Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 16:09     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Anonymous wrote:If your student took AP Physics, did he/she take a physics class prior to this?

My DD school is insisting it is necessary. She is a strong student. While I obviously see the point that it would be good, it would be hard to fit one in given other courses unless she took over the summer.

What have people seen/experienced?

Thanks!

Nope. Jumped into AP Mechanics during junior year but believe took concurrently with Calculus. AP Electricity and Magnetism Sr year.
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 16:02     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
My will take AP Physics 1 in 11th with no prior physics an another AP physics on 12th, depending on specific area of interest
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 14:05     Subject: Re:AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
My kid's school required Honors Physics (I guess it was Physics 1?) before moving on to the 2 AP Physics C classes.
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 11:11     Subject: Re:AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
No. Our school doesn’t require a prior physics. It’s been very challenging, but doable.
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 11:06     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Interesting to read others' responses. My older kid would have done Honors Physics, but his school doesn't offer it, so he jumped into AP Physics 1 as a junior and had a terrible experience. Not fully understanding the concepts, struggled for the B, scored a 2. It was at least partly due to a horrible teacher, unfortunately, so that's important to look into when deciding. (He was in Calc AB at the time, so a somewhat advanced math student but it doesn't come intuitively to him) My younger student will skip physics and take a different advanced science instead, unless perhaps a new teacher comes along.


Skipping physics altogether is a recipe for not getting in to any T75 or better. Even JMU likes to see it if offered at the high school.


My oldest did not take physics and got into Northwestern. She did Calc BC, Statistics AP, APES, Honors Chem, Honors Bio, a ton of Comp Sci classes, and the rest was all humanities stuff.
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 15:20     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 has replaced honors high school physics at many high schools and can serve as a first course in physics.

AP Physics C should be taken after a first course in physics, that is, after either a high school physics course or AP Physics 1, and ideally after calculus, though some students take AP Physics C concurrently with calculus.

Not many high schools offer AP Physics 2.


So this is like the new AP precalc? AP Physics 1 should have just stayed honors physics because that is what it is. It isn’t a college level class


It actually is a college level class. All colleges offer physics with algebra (it actually fulfills science requirement for non-science majors. Even premed requirements are fulfilled by physics with algebra
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 14:52     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
DD took AP Physics C as the first physics, she is an ok at STEM though, got a 5 in AP calc BC
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 14:48     Subject: Re:AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Also, my kid skipped AP Calc AB and our private, straight to BC, didn't have AP Pre Calc, and did not have AP Physics 1 but did Honors Physics and the AP Physics Cs, so on paper he can look like he has less APs, but in T10. You need maybe 8 max rigor APs versus the 15 APs maybe a public school kid has.
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 14:47     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Which AP Physics do you mean? There are several.

My daughter was forced by her public school to take Honors Physics before AP Physics C, even thought it's not a College Board requirement. Students need calculus, because AP Physics C is calculus-based.

DD told me that Honors Physics did not in any way prepare her for AP Physics C. The level of complexity is on another level entirely, and one doesn't logically lead to the other.


Does College Board ever set prerequisite requirements for high schools? I am a HS teacher and I have never heard of this. It’s not their role


They are official recommendations. So for AP Physics C, the recommendation is calculus, and a prior physics course is suggested but not required.
For AP Chem, the recommendation is to have taken a prior chem course and algebra 2.
For AP Bio, the recommendation is prior chem and bio courses.

But make no mistake: AP Physics C is a killer course. It's just that high school physics classes are algebra based and do not prepare kids well for AP Physics C, so students must be really physics-oriented to do well.


My math kid who thinks calc is his easiest course finds C easier than Honors,.it's just how their brain works...if it doesn't work that way then it's a slog!


Impressive! Does he want to be an engineer?
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 14:44     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Which AP Physics do you mean? There are several.

My daughter was forced by her public school to take Honors Physics before AP Physics C, even thought it's not a College Board requirement. Students need calculus, because AP Physics C is calculus-based.

DD told me that Honors Physics did not in any way prepare her for AP Physics C. The level of complexity is on another level entirely, and one doesn't logically lead to the other.


Does College Board ever set prerequisite requirements for high schools? I am a HS teacher and I have never heard of this. It’s not their role


They are official recommendations. So for AP Physics C, the recommendation is calculus, and a prior physics course is suggested but not required.
For AP Chem, the recommendation is to have taken a prior chem course and algebra 2.
For AP Bio, the recommendation is prior chem and bio courses.

But make no mistake: AP Physics C is a killer course. It's just that high school physics classes are algebra based and do not prepare kids well for AP Physics C, so students must be really physics-oriented to do well.


My math kid who thinks calc is his easiest course finds C easier than Honors,.it's just how their brain works...if it doesn't work that way then it's a slog!
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 14:34     Subject: AP Physics/Prior physics class needed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Which AP Physics do you mean? There are several.

My daughter was forced by her public school to take Honors Physics before AP Physics C, even thought it's not a College Board requirement. Students need calculus, because AP Physics C is calculus-based.

DD told me that Honors Physics did not in any way prepare her for AP Physics C. The level of complexity is on another level entirely, and one doesn't logically lead to the other.


Does College Board ever set prerequisite requirements for high schools? I am a HS teacher and I have never heard of this. It’s not their role


They are official recommendations. So for AP Physics C, the recommendation is calculus, and a prior physics course is suggested but not required.
For AP Chem, the recommendation is to have taken a prior chem course and algebra 2.
For AP Bio, the recommendation is prior chem and bio courses.

But make no mistake: AP Physics C is a killer course. It's just that high school physics classes are algebra based and do not prepare kids well for AP Physics C, so students must be really physics-oriented to do well.