VCE Physics Exams Tips and Guides

How to overcome the most common student pitfalls

·         Ensure you are familiar with the examination format and complete practice papers whilst paying attention to the timing and pace required.

·         Create your own 2-sides of examination notes – DON’T borrow others.  Be prepared to redraft these notes several times – eliminate areas which you know will be on the Data Sheet or that you are confident with.

·         Avoid using tiny fonts in your notes that may smudge or become illegible – particularly with complex formulae or working 

How to study more efficiently for Physics

·         Begin your examination preparation early, setting the exam day as a goal and work towards a “peak” at the right time. Whilst it remains essential to do as much revision as possible, don’t feel the need to do every past exam with several weeks to go or you run the risk of going “stale”.

·         Regularly practice problems, definitions, terminology etc. to get into the habit of using Physics terms and phrases.

·         Analyse the VCE examiner’s report from previous years. Ensure that you are familiar with areas of concern expressed by the examination panel, especially with aspects such as units, method marks and key definitions.

·         Create your own summary of the course, which will be condensed to your 2-sides of notes for the examination.  Include worked examples and past examination questions that could prompt you if you encounter seemingly left-field questions.

·         Make sure you mark your work in past examination or trial papers. Be critical of all working, especially written answers, to ensure they effectively express the answer you intend. Look for key words in the solution or discuss with fellow students or your teacher. Remember that descriptive questions will differentiate a great score from a good score.

·         Identify common mistakes and keep an inventory of them – then work to diminish it.

·         Work with small groups of other students to create discussion – learn and feed off each others strengths.

·         Try to become more active in classroom learning, taking advantage of opportunities to express your answers and ideas – allowing the teacher to give you feedback and providing more chances to use Physics terminology. This is especially important for ESL students who may find it difficult to readily grasp and express some concepts.

How to maximize results in the Physics examinations

Reading time is VERY useful!

• Browse the entire paper (check for correct pages etc).
  
  
• MCQs: Check for questions that can be answered just by thinking (no calculations), which you can work out in your head – write down answers as soon as the exam begins.
  
  
• Extended Response: Begin thinking about the points that could be relevant.
  
  
• As you read each question, ask yourself “can the formula sheet or my summary help?” – “OK, so it’s that type of question…”

Tactics for dealing with difficult problems

• Practise reading questions slowly and carefully during your revision.
  
  
• Underline key physics words and measurements in the question.
  
  
• Check the formula sheet and your summary for any ideas or relationships that you could use.
  
  
• The space for the answer includes the units – this can often be a clue.
  
  
• MCQs: Try to eliminate the obvious wrong answers to increase your chances. Never leave it out.
  
  
• Use common sense to check if your answer is physically reasonable.
  
  
• When you have no idea, briefly write down the important concepts and relationships – they may get you a mark.
  
  
• If a 3 or 4 mark question is taking more than 3 or 4 minutes to answer, it may be time to move on.
  
  
• NEVER LEAVE A PROBLEM BLANK!

General tips

• Remember that if you are finding the examination fairly hard, don’t panic, because the rest of the state is probably also finding it hard too. Unfortunately, the reverse also applies…
  
  
• Read the question carefully! Especially graphs or data analysis – information may need to be converted to SI units (cm ® m, kN ® N, ms ® s, mF ® F etc.)
  
  
• Show all your working – don’t expect the examiner to be able to interpret equations and numbers which have not been explicitly identified.
  
  
• Consider the layout of your answers in terms of the space allowed – have you been clear?
  
  
• Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before – last minute cramming is not likely to be very worthwhile.

Written by Mr. David Rayner