In April 2024, James Lincoln described in this column the upcoming changes to the 2025 Advanced Placement (AP) Physics exams.1 Though that description was generally correct, College Board completed additional updates to the four AP Physics exams, which will be described in this article, along with resources that can help teachers with instructing on the new content.
All AP Physics exams will follow a two-part structure: 40 multiple-choice questions (80 minutes) and 4 free-response questions (100 minutes). This is a major change for the AP Physics C exams, which have been 90-minute exams for 40 years. Previously, AP Physics C exams had 35 multiple-choice and 3 free-response questions.
The types of multiple-choice questions have also been simplified and standardized. Gone from AP Physics 1 and 2 are the “select two correct answers” style of questions. Each of the 40 questions for all four exams will have four choices. As...