What Is the Hardest Thing to Study in High School?
Ask any high school student what’s the hardest thing to study, and you’ll get a dozen different answers. Some say calculus. Others swear by chemistry. A few will tell you it’s not a subject at all-it’s the sheer volume of work piled on top of deadlines, extracurriculars, and part-time jobs. But if you look at real data from national surveys, college prep programs, and teacher feedback across the U.S., one thing keeps showing up: AP Physics 1.
Why AP Physics 1 Stands Out
AP Physics 1 isn’t just hard because it’s full of formulas. It’s hard because it demands you think differently. You’re not memorizing the speed of light-you’re figuring out how a cart slows down on a ramp, why a pendulum swings the way it does, and how forces interact in systems you can’t see. It’s algebra-based, so no calculus needed, but that doesn’t make it easier. In fact, it makes it trickier. Without calculus, you have to rely on conceptual understanding, which many students aren’t trained for.
According to the College Board’s 2024 score reports, only 42% of students who took AP Physics 1 scored a 3 or higher-the minimum to earn college credit. That’s the lowest pass rate of any AP exam, even lower than AP Chemistry (51%) and AP Calculus AB (58%). Students who score a 5? Just 8%. Compare that to AP Psychology, where nearly 25% get a 5, and you start to see the gap.
Teachers report the same thing: students can solve problems in class but freeze when asked to explain why something happens. They can plug numbers into F = ma, but they can’t describe how friction affects motion in real life. That’s the core challenge. Physics isn’t about getting the right number-it’s about seeing the world as a system of interacting forces.
Chemistry: The Memory Trap
If physics is about thinking in new ways, chemistry is about remembering too much at once. High school chemistry piles on periodic trends, electron configurations, Lewis structures, hybridization, equilibrium constants, acid-base reactions, and stoichiometry-all in one year. And if you miss one concept, the rest collapses.
Take stoichiometry. You need to balance equations, convert grams to moles, use molar ratios, and track limiting reactants. One mistake in the first step, and your whole answer is wrong. Students often get lost because they treat it like arithmetic instead of a chemical story. It’s not just math-it’s counting atoms and predicting how molecules behave.
Plus, there’s the lab component. Writing lab reports that follow the scientific method, calculating percent error, identifying sources of error-these aren’t just busywork. They’re skills colleges expect you to have. But most high schools don’t give enough time to really build them.
Calculus: The Gatekeeper
Calculus gets a bad reputation because it’s the first math class that feels abstract. You go from solving for x to asking, “What’s the slope at this exact point?” or “How much water flows out over time?” It’s not about finding answers-it’s about modeling change.
But here’s the twist: calculus isn’t the hardest because it’s complex. It’s hard because students are often pushed into it before they’re ready. Many schools require Algebra II and precalculus as prerequisites, but if you didn’t fully grasp functions, trigonometry, or logarithms, calculus becomes a wall. A 2023 study by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics found that 68% of students who failed AP Calculus AB had scored below a B in precalculus.
The real issue? Speed. Teachers rush through limits, derivatives, and integrals because the AP exam is in May. Students end up memorizing procedures instead of understanding them. That’s why so many students who aced algebra crash in calculus-they never learned how to think mathematically, just how to follow steps.
Why the Workload Is the Real Enemy
Here’s something no one talks about enough: the hardest thing to study in high school isn’t a subject. It’s the workload.
Think about it. A student taking AP Physics, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus is also expected to write a 15-page research paper in English, memorize 500 terms for AP U.S. History, and complete a 10-hour community service project. Add in SAT prep, college applications, and maybe a part-time job, and you’ve got 80+ hours a week of demands.
Studies from the American Psychological Association show that high school students today report stress levels comparable to adults in high-pressure jobs. Sleep deprivation is common. Anxiety is rising. And the pressure to get into a “good college” makes students feel like one bad grade will ruin everything.
That’s why some students who can handle the material still fail. They burn out. They stop sleeping. They stop eating right. They stop asking for help because they think they’re the only one struggling.
What Actually Helps
So what works? Not more hours. Not cramming. Not tutoring every night.
- Start early. If you’re taking AP Physics, review vectors and trigonometry over the summer. You don’t need to master it-just get familiar.
- Use visual tools. PhET simulations from the University of Colorado are free and help you see how forces, waves, and energy behave in real time.
