AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism (also known as AP Physics C: E&M or AP E&M) is an introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a second-semester calculus-based university course in electricity and magnetism. The content of Physics C: E&M overlaps with that of AP Physics 2, but Physics 2 is algebra-based and covers other topics outside of electromagnetism, while Physics C is calculus-based and only covers electromagnetism. Physics C: E&M may be combined with its mechanics counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.

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Course content

E&M is equivalent to an introductory college course in electricity and magnetism for physics or engineering majors.[1] The course modules are:[1]

  • Electrostatics
  • Conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics
  • Electric circuits
  • Magnetic fields
  • Electromagnetism.

Methods of calculus are used wherever appropriate in formulating physical principles and in applying them to physical problems. Therefore, students should have completed or be concurrently enrolled in a calculus class.[1]

AP test

The course culminates in an optional exam for which high-performing students may receive some credit towards their college coursework, depending on the institution.[2]

Registration

The AP examination for AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is separate from the AP examination for AP Physics C: Mechanics. Before 2006, test-takers paid only once and were given the choice of taking either one or two parts of the Physics C test.

Format

The exam is typically administered on a Monday afternoon in May. The exam is configured in two categories: a 35-question multiple choice section and a 3-question free response section.[1] Test takers are allowed to use an approved calculator during the entire exam.[3] The test is weighted such that each section is worth half of the final score.[1] This and AP Physics C: Mechanics are the shortest AP exams, with total testing time of 90 minutes (45 minutes for each section).[1]

The topics covered by the exam are as follows:[4]

Topic Percent
Electrostatics 26-34%
Conductors, insulators, capacitors, dielectrics 14-17%
Electric circuits 17-23%
Magnetic fields 17-23%
Electromagnetism 14-20%

Grade distribution

The grade distributions for the Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism scores since 2010 were:

Score 2010[5] 2011[6] 2012[7] 2013[8] 2014[9] 2015[10] 2016[11] 2017[12] 2018[13] 2019[14] 2020[15] 2021[16] 2022[17] 2023[18]
5 32.0% 32.0% 35.1% 31.7% 33.5% 28.5% 32% 28.1% 35% 34.6% 40.4% 32.6% 31.5% 31%
4 25.2% 24.5% 24.0% 24.1% 25.1% 24.9% 22.6% 25.1% 23.1% 22.6% 22.4% 23.1% 23.6% 24%
3 13.1% 14.1% 13.9% 13.7% 12.2% 13.7% 13.5% 15.6% 13.7% 13.9% 11.6% 13.8% 14.3% 13%
2 17.4% 17.7% 16.5% 19% 17.6% 19.8% 19.3% 18.2% 17.3% 17.8% 16.2% 18.0% 18.1% 20%
1 12.3% 11.7% 10.5% 11.6% 11.6% 13.1% 12.6% 13% 10.9% 11.1% 9.5% 12.5% 12.5% 12%
% of Scores 3 or Higher 70.3% 70.6% 73.0% 69.5% 70.8% 67.1% 68.1% 68.8% 71.8% 71.1% 74.4% 69.5% 69.4% 68%
Mean 3.47 3.47 3.57 3.46 3.51 3.36 3.42 3.37 3.54 3.52 3.68 3.45 3.44 3.42
Standard Deviation 1.41 1.39 1.38 1.40 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.39 1.40 1.40 1.38 1.42 1.41
Number of Students 14,191 15,185 17,380 19,380 20,765 22,789 23,347 24,249 25,074 25,342 23,655 20,471 19,978

See also

References
  1. AP® PHYSICS C: ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM (PDF), College Board, December 2016, retrieved January 30, 2017
  2. "Credit & Placement". AP Students. The College Board. 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  3. "AP Physics C: Mechanics – Calculator and Table Policies". AP Students. College Board. 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  4. "Topic Outline". College Board Tests. The College Board. 2013. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013.
  5. 2010 Physics C: E&M score distribution
  6. 2011 Physics C: E&M score distribution
  7. 2012 Physics C: E&M score distribution
  8. 2013 Student Score Distributions
  9. 2014 Student Score Distributions
  10. 2015 AP Exam Score Distributions
  11. Total Registration. "2016 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  12. Total Registration. "2017 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  13. Total Registration. "2018 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.TotalRegistration.net. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  14. "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  15. "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  16. "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  17. Total Registration (2022-06-22). "2022 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  18. Total Registration (2023-06-15). "2023 AP Exam Score Distributions". www.totalregistration.net. Retrieved 2023-06-16.


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