There are approximately 4,000,000 high school seniors in the United States. By the time students graduate, about half, or 2 million students, have taken at least one AP Exam at some point in high school.
In 2013, 43,000 students took the AP Physics C Mechanics Exam with 32,000 passing with a score of 3 or higher. That means only about 1% of all students take AP Physics C Mechanics. In our class, we cover this material first semester.
In that same year, 19,000 students took the AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism Exam with 13,000 passing with a score of 3 or higher. The result is that fewer than 0.5% of all high school students take the E&M exam with about 0.33% passing. We will cover this material second semester.
My take from this data is two-fold. One, AP Physics C is perhaps the most challenging offered at the high school level. It takes dedication and desire to succeed. The other is that AP Physics C is a great springboard for future scientists and engineers. It not only puts you in elite company and looks great when applying to colleges. But, perhaps more importantly, it gives you a solid foundation, putting you at the forefront of your University peers.
* All numbers are rounded
In 2013, 43,000 students took the AP Physics C Mechanics Exam with 32,000 passing with a score of 3 or higher. That means only about 1% of all students take AP Physics C Mechanics. In our class, we cover this material first semester.
In that same year, 19,000 students took the AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism Exam with 13,000 passing with a score of 3 or higher. The result is that fewer than 0.5% of all high school students take the E&M exam with about 0.33% passing. We will cover this material second semester.
My take from this data is two-fold. One, AP Physics C is perhaps the most challenging offered at the high school level. It takes dedication and desire to succeed. The other is that AP Physics C is a great springboard for future scientists and engineers. It not only puts you in elite company and looks great when applying to colleges. But, perhaps more importantly, it gives you a solid foundation, putting you at the forefront of your University peers.
* All numbers are rounded