- Teach it to someone else. Explaining Newton’s laws to a friend forces you to clarify your own thinking.
- Focus on patterns, not problems. In chemistry, learn the rules for naming compounds, not just one example. In calculus, recognize when to use the chain rule versus the product rule.
- Protect your sleep. Students who get 7+ hours a night score 12% higher on average, according to a 2024 study from the University of Michigan.
And here’s the most important thing: talk to your teacher. Not when you’re failing. Not when the test is tomorrow. Talk to them in September. Ask, “What’s the one concept most students struggle with?” They’ll tell you. And they’ll give you resources you didn’t know existed.
It’s Not About Being the Smartest
The hardest thing to study in high school isn’t physics, chemistry, or calculus. It’s believing you can do it when everyone around you acts like it’s impossible. The students who succeed aren’t the ones with the highest IQs. They’re the ones who show up, ask questions, and keep going-even when they’re tired.
High school doesn’t reward perfection. It rewards persistence. One wrong answer doesn’t mean you’re bad at science. One late assignment doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Progress, not perfection, is the goal.
So if you’re struggling? You’re not alone. And you’re not behind. You’re just learning.
Is calculus the hardest subject in high school?
Calculus is challenging, but it’s not the hardest overall. AP Physics 1 has the lowest pass rate among AP exams, with only 42% of students scoring a 3 or higher. Calculus is hard because it builds on weaker math foundations, but physics demands a deeper conceptual shift that many students aren’t prepared for.
Why is AP Physics 1 so difficult?
AP Physics 1 is difficult because it requires you to understand how forces, motion, and energy work in real-world systems-not just plug numbers into equations. It’s algebra-based, so you can’t rely on calculus to simplify problems. You have to visualize and explain concepts like torque, momentum, and wave interference, which many students haven’t been trained to do.
Is chemistry harder than physics in high school?
Chemistry is harder for students who struggle with memorization and abstract symbols. You have to remember electron configurations, reaction types, and naming rules, all while doing stoichiometry calculations. Physics is harder for students who struggle with visualizing forces and motion. Neither is universally harder-it depends on your strengths.
What’s the best way to study for AP exams?
Don’t cram. Start early, use free tools like PhET simulations for physics and Khan Academy for chemistry, and teach the material to someone else. Focus on understanding patterns, not memorizing answers. Practice with past AP questions and review your mistakes. Most importantly, get enough sleep-students who sleep 7+ hours score significantly higher.
Should I take all AP classes in my junior year?
No, unless you’re already excelling in those subjects and have strong time management skills. Taking 3-4 AP classes in junior year is common, but taking too many leads to burnout. Colleges care more about how you perform in 3-4 challenging courses than how many you cram into one year. Quality over quantity always wins.
How can I tell if I’m struggling because the subject is hard or because I’m not prepared?
If you’re consistently missing the same type of problem-like balancing chemical equations or setting up integrals-it’s likely a foundation gap. If you understand the concepts but freeze during tests, it’s test anxiety or lack of practice. Talk to your teacher. They can help you diagnose whether it’s content or confidence holding you back.
Scott Perlman
November 17, 2025 AT 18:39Just keep going. One step at a time. You got this.
allison berroteran
November 18, 2025 AT 03:03I used to think physics was the enemy until I realized it was just asking me to see the world differently. Like, why does a ball roll slower on carpet than tile? It’s not about the numbers-it’s about friction, inertia, the quiet rebellion of matter resisting change. I spent weeks staring at PhET simulations, watching carts on ramps like they were characters in a silent film. And then one day, it clicked-not because I memorized formulas, but because I started noticing how everything around me was doing the same thing. That’s the magic. It’s not about being smart. It’s about being curious enough to ask why the coffee spills when the bus brakes.
Jen Kay
November 18, 2025 AT 15:40Oh, so now we’re romanticizing AP Physics 1 like it’s a Shakespearean tragedy? Cute. Meanwhile, my niece is cramming stoichiometry at 2 a.m. while her mom works two jobs and she hasn’t seen sunlight since March. The real issue isn’t conceptual understanding-it’s systemic neglect. Schools don’t fail students. They fail to fund labs, hire qualified teachers, or give kids time to breathe. Let’s stop pretending this is about intellectual rigor when it’s really about who gets the resources to succeed.
