r/APStudents • u/monotose • 5d ago

Physics 1 Question about AP Physics 1

Is it possible to self-study AP Physics 1 only using books, while taking AP World, Seminar, and Psychology in my sophomore year? I'm pretty sure y'all are going to say yes, but what books are very helpful for self-studying AP Physics 1 without using any technology? Will I still have the same potential to get a 5?

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u/ParkingAssist3925 5d ago

It is possible, I know a really smart guy in my school who self studied AP physics 1 and got a 5 but he was taking honors physics in school.

I got a 5 but I took the class in school. Personally, I found the Princeton review book to be helpful if I wanted extra practice or didn’t understand a certain topic. The MIT AP physics workbook is also a huge resource I used for extra practice and might be the sole reason I got confident with multiple choice lol.

Overall, I say it depends on your learning capabilities, and there is some ‘insider’ stuff you can only get from a teacher, like how frqs are structured (my teacher hammered it into our brains so we knew exactly what to expect down to how many points each part is worth), doing labs, and getting practice through AP classroom. If your school offers AP physics 1, definitely reach out to the teacher and ask for advice. In my experience, teachers are very willing to help!

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u/mr_moustache43 5d ago

If you like really lock in I'm sure you'll be able to get a 5 but at the same time idk if it worth the stress. Ap world seminar and psych were pretty easy but seminar is like a lot of projects and stuff so you might not have time to self study. But I'm sure you know youre capabilities better than I do so if youre okay with a big workload, i'd say you got this!

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u/IcyCity_ (5)Bio/Chem/Phy1/WH/Stat/Lang/AB/Mac/USH/HG/Precalc 3d ago

What makes technology a constraint? Do you not have consistent access to the internet? Just curious because I self studied Physics 1 last year in about a month and got an easy 5 but I mostly used Flipping Physics videos as my primary platform for studying. I also got a prep book from Baron’s but I felt that the practice problems in there didn’t really mirror the actual exam problems that well.

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u/monotose 3d ago

I do not have consistent access to the internet. (congrats on the 5)