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*Written by a current secondary school physics teacher from a
reputable school*
Your Physics Test is coming... not in a month, not in
a week... but three days’ time! How do you make the most out of the
precious hours? O.K. Here is some straightforward survival tips
from an ex-last minute Physics student who has become a Physics
teacher.
If you have the luxury of studying over the weekend for a Monday
test, your chances of survival is very high. If you are caught in
the midst of a school week and your test is a few school days away,
you need more determination and discipline in order to make it! I
will teach you the different ways to organise your preparation time
effectively in both situations.
Survival kit:
Physics Text book
Physics Ten Years Series
Dig out as many physics notes and worksheets AS YOU CAN (Do not
sweat if you have trouble doing this)
Calculator
Pencil case and Paper
What to do?
“I hear and I forget. I see and I understand. I do and I
remember”
So, remain calm even if you have not been very attentive in class.
Do not bother to stare at the complicated formulas and diagrams
trying to print the images into your brain. The secret to success
in learning is... DOING PHYSICS! In the remaining time you have,
your goal is to DO as many questions as you can in the topics to be
tested.
Begin with ten year series questions first. They are the most basic
and direct questions. Here is the secret: Read through the
questions in a topic first even if you don’t have the knowledge or
understanding to do them. Just read through the questions first and
pick out key words and terms used. You are to notice what stuff are
commonly asked in the topic. Next, be determined to attempt the
questions as if you are being made to sit for a test. You will
probably feel anxious and will only be able to do very few
questions. After you are done with this step, close your eyes and
reflect what are the questions that gave you the greatest anxiety
and which keywords appeared very frequently in the topic. Do this
no longer than 10 minutes.
Now, you are allowed to flip open the Text and SCAN through the
chapter for 15 min only. Your aim is to pick up simple information
that you have forgotten so that you can complete more questions
that you did not do earlier on. Do not read into chucks of details.
After this, pick up the questions again and this time round, you
should be able to do a few more questions.
Next, you are allowed to open up the Text and complete the most
difficult questions along aside. You will find that you will be
more motivated to read through sections of information in the Text
in order to solve the more complicated problems. Also, you would
have filtered out the sections which you have scanned through for
the simpler questions earlier on.
OK. You have finished the Ten year series and feeling more
confident and relieved. Great! Now, to achieve perfection, take out
the notes and worksheets that your teacher has given you in class.
This is the time to read through the notes slowly and carefully to
consolidate and summarise the facts and concepts of the topic. When
you are done, look at the worksheets and attempt the questions
again.
For those who have the luxury of
studying over weekend:
Set up your survival kit on Friday night and place the physics
textbook under your pillow and sleep early. Wake up at 6am on
Saturday morning, eat a LIGHT breakfast and finish your ten year
series before noon. Take a break at around 9 am and eat some snacks
to replenish glucose for your brain. After lunch, if you have not
finished your ten year series, continue to work on it. You must
finish before 3pm in the afternoon. Spend the rest of the time
before dinner reading through notes and running through worksheet
questions. After dinner, pick up the phone and call up the class
geek to ask for help on questions that you really cannot do. Ask
him to give you a quick tutorial on the concepts as well to clear
things up even more. Thank him and buy him dinner when the test is
over. Then, continue practising the questions well into midnight.
Go to bed and wake up around late morning on Sunday, go to church
if you are a Christian. If you are not, meditate and pray according
to your religious inclinations. Spend the rest of the day to
consolidate definitions and formulas, drawing mindmaps and
practising questions for speed.
For those who do not have the luxury
of a weekend:
You need to block out all the after school commitments and
so-called “study groups” with peers. Go home as early as you can,
explain to people who want your time that you are rushing home to
study for a test. Take your meal the very moment you reach home and
start the process as prescribed above. But you probably can only
finish ten year series on the first day. Then go to bed as usual,
do not burn midnight oil. On second day, work on notes and
worksheets. The next day, catch the class geek and schedule some
time after school to consult him. Then go home and consolidate your
stuff and practise for speed and accuracy. You would be ready for
test the next day!
This guide applies not only to those studying three days before a
test. It also works for those who are not studying last minute. It
is just a tested and proven method to prepare for a test in the
shortest time possible. I wish you all the best in Physics
Tests!
ExamWorld's addition: This methodology can also be applied to other
hard science subjects like mathematics, chemistry, and biology as
well.
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