Your Guide to the 2024 AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam 

We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP Physics C: E&M exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2024 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day. Unlock Cram Mode for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions. 

Format of the 2024 AP Physics C: E&M Exam

Going into test day, this is the exam format to expect:

• Section 1: Multiple Choice (50% of score)
  • 35 questions to complete in 45 minutes
• Section 2: Free Response (50% of score)
  • 3 questions to complete in 45 minutes

When is the 2024 AP Physics C E&M Exam and How Do I Take It?

**The exam date is Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 2:00 PM, your local time—this will be a paper test at your school. **

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How Should I Prepare for the Exam?

• • First, download the AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Cheatsheet PDF - a single sheet that covers everything you need to know at a high level. Take note of your strengths and weaknesses!
• • We've put together the study plan found below to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam. Pay special attention to the units that you need the most improvement in.
• • Study, practice, and review for test day with other students during our live cram sessions via Cram Mode. Cram live streams will teach, review, and practice important topics from AP courses, college admission tests, and college admission topics. These streams are hosted by experienced students who know what you need to succeed.

Pre-Work: Set Up Your Study Environment

Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.

🖥 Create a study space.

Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space. 

📚 Organize your study materials.

Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!

📅 Plan designated times for studying.

The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.

🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.

How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused!

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AP Physics C E&M 2024 Study Plan

⚡️ Unit 1: Electrostatics

Electricity is everywhere! But what actually is electricity? In this unit, you’ll cover the basics of charge, and introduce the concepts of electrostatic force and electric potential difference. If you've taken AP 1 (or another physics course before) some of these concepts may be familiar, but this is the foundation for the entire course, so make sure to get it down!

📖Read these Fiveable study guides:

• • Unit 1 Overview
• • Electrostatics

• Electric Fields & Electric Potential

• Point Charges - Fields & Potentials

• Gauss' Law

• Other Charge Distributions - Fields & Potentials 🎥 Watch these videos from College Board:

• Electrostatics: Charge and Coulomb's Law

• Electric Potential and Uniform Fields

• Electric Potential and Electric Potential Energy

• Gauss's Law Conductors and Insulators

• Fields of Other Charge Distributions

🔋 Unit 2: Conductors, Capacitors, Dielectrics

In this unit, you’ll cover how charge can move through an object. This includes covering conductors, which transfer charge, capacitors, which store charge, and dielectrics, which are insulators that become polarized in an electric field.

📖Read these Fiveable study guides:

• • Unit 2 Overview
• • Electrostatics with Conductors
• • Capacitors

• Dielectrics 🎥 Watch these videos from College Board:

• Capacitors [Part 1]

• Capacitors [Part 2]

🔌 Unit 3: Electric Circuits

Unit 3 is all about connecting electrical devices together. We'll look at different types of circuits, how to calculate the flow of electricity through a circuit, and do some analysis of the current, power, and potential difference in various locations in a circuit.

📖Read these Fiveable study guides:

• • Unit 3 Overview
• • Electric Circuits

• Power in a Circuit 

• Steady State Circuits

• Capacitors in a Circuit 🎥 Watch these videos from College Board:

• Current and Resistance [Part 1]

• Current and Resistance [Part 2]

• DC Circuits with Batteries and Resistors [Part 1]

• DC Circuits with Batteries and Resistors [Part 2] ✍️Practice using the progress check on AP Classroom!

🧲 Unit 4: Magnetic Fields

In previous units, we looked at how the electric field allows charged objects to interact without contact. In Unit 4, we'll take a look at magnetic fields, how they are created, and how they interact with electric fields. We'll cover how magnetic fields impact motion and interact with other magnetic fields.

📖Read these study guides:

• • Unit 4 Overview
• • Magnetic Fields

• Current-Carrying Wires & Magnetic Fields

• Biot–Savart Law and Ampère’s Law 🎥 Watch these videos:

• Magnetic Fields: Forces on Moving Charges

• Magnetic Fields: Forces on Current Carrying Wires

• Magnetic Fields: Fields of Long Current-Carrying Wires

• Biot–Savart Law and Ampère’s Law

⚛️ Unit 5: Electromagnetism

In this final unit, you’re going to take a look at how electric circuits can be used to create magnets. We'll look at several applications including motors, rail guns, and transformers. You’ll also take a brief look at Maxwell's Equations, four equations that set the basis for all of the E&M concepts we've covered in the course.

📖Read these study guides:

• • Unit 5 Overview
• • Electromagnetism
• • Inductance
• • Maxwell's Equations 🎥 Watch these videos:

• Electromagnetic Induction

• Inductance (Including LR Circuits)

• Maxwell’s Equations

More Resources:      

📖Read these study guides:

• Exam Guide FRQ/MCQ Test Strategies
• Tips for Studying in AP Physics C E&M