Are you intrigued about choosing Physics for your career path? Then, you have arrived at the right place that can help guide you through various aspects of advanced studies in Physics.
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Today, we will talk about AP Physics: a well-known higher studies option for those who love physics and want to get paid generously for doing what they love. First, however, you must have a clear idea about the career path before choosing your career in this field.
Introducing AP Physics
AP Physics is a fantastic field of higher studies in Physics, and the different career options in this field offer generous salaries. Here is some information that will help you to make a decision.
Students considering a career path in physics and who want to pursue higher studies should know that there are four options to choose from. AP Physics 1 and 2 are algebra-based, and AP Physics C has two parts. One concentrates on electricity and Magnetism and the other one is on mechanics.
AP Physics C further explores Electricity and Magnetism in detail and sheds light on the mechanics. Even though conceptual understanding plays a big part in understanding the syllabus, the two C options follow a more rigorous path mathematically.
Now that we have briefly described the complete concept of the course, we want to state that this is an incredible journey for the students who love the subject and unbearable for those who don’t. Thus, if you are thinking about choosing Physics, you must ask yourself these questions.
Questions you should ask yourself before going for AP Physics courses
1. What credits do you get?
Different colleges offer different credits for AP Physics. Therefore, you should conduct your research to find the credits these colleges offer their students for AP Physics.
2. What are your career plans with AP Physics?
Before committing to this course, you should consider your potential career goals. Ask yourself questions like where do you see yourself in, say, ten years?
Most college boards have online tools to help the students explore the career options of the AP exams. Check out those for yourself and think if you want to take a job in any of those professions or not.
3. How prepared are you for the math required?
Math spells phobia for many students. Your high-school class-work is going to influence the course and exam choice. For example, if you haven’t learned calculus yet, you might not do very well in the AP Physics C tests. However, if you have enough time to practice and improve, we suggest you do self-study for an AP physics exam without taking the AP physics course. If you choose this path, contact your science teacher for general guidance of this path. Solve practice questions as much as you can.
4. Should you take more than one test?
This completely depends upon you. If you are prepared, you can take all four exams simultaneously. However, if you plan to pursue a degree in engineering or physics, you should be prepared to take the AP Physics and the C series exams. However, even if you are not slightly ready for AP physics, do not lose hope because you can learn a lot of materials from the colleges.
5. How do you feel about the test formats?
One will have multiple-choice and free-response sections in all four AP physics exams. All four physics exams will provide all the essential equations and constants and allow the students to use calculators. The tests for 1 and 2 are three hours long and will test your reasoning skills. The C-series exams are 90 minutes long and will mainly focus on assessing your ability to solve problems by applying different equations to them.
Also, the free-response section of the C series paper exams is exciting and will cover a broader range of materials than the algebra-based tests.
Final Thoughts
Now that we have shared almost all the aspects you need to know about AP Physics and the C series; you should ask yourself these questions to get a clearer idea of the career. Physics is a dream subject for many but if you are taking this under peer pressure, you should think again.
