AP® Physics 1 Course and Exam Description (CED)
This is the AP® Physics 1 Course and Exam Description (CED) for 2026-2027. It covers the AP Physics 1 curriculum, exam format and more. Note that the number of questions and the time for each section of the exam have been updated for 2026-2027: Course and Exam Description Corrections.
The AP Physics 1 exam is on Wednesday, May 5, 2027 (afternoon).
The table below includes the units for AP Physics 1, the page in the CED and the exam weight for each unit.
| Units | CED Page | Exam weight |
|---|---|---|
| Units | ||
| 1. Kinematics | CED page 25 | 10–15% exam weight |
| 2. Force and Translational Dynamics | CED page 39 | 18–23% exam weight |
| 3. Work, Energy and Power | CED page 63 | 18–23% exam weight |
| 4. Linear Momentum | CED page 79 | 10–15% exam weight |
| 5. Torque and Rotational Dynamics | CED page 91 | 10–15% exam weight |
| 6. Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems | CED page 105 | 5–8% exam weight |
| 7. Oscillations | CED page 123 | 5–8% exam weight |
| 8. Fluids | CED page 133 | 10–15% exam weight |
The 2027 AP Physics 1 exam is 3 hours long and consists of two sections as shown in the table below.
| Exam sections | Questions | Time | Exam weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam sections | |||
| I — Multiple-choice questions (MCQ) | 42 questions | 85 min | 50% exam weight |
| II — Free-response questions (FRQ) | 4 questions | 95 min | 50% exam weight |
| Q1: Mathematical Routines | |||
| Q2: Translation Between Representations | |||
| Q3: Experimental Design and Analysis | |||
| Q4: Qualitative/Quantitative Translation | |||
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