Exam October 7th University Physics

[Turkishking]

I really want to get an A on this first exam. I am a pre-med, and i enjoy studying physics. But I'm always learning at a slower rate which kind of annoys me internally. I had a major slip up from a 3.94 to a 3.56. And I can redeem myself with physics. I'm not sure how I can start. I have almost two weeks. Should I go back to chapter 1-6.4 and make flash cards, do a plethora of problems from each chapter for 3-4 hours a day? Or maybe 5? I'm nervous and worried

 

[Orodruin]

While I do understand that you are nervous (it is natural to be before any sort of assesment), I do not think anyone can tell you where to focus in such general terms.

First of all, the best strategy depends on how you learn better. Second, we do not know anything about your exam, what the level is, what the scope is, and so on. Optimal study technique should preferably be discussed with a study coach, but the top advice should always be to work with the course material throughout the entire course and not leaving the learning part to the very end. Stay in sync with the course and preferably read the book in connection to the lectures, preferably ahead of it to get the main ideas. Then you will be able to follow lectures better and ask relevant questions (you can ask the professor if there is something you don’t get, but you cannot ask the book when reading after the lecture).

 

[Choppy]

I find that doing problems with feedback (i.e. checking your answer against a source of truth) is what tends to work for most people.

First year physics exams tend to be problem-based so simply reading the relevant chapters and making notes on them will only get you so far. It is of course important to understand the material that you've covered. But the majority of the marks are likely to come from problem sets, and the best way to get good at those is through practice. Ideally, you want to get to a point where you can answer just about any problem in the book (or other similar textbooks) correctly. The amount of time required to get you to this point from where you are now isn't something we can tell you.

 

[Turkishking]

I find that doing problems with feedback (i.e. checking your answer against a source of truth) is what tends to work for most people.

First year physics exams tend to be problem-based so simply reading the relevant chapters and making notes on them will only get you so far. It is of course important to understand the material that you've covered. But the majority of the marks are likely to come from problem sets, and the best way to get good at those is through practice. Ideally, you want to get to a point where you can answer just about any problem in the book (or other similar textbooks) correctly. The amount of time required to get you to this point from where you are now isn't something we can tell you.

How can I do so much with such limited time in a day? I mean I'm taking other courses but I would love to sit down and hammer out problems but I can't

 

[Choppy]

How can I do so much with such limited time in a day? I mean I'm taking other courses but I would love to sit down and hammer out problems but I can't

Pretty much every student faces a similar optimization problem.

This isn't easy when you have a full course load to balance, and maybe a part-time job and other responsibilities too. Everyone has to figure out where to make the compromises and how to make the best use of the limited time available in the day.

Some tips:

• First priority is to make sure you understand what's been covered in the lectures and in the relevant chapter(s). Do you have at least a rudimentary understanding of what's been covered and how it relates to the big picture? Ideally you should be coming to the lectures at this level because you've done some preliminary reading, and that allows you to focus on, and pick up the details of the lecture material.
• Next priority is to get through the assigned problems. These are often graded and so it makes sense to put as much effort as you can into getting them correct.
• Next priority is to attempt unassigned problems. You do NOT have to get through ALL problems in the book. Ideally you should read through them though, and work out the ones where the answer isn't immediately obvious to you.
• As you are working through the problems, think about variations of the problem that could be asked. Think about how concepts from previous chapters could be combined with the problems in this chapter to make a bigger problem. (This will help you to recognize specific types of problems out of context.)
• Avoid lingering on any single problem for too long. If it's not working out for you, move on and come back to it later. Ask about it during our professor's office hours.
• Quality of study time outweighs quantity of study time. To this end, take good care of yourself: get enough sleep and exercise. Eat properly. Socialize when you need to. Also do what you can to make sure that you can study effectively when you do open the books - limit distractions.