Prepare for a 5 in AP Physics 2 with one-on-one tutoring
One-on-one AP Physics 2 tutoring programme. In a free initial consultation we assess your level and agree the plan and the exact price together. Parents and students are both welcome to reach out.
What is the AP Physics 2 exam?
AP Physics 2 is a high-school course administered by the College Board, equivalent to a second-semester introductory algebra-based university physics course. It covers thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, waves and modern physics; algebra is enough mathematically, and no calculus is required.
The exam has multiple-choice and free-response sections and places strong emphasis on conceptual reasoning and experimental analysis. It is usually taken after AP Physics 1 and rounds out the physics knowledge of students heading into science and engineering. A strong AP score can earn second-semester introductory physics credit at many universities.
Why prepare for AP Physics 2 with Studrise?
Exam-focused expert tutors
Every lesson is taught by expert tutors who know the AP Physics 2 format inside out and focus on exam strategy.
A plan built around you
After your level assessment, we build a personal roadmap around your strengths and weak spots.
Flexible 1:1 schedule
Lessons run online and one-on-one on days and times that suit you — no clashes with school.
A clear start
It starts with a free initial consultation: level, plan and price are settled before the programme begins.
How it works
Free initial consultation
A short call and assessment to clarify your current level, your goal and your exam date.
Personal roadmap
We build a topic-by-topic weekly study plan and match you with the right tutor.
Reach your goal with 1:1 lessons
Start one-on-one lessons with your tutor and track progress with regular practice tests.
AP Physics 2 exam format
The AP Physics 2 exam has two sections and takes about 3 hours in total:
Section I: Multiple Choice
40 questions · 1 hour 20 minutes · 50% of the exam score
Section II: Free Response
4 questions (FRQ) · 1 hour 40 minutes · 50% of the exam score
Question types
Experimental design and justification questions set in thermodynamics, electricity & magnetism, optics and modern physics
Calculator
A calculator and equation sheet may be used throughout the exam
Exam delivery (2025+)
Hybrid digital: multiple choice in the Bluebook app, free response on paper
AP Physics 2 topics
The topic areas on the exam and their weight. Lessons don't follow this order — we start from the area that will move your score the most.
Thermodynamics (Unit 9)
15–18%
- Temperature, heat and internal energy
- Ideal gas law and kinetic theory
- First law of thermodynamics, PV diagrams
- Isothermal, isobaric and adiabatic processes
- Entropy and the second law (conceptual)
Electricity (Units 10–11)
30–36% · the heaviest block
- Charge, Coulomb's law, electric field
- Electric potential and potential energy
- Capacitors and dielectrics
- Resistance, Ohm's law, series–parallel circuits
- Kirchhoff's rules and the behaviour of RC circuits
Magnetism (Unit 12)
12–15%
- Magnetic fields and force on a moving charge
- Force on and field of a current-carrying wire
- Magnetic flux and Faraday's law
- Lenz's law and induced-current direction
- Electromagnetic waves (conceptual)
Optics, waves and modern physics (Units 13–15)
36–45%
- Reflection, refraction, mirror and lens equations, ray diagrams
- Wave properties, interference, diffraction, double slit
- Sound, Doppler, standing waves
- Photoelectric effect, photon energy, atomic spectra
- Mass–energy, nuclear processes and wave–particle duality
AP Physics 2 question types and strategy
Each question type has its own approach. In lessons we work on these strategies alongside the content.
Multiple choice (40 questions, 80 min)
Half the exam. Single-answer items plus some multi-select questions with more than one correct option. A calculator and the equation sheet are allowed throughout.
Two minutes a question. Draw the physical situation first (free-body diagram, energy bar chart, field lines), then pick the equation. In multi-select items judge each option independently as true or false.
Free response (4 questions, 100 min)
Half the exam; four fixed question types: Mathematical Routines: setting up and deriving equations; Translation Between Representations: moving between graphs, diagrams and equations; Experimental Design and Analysis: designing an experiment and interpreting data; Qualitative/Quantitative Translation: linking verbal reasoning to mathematics. Points go to the reasoning shown.
Open every answer with a principle sentence ("Energy is conserved because…"). In experimental design name the independent and dependent variables, controls and instruments; in graph questions state the meaning of the axes and slope.
Scoring and target scores
The AP Physics 2 exam is graded on a 1–5 scale, and a score of 3 or above is generally considered passing. The multiple-choice and free-response sections carry equal weight in the raw score. Many universities grant second-semester introductory physics credit for a 3, while selective science and engineering programs ask for a 4 or 5. On abstract topics such as electricity and magnetism, conceptual justification is decisive for a high score.
