AP Physics 1 past papers and free-response questions
College Board publishes the AP Physics 1 free-response questions every year, with scoring guidelines, sample student responses and a chief reader report. This page collects every year it currently makes public, 2023 to 2026. The 2025 and 2026 papers use the current four question types; the 2023 and 2024 papers are from the previous course but still test the same core mechanics.
On this page
AP Physics 1 free-response questions by year
Each file opens from College Board's official site. Preview shows it here, Open in new tab gives you the full screen, and Download saves a copy to print.
2026
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample responses and chief reader reportCollege Board usually adds these in the autumn after the exam
2025
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Chief reader reportPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring statisticsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Score distributionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample student responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4
2024
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Chief reader reportPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring statisticsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Score distributionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample student responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5
2023
- Free-response questionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring guidelinesPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Chief reader reportPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Scoring statisticsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Score distributionsPreviewOpen in new tabDownload
- Sample student responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5
Source: AP Physics 1 past exam questions on AP Central. All papers are © College Board.
What each AP Physics 1 free-response question tests
Use this index to find past questions on the topics you need to practise. The descriptions are our own summaries.
2026
| Q1 | Water droplet from a fountain: projectile motion |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Collision between two disks on a track: momentum |
| Q3 | Investigating friction with a block on a curved ramp: experimental design and analysis |
| Q4 | Two rotating toys with a string unwinding: rotational dynamics |
2025
| Q1 | Cart and dropped block: collision and momentum |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Block sliding down a ramp into a spring: energy |
| Q3 | Balancing a metre stick with a spring scale: torque experiment |
| Q4 | Block released under water: buoyancy and fluids |
2024
| Q1 | Block sliding down a curved track: energy and circular motion |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Finding a spring constant by hanging masses: experiment |
| Q3 | Hinged beam held by a string: torque and equilibrium |
| Q4 | Simple pendulum: energy and period |
| Q5 | Elastic collision of two blocks: momentum |
2023
| Q1 | Cart attached to a spring: energy in an oscillating system |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Finding a cart's acceleration down a ramp: experiment |
| Q3 | Block on a spring attached to a rotating rod: circular motion |
| Q4 | Block hanging from a pulley disk: rotational dynamics |
| Q5 | Balanced rod and sphere tipping over: torque and rotation |
AP Physics 1 exam format
| Section | Questions | Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: multiple choice | 42 questions | 85 minutes | 50% |
| Section II: free response | 4 questions | 95 minutes | 50% |
This is the format from the May 2027 exam onwards. The four free-response questions are one of each type: mathematical routines, translation between representations, experimental design and analysis, and qualitative/quantitative translation. The 2025 and 2026 papers already use these four types. The 2023 and 2024 papers come from the previous course, with 5 free-response questions, and do not include fluids, which joined the course in 2024-25. A calculator is allowed throughout.
How to use past free-response questions
- Start with the newest papers. They match the current exam most closely.
- Do one question at a time, timed. Use the timings in the exam format above, with no notes open.
- Mark yourself strictly with the scoring guidelines, point by point, before reading anything else.
- Compare with the sample responses to see exactly what earned or lost each point.
- Read the chief reader report for the mistakes most students made that year, and keep a list of your own.
- Go back to weak topics using the topic index, then redo the question a week later.
Tips specific to AP Physics 1:
- Start every mechanics question with a clear diagram or free-body diagram, even when the question does not ask for one.
- When a question says 'justify', connect a physics principle to the situation in a sentence. Equations alone often lose the point.
- In experimental design questions, describe what you measure, how you measure it and how you will use a graph to find the quantity.
- Practise the 2025 and 2026 papers under timed conditions; they match the current four question types.
Free AP Physics 1 practice questions
Ten original multiple-choice questions written by our tutors in the style of the exam. Choose an answer to see if you are right and why.
Answered 0 of 10 · 0 correct
1. A car speeds up uniformly from rest to 20 m/s in 5 s. What is its acceleration?
Show answer
B. a = Δv/Δt = 20/5 = 4 m/s².
2. A ball is dropped from rest. Using g = 10 m/s², how far does it fall in 2 s?
Show answer
B. d = ½gt² = ½(10)(2²) = 20 m.
3. A net force of 12 N acts on a 3 kg box. What is its acceleration?
Show answer
B. a = F/m = 12/3 = 4 m/s².
4. What is the kinetic energy of a 2 kg ball moving at 3 m/s?
Show answer
C. K = ½mv² = ½(2)(3²) = 9 J.
5. A 2 kg cart moving at 3 m/s collides with a 1 kg cart at rest, and they stick together. What is their speed afterwards?
Show answer
C. Momentum is conserved: (2)(3) = (3)v, so v = 2 m/s.
6. A spring with k = 200 N/m is compressed by 0.10 m. How much elastic potential energy does it store?
Show answer
A. U = ½kx² = ½(200)(0.10²) = 1 J.
7. An object moves in a circle of radius 2 m at a constant 4 m/s. What is its centripetal acceleration?
Show answer
C. a = v²/r = 16/2 = 8 m/s².
8. A 10 N force is applied perpendicular to a wrench, 0.5 m from the bolt. What is the torque?
Show answer
B. τ = rF = 0.5 × 10 = 5 N·m.
9. The string of a simple pendulum is made four times longer. What happens to its period?
Show answer
C. T = 2π√(L/g), so multiplying L by 4 multiplies T by √4 = 2.
10. A 0.002 m³ block is fully submerged in water (density 1000 kg/m³, g = 10 m/s²). What is the buoyant force on it?
Show answer
B. F = ρVg = 1000 × 0.002 × 10 = 20 N.
Frequently asked questions
Are AP Physics 1 past papers free?
Yes. College Board publishes the AP Physics 1 free-response questions, scoring guidelines and sample responses free on AP Central. This page links to those official files so you can preview, open or download them.
Why are there no older AP Physics 1 papers before 2023?
College Board currently makes the most recent years public on AP Central and removed older years from public access. Teachers can find many older released questions in AP Classroom.
Can I get full AP Physics 1 past exams with the multiple-choice section?
College Board does not publish full past multiple-choice sections publicly; complete practice exams are released to teachers through AP Classroom. The free-response questions, which are half of your score, are public, and this page has 10 original multiple-choice questions to practise with.
How is the AP Physics 1 free-response section scored?
Each question has its own rubric in the scoring guidelines, which show exactly which statements and steps earn each point.