🧠 2024 AP Physics C: Mechanics – U.S. vs International Exam Comparison

How different were the U.S. and International versions of the 2024 AP Physics C: Mechanics exam? While both tested Newtonian mechanics through a calculus lens, the structure and intensity of the questions varied. Here’s a detailed breakdown for students, teachers, and tutors preparing for 2025.

1. What Stayed Consistent

• 📘 Format: 35 MCQs + 3 FRQs on both versions
• 📚 Core Topics: Newton’s Laws, Energy, Momentum, Rotation, Oscillations, Circular Motion
• 🧮 Required Skills: Diagram construction, symbolic derivation, graph interpretation, integration/differentiation

2. Key Differences at a Glance

3. Takeaways for 2025 Students

• 📐 Don’t rely on plug-and-chug — practice deriving equations from principles
• 📊 Build fluency in graph-based reasoning (especially in motion & energy)
• 🔁 Tackle mixed-system problems — springs + masses + rotation in one
• 🧮 Study calculus-integrated motion — differentiate velocity, integrate acceleration
• 📝 Time your FRQs and get used to justifying steps and labeling units

“Success on either version depends not just on knowing the math — but on understanding the motion.”

📘 Study Toolkit

• 2024 Physics C: Mechanics U.S. + Intl MCQ Bundle
• AP Central FRQ Archive
• 5 Steps to a 5, Flipping Physics, MIT OpenCourseWare Mechanics
• The Physics Classroom (Calculus extensions)