AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based is the second half of the algebra-based physics sequence: thermodynamics, electric force and field and potential, circuits, magnetism and induction, geometric optics, waves and physical optics, and modern physics. It is a three-hour hybrid digital exam. Section I is multiple choice in the Bluebook testing app; Section II is free response viewed in Bluebook and handwritten in a paper booklet. The two sections are weighted equally, and the final composite is mapped to a score of 1 to 5. The 2027 exam is Thursday, May 6, 2027; official scores release in July 2027.
Total time
3 hours
Plus a short break
Section I (MCQ)
85 min
42 questions
Section II (FRQ)
95 min
4 questions
2027 exam date
May 6
Thursday, morning
Section breakdown
What's on the exam
Section I: Multiple choice
42 questions · 85 minutes · 50% of composite
42 discrete and stimulus-based multiple-choice items in the Bluebook digital testing app. Each question has four answer choices with exactly one correct answer. No penalty for guessing: every blank is a lost point, so answer every question. A calculator is permitted, and the equation sheet is available throughout.
Discrete items test a single idea in isolation: which way a field points, how a quantity scales with r, whether a bulb gets brighter, which way a lens image faces.
Question sets share a stimulus (a circuit diagram, a PV diagram, a ray diagram, a graph of flux against time) across two to four related questions.
Roughly 2 minutes per question on average. Ranking, direction and scaling questions go fast; anything that needs a loop equation or a full thin-lens calculation set up needs more.
Section II: Free response
4 questions · 95 minutes · 50% of composite
Four free-response questions, one of each named task type, viewed in Bluebook and handwritten in a paper booklet. The section is worth about 40 rubric points total. Trained readers score against published rubrics with partial credit available throughout. Expect proportional reasoning and symbolic derivation rather than plug-in arithmetic: a large share of the points go to setting the relationship up and justifying it.
FRQ 1: Mathematical Routines: symbolic derivation plus a numeric answer.
FRQ 2: Translation Between Representations: convert between field maps, circuit diagrams, ray diagrams, graphs, and equations.
FRQ 3: Experimental Design and Analysis: design a procedure and analyze data.
FRQ 4: Qualitative/Quantitative Translation: a paragraph response backed by math.
The CED does not print per-question point values for this exam. The split used across this site is 10, 12, 10 and 8, taken from AP Physics 1, whose Section II has the same four task types, the same count and the same duration. Treat it as approximate. See the full FRQ guide for what each task type wants and the scoring patterns that show up every year.
Calculator and reference materials
Allowed on both sections
Four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator permitted on both sections. Bluebook also has a built-in on-screen calculator.
Equation and constants sheet provided and usable on both sections, in print and in Bluebook. It carries the electricity, magnetism, thermal, waves and optics and modern physics equations, constants (k, ε0, μ0, kB, R, h, c, e), geometry and trigonometry, and the exam's stated conventions. See the equation and reference sheet.
No formula memorization is required, but knowing which form applies (when a two-variable gas rule is earned, whether a slit width or a slit separation is in front of the sine, which reflections shift a thin film by half a wavelength) is what separates a 3 from a 5.
What the 2026 redesign changed
In effect for the 2027 exam
42 multiple-choice questions in 85 minutes, up from 40 in 80. The Fall 2026 clarifications document carries the change.
Section II shortened to 95 minutes, down from 100, with the same 4 questions.
Four answer choices per MCQ with exactly one correct answer and no penalty for guessing.
FRQ organized into four named task types with explicit skill targets for each: Mathematical Routines, Translation Between Representations, Experimental Design and Analysis, and Qualitative/Quantitative Translation.
Seven units, with fluids moved out to Physics 1 and thermodynamics opening the course. This site numbers them 9 to 15 to continue from Physics 1.
Hybrid digital format: multiple choice is taken in Bluebook; free response is viewed in Bluebook and handwritten in a paper booklet.
Official references
College Board resources
Course and Exam Description
The CED is the authoritative document for what's on the exam: units, topics, essential knowledge, science practices.
The 2027 AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based exam is on Thursday, May 6, 2027, in the morning session. Official scores release in July 2027 through your College Board account.
How long is the AP Physics 2 exam?
Three hours total, plus a short break between sections. Section I (multiple choice) is 85 minutes for 42 questions. Section II (free response) is 95 minutes for 4 questions.
How is AP Physics 2 scored?
Section I and Section II are each weighted at 50 percent of the composite. The composite is mapped to a final score from 1 to 5. College Board sets the cut scores after each administration based on overall performance and does not publish exact cutoffs.
Can I use a calculator on AP Physics 2?
Yes, on both sections. A four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator is permitted on both the multiple choice and free response sections, and Bluebook includes an on-screen calculator. The equation and constants sheet is also provided on both sections.
What units are on the AP Physics 2 exam?
Seven units. The College Board numbers them 1 to 7; this site numbers them 9 to 15 so that a unit number means one thing across Physics 1 and Physics 2. They are: Thermodynamics (15 to 18%), Electric Force, Field, and Potential (15 to 18%), Electric Circuits (15 to 18%), Magnetism and Electromagnetism (12 to 15%), Geometric Optics (12 to 15%), Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics (12 to 15%), Modern Physics (12 to 15%). The weightings are the College Board's approximate ranges for the multiple-choice section.
Is AP Physics 2 calculus-based?
No. Physics 2 is the algebra-based course, and the exam is written so that every question can be answered with algebra, trigonometry and proportional reasoning. Where a result has a calculus origin, the CED states the result and the condition it holds under. The calculus-based treatment of the same subject matter is AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, a separate course with a separate exam.
What is the typical pass rate for AP Physics 2?
On the May 2026 administration, 72 percent of students earned a 3 or higher. The distribution was 20 percent 5s, 29 percent 4s, 23 percent 3s, 21 percent 2s, and 7 percent 1s.
