AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is an Advanced Placement science course about electricity and magnetism. It is one of the four AP Physics courses offered in some U.S. secondary schools.
Course content
It is equivalent to an introductory college course in electricity and magnetism for physics or engineering majors. The course modules are:- Electrostatics
- Conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics
- Electric circuits
- Magnetic fields
- Electromagnetism.
This course may be combined with to make a unified Physics C course that prepares for both exams. In this scenario, Electricity and Magnetism is typically taught second, as it requires much of the knowledge gained in the Mechanics course.
AP test
The course culminates in an optional exam for which high-performing students may receive some credit towards their college coursework, depending on the institution.Registration
The AP examination for AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is separate from the AP examination for AP Physics C: Mechanics. Before 2006, test-takers paid only once and were given the choice of taking either one or two parts of the Physics C test.Format
The exam is typically administered on a Monday afternoon in May. The exam is configured in two categories: a 35-question multiple choice section and a 3-question free response section. Test takers are allowed to use an approved calculator during the entire exam. The test is weighted such that each section is worth half of the final score. This and are the shortest AP exams, with total testing time of 90 minutes.The topics covered by the exam are as follows:
| Topic | Percent |
| Electrostatics | 30% |
| Conductors, insulators, capacitors, dielectrics | 14% |
| Electric circuits | 20% |
| Magnetic fields | 20% |
| Electromagnetism | 16% |
Grade distribution
The grade distributions for the Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism scores since 2010 were:| Score | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| 5 | 32.0% | 32.0% | 35.1% | 31.7% | 33.5% | 28.5% | 32% | 28.1% | 35% | 34.6% | 40.0% |
| 4 | 25.2% | 24.5% | 24.0% | 24.1% | 25.1% | 24.9% | 22.6% | 25.1% | 23.1% | 22.6% | 22.1% |
| 3 | 13.1% | 14.1% | 13.9% | 13.7% | 12.2% | 13.7% | 13.5% | 15.6% | 13.7% | 13.9% | 11.5% |
| 2 | 17.4% | 17.7% | 16.5% | 19% | 17.6% | 19.8% | 19.3% | 18.2% | 17.3% | 17.8% | 16.3% |
| 1 | 12.3% | 11.7% | 10.5% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13% | 10.9% | 11.1% | 10.1% |
| Mean | 3.47 | 3.47 | 3.57 | 3.46 | 3.51 | 3.36 | 3.42 | 3.37 | 3.54 | 3.52 | |
| Number of Students | 14,191 | 15,185 | 17,380 | 19,380 | 20,765 | 22,789 | 23,347 | 24,249 | 25,074 |