I’m pretty familiar with physics - I’ve taken three years worth (two years of IB, one semester of college) and did really well, so I thought I’d make a guide to physics studying and test-taking.
1. Become familiar with the formula sheet.
This is some of the most important advice. Know what’s on the formula sheet and where it is, in order to save time when taking the test. Know what’s not on the formula sheet, so that you know what to memorize. In IB, the only ones we had to memorize were the ones that were essentially definitions, so knowing the definitions can be extremely valuable (you have to know them for IB anyway). For the ones that aren’t definitions, consider memorizing the derivations. At the very least, make sure you understand each step of how it is derived so that even if you haven’t memorized it, you can recreate it.
2. Make sure you truly understand what’s going on.
Don’t rely on formulas and guesswork, or memorizing the process you use to find the answer to a certain type of question. They can, and probably will, change it up in some way, and you don’t want to be caught off guard. They want to see that you can think critically, and in order to do so, you need to really understand the material. If you’re not sure why you’re doing something, talk to your teacher, a TA, or a friend who understands it. That could really save you on the test.
3. Write down everything.
Read the question, and every time they give you a value for something, write it down, using the correct units and symbols. For example, say you have a basic kinematics problem. When you read: “A truck is going 1 km/s to the left,” write down: v = -1000 m/s. When you have everything written down, including what you want to find, you can look at the formulas and immediately know which one to use based on which variables you know and which one you’re looking for. By putting everything in SI units (meters, kilograms, Newtons, Joules, meters per second, etc.), you’ll minimize the chance of losing points for easily avoidable unit errors. This strategy is incredibly useful if you’re stuck on a question and don’t know what to do next.
4. Practice, practice, practice!
Do practice problems. Look at old tests, if they’re available. Redo homework assignments. If you do have access to past tests, try taking at least one like a real test: time it and do it all at once, then score it. See where you are, see what areas you need to work on, and then do problems specifically in those areas. The more familiar you are with the problems, the easier it will be when similar ones show up on the test.
5. Don’t stress. It’s not as bad as it looks.
Physics can seem scary and threatening, and you can get discouraged. If you ever find yourself overwhelmed, just take a step back, take a break, and then look at it again from a different perspective. Break it down into the building blocks - everything in physics is built off of simpler things in physics. Look at those, then put them back together to understand the larger picture, and make it a lot less threatening. I promise it’s not that bad, you can do it!
