How the AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based exam is scored
The exam is 3 hours long. Multiple choice (42 questions) is 50% of your score and free response is 50%. The free response has four questions: two worth 10 points, one worth 12 and one worth 8. Each part is scaled by its weight and added into a composite out of 100, which is then converted to a score from 1 to 5.
What does it take to get a 5?
About 72 of 100 composite points, by our estimate. One way to get there is roughly 31 of 42 multiple choice questions right and 29 of 40 free-response points. A 4 takes about 60 points and a 3 about 41. In 2026, 20% of students earned a 5 and 72% earned a 3 or higher.
Where students lose points
Same format as Physics 1, with fluids, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics. The experimental design question wants a procedure someone else could follow: say what you would measure, with what equipment, and how you would use the data.
