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AP Physics 2 practice test: free questions, exam format and 2027 date

Published 8 Nov 20268 min read

AP Physics 2

AP Physics 1

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Each daily paper has 8 original questions worth 25 to 35 marks, and you need both to cover AP Physics 2. The AP Physics 2 paper covers thermal physics and ideal gases, electric and magnetic fields, induction, capacitors, radioactivity and mass-energy. Its gravitation, circular motion and simple harmonic motion questions are AP Physics 1 topics, so skip them. The AP Physics 1 paper adds DC circuits, waves, refraction and diffraction, and the photoelectric effect.

AP Physics 2 exam format for 2027

Section	Questions	Time	Share of score
I: Multiple choice	42	1 hour 25 minutes	50%
II: Free response	4	1 hour 35 minutes	50%
Total	46	3 hours	100%

It is a hybrid digital exam: multiple choice in the Bluebook app, free-response answers handwritten in a paper booklet. The four free-response questions are one each of mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design, and qualitative/quantitative translation. You can use a four-function, scientific or graphing calculator on both sections, Bluebook has a built-in Desmos calculator, and College Board provides equation sheets and reference tables.

AP Physics 2 units

Unit	Share of exam score	Practice it on Uni-Sine
9. Thermodynamics	15% to 18%	Gas Laws and Specific Heat calculators
10. Electric Force, Field, and Potential	15% to 18%	Electric Force Calculator, Field Lines
11. Electric Circuits	15% to 18%	Circuit Builder, Electricity course
12. Magnetism and Electromagnetism	12% to 15%	AP Physics 2 daily paper
13. Geometric Optics	12% to 15%	Ray Optics simulator, Refraction Calculator
14. Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics	12% to 15%	Wave Speed and Wave Interference tools
15. Modern Physics	12% to 15%	Light and Energy course, Half-Life Calculator

The units are numbered on from AP Physics 1, and the weights are spread evenly, so no unit can be skipped. College Board recommends AP Physics 1 or a similar course first, with precalculus before or alongside. The tools: Gas Laws, Specific Heat, Electric Force, Field Lines, Circuit Builder, Electricity course, Ray Optics, Refraction, Wave Speed, Wave Interference, Light and Energy course and Half-Life.

AP Physics 2 practice test questions with answers

We wrote these for this page. Try each before reading the working.

1. Thermodynamics: the first law

Question: A gas absorbs 500 J of heat while it expands and does 200 J of work on its surroundings. Find the change in its internal energy.

AP Physics writes the first law as ΔU = Q + W, where W is the work done on the gas. The gas does 200 J of work, so W = −200 J and ΔU = 500 − 200 = +300 J. Its internal energy, and so its temperature, rises. Getting the sign of W backward is the most common slip.

2. Electric force: Coulomb's law

Question: Charges of +3.0 μC and −2.0 μC are 0.30 m apart. Find the force between them, using k = 9.0 × 10⁹ N m²/C².

F = \frac{k|q_1 q_2|}{r^2} = \frac{(9.0 \times 10^9)(3.0 \times 10^{-6})(2.0 \times 10^{-6})}{0.30^2} = 0.60\ \text{N}

The force is 0.60 N, attractive because the charges are opposite. Doubling the distance would cut it to a quarter. The Electric Force Calculator checks these.

3. Circuits: series and parallel

Question: A 12 V battery is connected to a 4 Ω resistor in series with a pair of resistors, 6 Ω and 3 Ω, that are in parallel with each other. Find the current from the battery and the current in the 3 Ω resistor.

The parallel pair is 1 ÷ (1/6 + 1/3) = 2 Ω, so the total resistance is 4 + 2 = 6 Ω and the battery current is 12 ÷ 6 = 2.0 A. The parallel pair takes 2.0 × 2 = 4.0 V, so the 3 Ω resistor carries 4.0 ÷ 3 = 1.33 A and the 6 Ω one carries 0.67 A. Check with Kirchhoff's junction rule: 1.33 + 0.67 = 2.0 A. Build it in the Circuit Builder to see the same values.

4. Geometric optics: a converging lens

Question: An object stands 15 cm from a converging lens with a focal length of 10 cm. Find where the image forms and describe it.

\frac{1}{d_i} = \frac{1}{f} - \frac{1}{d_o} = \frac{1}{10} - \frac{1}{15} = \frac{1}{30} \ \ \text{so}\ \ d_i = 30\ \text{cm}

The magnification is −d_i ÷ d_o = −2, so the image is 30 cm behind the lens, real, inverted and twice the size. The ray diagram shows it: a ray parallel to the axis bends through the focal point F, a ray through the center of the lens goes straight on, and they meet at the top of the image.

O is the top of the object and I the top of the image: two rays from O meet at I

Try your own lenses in the Ray Optics simulator.

5. Modern physics: the photoelectric effect

Question: Light of wavelength 300 nm shines on a metal with a work function of 2.3 eV. What is the greatest kinetic energy an electron can leave the surface with? Use hc = 1240 eV nm.

Each photon carries E = hc ÷ λ = 1240 ÷ 300 = 4.13 eV. Subtract the work function: K_max = 4.13 − 2.3 = 1.83 eV. Brighter light of the same wavelength releases more electrons, not faster ones, which is the evidence for photons. Try a photon energy question from our Light and Energy course, then press Mark.

Press Mark to have your answer marked in the Light & Energy course.

AP Physics 2 scores, date and deadlines

In 2026, 20% of AP Physics 2 students scored 5, 29% scored 4, 23% scored 3, 21% scored 2 and 7% scored 1, so 72% scored 3 or higher. College Board calls a 5 extremely well qualified, a 4 very well qualified and a 3 qualified, and each college sets its own credit policy.

Exam: Thursday, May 6, 2027, in the morning session, at 8 a.m. local time in the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Washington, D.C.
Ordering deadline: November 13, 2026, through your school's AP coordinator. Your school may set an earlier date.
Fee: $99 in the US, US territories and Canada, $129 elsewhere, plus $40 for exams ordered from November 14 to March 12.
Scores: released in July 2027.

Use the daily papers as short timed practice tests

Alternate the AP Physics 2 paper and the AP Physics 1 paper, and work to the suggested time, 35 to 45 minutes.
Skip the questions on topics outside AP Physics 2, listed at the top of this page.
Where a question asks you to explain, give the physics principle in words as well as the equation.
Mark it and note the AP unit behind each lost mark.

Common AP Physics 2 mistakes

Sign of work in the first law: in ΔU = Q + W, W is the work done on the gas.
Adding parallel resistances directly: add their reciprocals.
Forgetting that r is squared in Coulomb's law.
Mixing up real and virtual images: a positive image distance for a lens means a real image on the far side.
Saying brighter light gives faster photoelectrons: only a shorter wavelength does that.

Common questions

How long is the AP Physics 2 exam?

3 hours: 1 hour 25 minutes for 42 multiple-choice questions and 1 hour 35 minutes for 4 free-response questions, each section worth half the score.

Do you need AP Physics 1 before AP Physics 2?

College Board recommends AP Physics 1 or a comparable introductory physics course first, and precalculus taken before or at the same time.

Is there an AP Physics 2 mock exam?

Mock exam is the British term. In the US it is a practice test or practice exam, run with the real timing. It doesn't count toward your AP score.

Are these real AP Physics 2 questions?

No. They are original. Use AP Central and AP Classroom for College Board's own questions.

Revision cards

Test yourself, then flip each card to check.

Where to go next

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