incurring an extra fee.
- The exam has a 40-question, 80-minute multiple-choice section and a 4-question, 100-minute free-response section, each worth 50%.
- Fluids is new to AP Physics 1 in 2025, worth roughly 10–15% of the exam — a change announced in February 2024.
- Bring an approved calculator, pencils, ID, and a watch; confirm your school’s specific reporting time and materials in advance.
