Testing Preparing for the AP Physics B Exam, without taking the class

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The discussion centers on the challenges of preparing for the AP Physics B exam without having taken the AP course, as the participant is currently enrolled in honors physics. They express concern about their ability to score a 5 on the exam, despite having a strong interest in pursuing physics in college. Suggestions for preparation include working through the Princeton Review book, dedicating 3-5 hours a week to studying, and focusing on understanding non-multiple choice problems. Some participants share their experiences, noting that the exam is manageable and that past exam questions can be beneficial for practice. There is a specific concern about the difficulty of the free response section, with differing opinions on its complexity compared to the review book problems. Overall, the consensus leans towards optimism about achieving a high score with dedicated preparation.
Margarita
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Due to schedule conflicts, I was not able to take AP Physics B this year (my senior year). I am taking honors physics, but as you would guess, it is no where near the caliber of AP Physics.

I bought the Princeton Review for AP Physics B, as suggested by the teacher. Besides working through every problem, how else should I prepare?

Is my goal even possible? I want to pursue physics on college and thrive on studying, but my honors physics teacher deems my task impossible.
 
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Scoring a 5 should be easy as long as you use the prep book, take your honors physics class, are fairly bright (Im assuming you are), and dedicate 3-5 hours or so a week to extra studying. A 5 is around a 75% on the test...

I took it last year without a prep book/tests, but I did have the AP class, and easily scored a 5...
 
Thank you so much. This gives me hope that I can actually succeed.
 
The AP B exam is not very difficult. As long as you thoroughly understand how to do the non-multiple choice problems in your review book, I'm sure that you will be able to do quite well on the test.
 
I just took the B test and the problems in the review book are not as difficult as problems on the test fyi. try to get actual questions from past tests.
 
Fisicks: Really? I've heard the opposite. I'm mostly worried about the free response.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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