Every student wants to get that highly coveted A1 for Physics. You might think that only the really smart ones are privileged enough to get A1s, or you may assume that you will need to do an insane amount of work before you have any hope of achieving that. But these assumptions are not necessarily true.
Here are a few tips that will maximize your chances of getting A1 for Physics.
( 1 ) Make sure you get regular practice over the entire study year
Most likely, you already know the importance of being consistent with your school work and starting your revision early.
In Physics, this is all the more important. Discipline yourself and plan out a schedule in which you set aside time to revise each topic after it has been taught in class. Do as many practice questions as possible on a regular basis and complete all your tutorial questions.
( 2 ) Do not overload yourself while you do intensive studying for Physics
In regular revision, the key is to be consistent and up to date with your work. Avoid the temptation to overload yourself or set yourself overly ambitious targets. If your schedule gets too packed, you could end up feeling exhausted and disappointed, which will only be counterproductive.
( 3 ) Make your own Physics notes
Create your own summaries and notes on each topic that has been covered in class. List down all the important Physics formulae that you need to solve problems. Making your own notes will increase your understanding of the material and also help you remember the key formulae better. You can also use your own notes and summaries for quick revision.
( 4 ) Ask for help or consider hiring a Physics tutor
If you have difficulty finding enough practice questions or setting out a regular revision schedule, approach your teacher for help. Sometimes, your friends can also provide you with tips and tricks that you did missed out in class.
You can also consider hiring a Physics tutor. A good tutor will be able to provide you with material suitable for your level, and slowly help you improve your grade towards that coveted A1 through regular and consistent practice.
( 5 ) Know the syllabus requirements and the format of the Physics exam paper
It is important to know the topics that will be tested in your major examinations as well as the format of the exam paper. Be sure to cover everything that will be tested, and do not waste time on topics that will be left out of the final exam.
Familiarize yourself with the time allocated to each paper as well as the instructions that accompany each paper. Plan ahead of time how you will tackle the paper. It is also important to know roughly how much time you should be spending on each question depending on the number of marks allocated.
For example, in a two and half hour paper worth 100 marks, you can afford to spend an average of 1.5 minutes obtaining 1 mark. This works out to around 15 minutes for a 10-mark question, inclusive of the time needed to read and understand the question itself.
In the actual examination, you also have to set aside some time for checking the questions after you have done them, so you should aim to work through the easier questions more quickly. An easy question worth 10 marks, for example, should only take 10 minutes. This brings us to the next point.
( 6 ) Develop the habit of checking your work while you study or during school lessons
Develop the habit of checking your work even in your regular revision. Once that habit has become ingrained, you will automatically remember to do so in the actual examination. In fact, once the habit of checking becomes second nature to you, you might find that you detect careless mistakes more rapidly, thus saving yourself precious time in the exam.
When you check your work, try to develop an intuitive feel about what numerical quantities are appropriate for the question. Numbers that are too large or too small should be immediately considered suspect.
( 7 ) Get enough rest the night before the final Physics exam
For Physics papers, you have to get sufficient rest the night before the exam as you should approach the paper with a clear mind and a well-rested body.