AP Physics 2 suits high-school students who have usually completed AP Physics 1, have an algebra foundation and are heading into the sciences. AP exams are held every year in May, so preparation usually spans the school year. Because the topics are abstract, visualising concepts and regular FRQ practice make a real difference in the final months.
What we cover in AP Physics 2 lessons
Thermodynamics and gas laws
Electric force, field and potential
Electric circuits
Magnetism and electromagnetic induction
Optics and waves: geometric and physical optics, sound
Modern physics: atomic and quantum concepts
What sets the price of AP Physics 2 tutoring?
There is no single list price; the fee depends on the programme. You get a clear quote in the consultation — nothing is added later.
Lessons per week
One, two or three lessons a week — set by the time until the exam and the score gap.
Total duration and package
Lessons are priced as a package; longer programmes lower the per-lesson cost.
Scope
One section (say, Math only) or the whole exam? A narrower scope means a shorter programme.
Tutor and level
The tutor you're matched with and your starting level shape the plan, and therefore the fee.
Adding coaching?
Coaching and application counselling is an optional, separately priced programme.
Every lesson you pay for is 1:1
No crowded classroom, no idle hours. Keep that in mind when comparing with group-course prices.
In the free initial consultation we assess your level, draw up the plan and give you the exact price. No surprises.
The AP Physics 2 exam: scope, format and its link to Physics 1
The continuation of Physics 1: all algebra-based physics beyond mechanics, in one exam.
AP Physics 2 is equivalent to second-semester algebra-based college physics and continues where Physics 1 stops: thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, geometric and physical optics, modern physics. Its units run from 9 to 15, showing that the two courses are designed as one syllabus. Physics 1 is recommended but not required; a student with a mechanics base can take Physics 2 directly.
The exam is 3 hours: 40 multiple choice (80 min, 50%) and 4 free-response questions (100 min, 50%). A calculator and the equation sheet are allowed. The share of 5s has been around 15% in recent years and 3-or-above close to 70%: the Physics 2 cohort is pre-selected by Physics 1, so the rates are higher.
- Who should take it: pre-med, biology, dentistry and health-science applicants who finished Physics 1 (MCAT physics overlaps this scope); quantitative non-engineering majors.
- Who should not: engineering and physics applicants, for whom the calculus-based Physics C: E&M is worth more.
- Credit: most US universities grant algebra-based physics II credit for a 4–5 and count the two APs together as a full year of physics.
Overlap with the Turkish syllabus is high (grade 11–12 electricity, magnetism, optics, modern physics); the difference is that questions demand conceptual justification and experiment interpretation.
AP Physics 2 study plan
Electricity is the heaviest block and runs from November to February; optics and modern physics move fast.
- September–October: Unit 9. Gas laws, PV diagrams, the first law. Graph reading and sign conventions (the sign of work) lose the most FRQ points, so they are practised from the first month.
- November–February: Units 10–12. Field versus potential, circuit analysis, capacitors, magnetic force and induction. Two lessons a week; circuit FRQs and "bulb brightness" conceptual questions get heavy practice.
- March: Units 13–14. Mirror and lens ray diagrams, interference and diffraction, sound. A strong area for Turkish students; done in two weeks.
- Early April: Unit 15. Photoelectric effect, spectra, nuclear processes; conceptual and short.
- April–May: mocks. Three full mocks, all four FRQ types reviewed with the rubric, error log.
A student who took Physics 1 needs one or two lessons a week over seven months; starting directly, two lessons a week with a month of mechanics review added at the start.
Round out your AP Physics 2 prep with coaching
Tutoring teaches the material; coaching manages the process. Your Studrise coach brings your study routine, goals and application timeline into one plan alongside your AP Physics 2 lessons — so what you learn in class turns into results.
Weekly plan & check-ins
A study plan with regular progress check-ins.
Data-driven strategy
Targets and plans updated from practice-test results.
Motivation & test anxiety
Support with time management, motivation and exam nerves.
Aligned with applications
Planning built around your university and program goals.
ADD-ON PROGRAMME
How do I get started?
Coaching is a separately priced programme alongside your lessons. In the initial consultation we agree its scope and price and build a coaching plan that fits around your lesson schedule.
Initial consultation is free
Our tutors
SAT, IELTS, AP, IB and more — you'll work with experienced, exam-focused tutors in every subject.
Burçak Gökmen
Biology Teacher
20+ years of experience
Ela Pehlivanoğlu
Chemistry Teacher
10+ years of experience
Gözde Top
History Teacher
6+ years of experience
Lara Deniz Alper
Math & Economics Teacher
7+ years of experience
Şule Çağlın
Physics Teacher
7+ years of experience
Frequently asked questions
Start working toward your AP Physics 2 goal today
Fill in the form; in a free initial consultation we settle your level, programme and exact price together. No crowded classroom, no idle hours: every lesson you pay for is one-on-one.