AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam 2020

Makeup test date and times

Date: June 1

Hawaii Time: 8 a.m.

Alaska Time: 10 a.m.

Pacific Time: 11 a.m.

Mountain Time: 12 p.m.

Central Time: 1 p.m.

Eastern Time: 2 p.m.

See more time zones

Exam conflicts

If you have two makeup exams at the same time, you’ll be able to take one in the makeup testing window and the other in the final exception testing window in late June.

Exam timing

On exam day, you'll click on the link in your e-ticket 30 minutes before the start time for your exam and fill in some information.

A timer will show how much time remains until the start of the exam.

Once the exam starts, the first exam question will automatically appear, and another timer will start counting down.

Your timer will show 30 minutes. You should take 25 minutes to read the question and work on your response, and 5 minutes to submit it. When the timer gets to 5 minutes, an alert will show. Stop working at that time and begin to submit your response. Once your response to Question 1 has been submitted, you can’t go back to it.

When your submission for Question 1 is complete, the second exam question will appear and the timer will show 20 minutes. You should take 15 minutes to read the question and work on your response and 5 minutes to submit it. Again, the timer will give you an alert when 5 minutes remain. Stop working at that time and begin to submit your response.

What to have ready on exam day

Required

Recommended for students typing responses

Permitted

  • Your class notes or study guides
  • Textbooks and other classroom resources
  • Previous assignments or assessments
  • Calculator

Questions

Question 1 (25 mins.)

% of exam weight (rounded)

60%

Question name

Long free-response question

Question description

This question assesses students’ ability to do the following:

  • Analyze representations of physical situations
  • Determine scientific questions and methods
  • Analyze quantitative data represented in graphs
  • Develop an explanation or a scientific argument

Corresponding free-response question (FRQ) type in the course and exam description binder

Long free-response question, with increased emphasis on analyzing and explaining the Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism concepts represented by representations and data. Question will have less emphasis on pure calculations due to exam administration security protocols. See Question 3 on the 2017 AP Physics 1 Exam as an example.

Question 2 (15 mins.)

% of exam weight (rounded)

40%

Question name

Short free-response question

Question description

This question assesses students’ ability to design and evaluate a lab experiment, use graphical analysis of data to find physical quantities, and identify physical sources of experimental variation.

Corresponding free-response question (FRQ) type in the course and exam description binder

Similar in structure to Experimental design Physics C questions. See Question 2 on the 2012 AP Physics C: Mechanics Exam as an example.

What’s Covered

  • Units eligible for 2020 exam: Units 1–3
  • Units not included in 2020 exam: Units 4–5

Other course-specific info

  • As on a traditional AP Exam, students will require access to the AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Table of Information and Formulas(.pdf/525.66 KB), and should access and/or print it before the exam.
  • Questions on the 2020 AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam are designed such that required calculations can be done with a pencil and paper, with no calculator (including one with graphical or statistical capabilities) required. However, use of a calculator is allowed and may be helpful. Simple (“four-function”) calculators are freely available as apps for computers and phones (i.e., most or all internet-connected devices) and can be installed beforehand for use on the exam.

Sample Questions for the 2020 exam

Download example questions (.pdf/730 KB) similar to what you'll see on the 2020 AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam.

Resources