AP Physics 2 Score Calculator 2026
Enter your section scores for AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based to estimate your 1–5 AP score.
Estimate. The College Board does not publish composite cutoffs, so these lines are reconstructed from released exams and third-party curves. Treat it as a prediction, not a guarantee.
AP Physics 2 picks up where Physics 1 leaves off: thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics. The 2025 redesign moved fluids out to Physics 1 and deepened the optics and circuits material. It's algebra-based but heavy on conceptual explanation, so much of the free response asks you to say why something happens, not just to compute it.
Inside the AP Physics 2 exam
Three hours. Section I is 40 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes (50%). Section II is four free responses in 100 minutes (50%), worth 10, 12, 10, and 8 points, in the same four types as Physics 1. The course now runs from thermodynamics through modern physics, with no fluids; optics was split for more depth and modern physics added topics like blackbody radiation.
How the AP Physics 2 score is calculated
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based combines these sections into one composite out of 100:
- Multiple choice: out of 40, weighted 50% of the composite.
- Free response: out of 40, weighted 50% of the composite.
Estimated score ranges
- 5: composite ≈ 72–100
- 4: composite ≈ 60–71
- 3: composite ≈ 41–59
- 2: composite ≈ 22–40
- 1: composite below 22
These ranges are estimates from past released exams. Use them to see how close you are to the next score, not as an official guarantee.
How to squeeze out more points
- Practice explaining, not just solving. Physics 2 leans conceptual, so questions often ask you to justify a claim about charge, fields, or circuits in words backed by physics.
- Master the PV diagram. Thermodynamics shows up constantly, and reading work, heat, and internal energy off a pressure-volume diagram is a recurring free-response task.
- Get comfortable with RC circuits. A common question contrasts the instant a switch closes with the steady state long after; know what the capacitor does at each.
- Expect electromagnetic induction. A conducting loop entering or leaving a magnetic field, and the direction of the induced current, is a frequent free response.
Where students lose points
- Studying fluids for Physics 2. As of 2025 fluids is on Physics 1, not here, so that time is wasted.
- Treating it like a plug-and-chug exam. The rubrics reward conceptual justification, so a correct number with no reasoning often scores low.
- Mixing up the capacitor's behavior. At the instant a switch closes versus the steady state a capacitor acts very differently; conflating them sinks RC-circuit questions.
- Getting induced-current direction backward. State the flux change first, then the direction that opposes it (Lenz's law).
A worked example
On the usual estimated curve a composite near 72 of 100 has landed a 5, with a 3 around 41. The two sections each count for half, so strong multiple choice plus a clean thermodynamics or circuits free response moves you up quickly. Enter your scores above to see the split.
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Frequently asked questions
- How is the AP Physics 2 exam scored?
- Each section is weighted into a composite out of 100: Multiple choice out of 40 (50%); Free response out of 40 (50%). The composite then maps to a 1–5 score.
- What composite do I need for a 5 on AP Physics 2?
- On our estimated curve, roughly 72+ (out of 100) is a 5, 60+ is a 4, 41+ is a 3, and 22+ is a 2. These shift slightly every year.
- Is this the official AP curve?
- No. The College Board equates each administration to keep scores comparable across years, and it does not publish the composite cutoffs. These lines are reconstructed from released exams and widely-cited third-party curves, so treat them as an estimate.
- What is a good AP score?
- A 3 is considered qualified and earns credit at many colleges; 4s and 5s are strong and accepted more widely, including at selective schools.
- What's the difference between AP Physics 1 and 2?
- Physics 1 covers mechanics and, as of 2025, fluids; Physics 2 covers thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics. Both are algebra-based and share the same exam format. Physics 2 generally assumes you've taken Physics 1 first.
- Did fluids move off AP Physics 2?
- Yes. Starting with the 2025 exam, fluids moved to Physics 1, and Physics 2's optics and circuits units were expanded, adding more on waves, sound, and modern-physics topics like blackbody radiation and Compton scattering.