AP Physics 2 past papers and free-response questions
College Board publishes the AP Physics 2 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 come from the previous course but test the same core: thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics and modern physics. (Fluids moved to Physics 1 in 2024-25.)
On this page
AP Physics 2 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 responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4
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 responsesQ1Q2Q3Q4
Source: AP Physics 2 past exam questions on AP Central. All papers are © College Board.
What each AP Physics 2 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 | Ideal gas heated with a small sphere inside: thermodynamics and heat transfer |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Energy levels of a hypothetical atom: photon emission and wavelength |
| Q3 | Charged particles between plates in a magnetic field: experiment to find the field |
| Q4 | Charged sphere moving across equipotential lines: electric potential energy |
2025
| Q1 | Long current-carrying wires: magnetic fields, forces, and induction in a moving loop |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Ideal gas under a movable piston in a water bath: thermodynamic processes |
| Q3 | Predicting and measuring an RC time constant: experimental design |
| Q4 | Double-slit interference on a screen: waves and physical optics |
2024
| Q1 | Photoelectric effect with two metals: work function and de Broglie wavelength |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Heating an ideal gas and measuring thermal conductivity: thermodynamics experiments |
| Q3 | Four identical resistors with an ideal and then a non-ideal battery: circuits and power |
| Q4 | Two charged particles accelerated through a potential difference: energy and motion |
2023
| Q1 | Light beam passing through water and sugar solutions: refraction |
|---|---|
| Q2 | Is an unknown component a resistor or a capacitor? Circuit experiment |
| Q3 | Water draining from tanks through a pipe: fluid flow |
| Q4 | Charges on the corners of a triangle: electric field and potential |
AP Physics 2 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 (before, 40 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes and 100 minutes for free response). The exam is hybrid digital: answers to multiple-choice questions go into the Bluebook app, and free-response answers are handwritten. 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 types; the 2023 and 2024 papers come from the previous course.
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 2:
- Start every question with a diagram: a ray diagram for optics, a circuit diagram, or field lines and equipotentials for electrostatics.
- When asked to justify, name the principle (conservation of energy, Kirchhoff's rules, the first law of thermodynamics) and apply it to the situation in a sentence.
- In experimental design questions, say what you would measure, with what, and which graph would give a straight line.
- Practise the 2025 and 2026 papers under timed conditions; they match the current four question types.
Free AP Physics 2 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. Two 6.0 Ω resistors are connected in parallel. What is their equivalent resistance?
Show answer
B. 1/R = 1/6 + 1/6 = 1/3, so R = 3.0 Ω.
2. A 2.0 μF capacitor is charged to 10 V. How much charge does it store?
Show answer
D. Q = CV = 2.0 μF × 10 V = 20 μC.
3. Light in air hits glass (n = 1.5) at 30° to the normal. What is the angle of refraction?
Show answer
A. sin r = sin 30°/1.5 = 0.333, so r = 19.5°.
4. A gas is given 500 J of heat and does 200 J of work on its surroundings. What is the change in its internal energy?
Show answer
B. ΔU = Q − Wby gas = 500 − 200 = 300 J.
5. What is the force on a 2.0 μC charge in a uniform electric field of 3000 N/C?
Show answer
B. F = qE = 2.0 × 10−6 × 3000 = 0.006 N.
6. An object is 30 cm from a converging lens of focal length 10 cm. Where is the image?
Show answer
B. 1/di = 1/10 − 1/30 = 2/30, so di = 15 cm.
7. A wire 0.50 m long carries 2.0 A at right angles to a 0.40 T magnetic field. What is the force on it?
Show answer
B. F = ILB = 2.0 × 0.50 × 0.40 = 0.40 N.
8. Light of wavelength 600 nm passes through two slits 0.20 mm apart onto a screen 2.0 m away. What is the spacing of the bright fringes?
Show answer
C. Δy = λL/d = 600 × 10−9 × 2.0/(0.20 × 10−3) = 0.006 m = 6 mm.
9. The temperature of a fixed volume of ideal gas is doubled (in kelvin). What happens to its pressure?
Show answer
C. At constant volume, P is proportional to T, so the pressure doubles.
10. What is the energy of a photon of frequency 5.0 × 1014 Hz? (h = 6.63 × 10−34 J·s)
Show answer
B. E = hf = 6.63 × 10−34 × 5.0 × 1014 = 3.3 × 10−19 J.
Frequently asked questions
Are AP Physics 2 past papers free?
Yes. College Board publishes the AP Physics 2 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 2 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 2 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 2 free-response section scored?
Each question has its own rubric in the scoring guidelines, which show exactly which statements, equations and steps earn each point.