Michael Thomas
November 19, 2025 AT 18:55Physics 1 is easy if you’re American. If you’re from India or China, you’re already doing quantum mechanics by 14. This country is soft.
Abert Canada
November 20, 2025 AT 05:50As a Canadian, I’ll say this-our schools don’t push APs like y’all do. We focus more on depth than volume. But I get it. The pressure’s real. I watched my cousin burn out taking four APs and working nights at Tim Hortons. He didn’t fail the class-he just stopped showing up. Nobody talks about that. The system doesn’t care if you’re alive, just if you hit the score.
Xavier Lévesque
November 21, 2025 AT 03:38Yeah right. AP Physics 1 is hard? Try explaining why your teacher gave you a 68% because you used the wrong unit for torque. Again. After you’ve been up 36 hours because your mom thinks ‘college prep’ means no sleep and no life. I’ve seen kids cry over a missed point on a free-response question. This isn’t education. It’s emotional warfare dressed in syllabi.
Thabo mangena
November 22, 2025 AT 12:59In South Africa, we do not have AP systems. Our learners face overcrowded classrooms, outdated textbooks, and teachers who are often underpaid and overworked. Yet, many still achieve distinction in physics and mathematics. The challenge is not the subject-it is the belief that one is capable. If a child in a township can solve Newton’s laws with no lab equipment, then perhaps the issue lies not in the curriculum, but in the narrative we tell our youth about their potential.
Karl Fisher
November 24, 2025 AT 11:38Let’s be real-AP Physics 1 is just the gateway drug to the real nightmare: AP Chemistry with a lab report due the same day as your college essay. I cried in the bathroom during my AP exam. Not because I didn’t know the material-but because I realized I’d spent 18 months of my life becoming a walking formula machine. And for what? So I can pay $70,000 a year to sit in a lecture hall where they tell me to ‘think critically’ while charging me $20 for a bottled water?
Buddy Faith
November 25, 2025 AT 23:42AP exams are a scam. The government wants you stressed so you’ll accept low wages later. Colleges don’t care about your 5. They just want your tuition. Wake up. Sleep. Eat. Live. That’s the real curriculum.
Sandi Johnson
November 27, 2025 AT 21:17Someone mentioned PhET sims. That’s the only reason I passed. I watched a simulation of a pendulum swing 47 times before I understood damping. Then I showed my little brother. He got it in five minutes. Teaching is the real study tool. Also, stop comparing yourself to the kid who’s doing differential equations in eighth grade. That’s not a benchmark. It’s a glitch in the matrix.
Eva Monhaut
November 28, 2025 AT 08:38I used to think ‘hard’ meant ‘I’m not smart enough.’ Then I realized it meant ‘I haven’t found the right way in yet.’ Physics felt like a language I was born deaf to-until I started drawing force diagrams like comic strips. Chemistry? I turned the periodic table into a family tree. Calcium is the overprotective dad. Fluorine’s the edgy teen who wants to bond with everyone. Calculus? I imagined derivatives as the heartbeat of motion. It sounds silly. But when you stop fighting the subject and start playing with it? It stops being a monster. It becomes a story you’re learning to tell.
mark nine
November 29, 2025 AT 04:51My kid bombed physics but nailed bio. Turns out she’s a visual learner. Physics wants you to imagine invisible forces. Bio? She can name every organelle and how it dances. Different brains. Different paths. Stop acting like there’s one right way to be smart.
Tony Smith
November 30, 2025 AT 03:39It is not the subject that is challenging, but rather the absence of emotional scaffolding in the educational environment. Students are expected to internalize abstract concepts while simultaneously navigating social isolation, familial expectations, and economic precarity. One cannot separate cognitive load from psychological burden. The solution is not more tutoring, but more humanity.
Rakesh Kumar
November 30, 2025 AT 06:56In India, we call this ‘pressure cooker education.’ My brother studied 16 hours a day for IIT. He got in. Then he spent two years in therapy. Physics isn’t hard because it’s complex. It’s hard because we made it a test of worth. You’re not a failure if you don’t get a 5. You’re just human.
Bill Castanier
December 1, 2025 AT 23:11Grammar note: ‘you’re not behind’ should be ‘you are not behind.’ Also, ‘one wrong answer doesn’t mean you’re bad at science’-correct. But ‘you’re’ is a contraction. Avoid in formal writing. Just saying.