How long is the AP Physics 1 exam?
The AP Physics 1 exam is 3 hours long. Section I has 42 multiple-choice questions in 85 minutes, and Section II has 4 free-response questions in 95 minutes. Each section is worth 50% of your score. In 2027 the exam is on Wednesday, May 5, in Session 2, and it is a hybrid digital exam: multiple choice in the Bluebook app, free responses handwritten in a paper booklet.
In more detail
The format changed for May 2027. Before, the exam had 40 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes and 4 free-response questions in 100 minutes. Now it has two more multiple-choice questions and the timing moves by 5 minutes each way, so the total is still 3 hours. The course content did not change, only the question count and the timing.
Section I gives you about 2 minutes per question (85 minutes for 42). Questions are single questions or sets that share a stimulus or data set. Section II gives you about 24 minutes per question (95 minutes for 4). The four question types are mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design and analysis, and qualitative/quantitative translation. Calculators are permitted, and equation sheets and reference tables are available.
AP Physics 2 and the AP Physics C exams are separate exams with their own lengths; this page is about AP Physics 1. You answer multiple choice and read the free-response questions in Bluebook, then write your answers by hand in a paper booklet, so practice full handwritten solutions with units and a clear line of reasoning. Check-in and instructions come on top of the 3 hours, and your AP coordinator tells you when and where to report.
AP Physics 1 exam timing (College Board, May 2027)
| Section | Questions | Time | Share of score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: multiple choice (in Bluebook) | 42 | 1 h 25 min | 50% |
| Section II: free response (handwritten) | 4 | 1 h 35 min | 50% |
| Total | 46 | 3 h | 100% |
Step by step
- 1
Take one full practice exam in one sitting: 85 minutes of multiple choice, then 95 minutes of free response. If your practice exam uses the old format (40 questions in 80 minutes and 100 minutes for free response), adjust the timer.
- 2
Pace multiple choice at about 2 minutes per question and flag the ones you guessed.
- 3
Give each free-response question about 24 minutes. Plan your approach and write the equation before you calculate.
- 4
Write your free responses by hand with the equation sheet next to you, since that is how you answer on exam day.
- 5
Practice each of the four free-response types, so none of them is new on exam day.
- 6
Score yourself with the official scoring guidelines and review the topics behind your misses.
How StudyPDF helps
Upload your AP Physics 1 textbook chapters, lab handouts, class notes or photos of your problem sets, and StudyPDF builds a practice exam from them in sections, with a timer if you want one and no feedback until you submit. Short answers are self-graded against a model answer, and the report shows your result per section. Every answer updates a per-concept score, so you see whether forces, energy or momentum still cost you points. It uses your own material and does not include official College Board questions. A free account needs no card.
See also
More questions
How many questions are on the AP Physics 1 exam?
46 in total in the May 2027 format: 42 multiple-choice questions and 4 free-response questions.
Can you use a calculator on the AP Physics 1 exam?
Yes. Calculators are permitted, and the College Board publishes a list of approved models in its calculator policy. Equation sheets and reference tables are also available.
Do it on your own course
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