Is physics really that hard? + Study techniques (1 Viewer)

[crazygirl1]

So I am in year 11 right now and I am just passing physics. I am really motivated to improve to get above 90% but I think my mistake was I didn't practice at all for half yearlies.

My question is in year 12 is the physics really hard and also do you have to be really naturally good at it and be able to think critically?

Or is it still able to do good with hard work?

Please if you can suggest some good study techniques for over 90%

 

[Sp3ctre]

You definitely don't need to be naturally good at Physics to do well. I remember I failed science in Year 7 back when I didn't study any science at all, but now I've been getting 90%+ for all my assignments/exams. If you don't do well in Year 11 Physics, it doesn't mean you can't do Year 12 Physics, but it means you will have to put more time in dealing with concepts you might not understand because of gaps in your understanding from Year 11 Physics, but this shouldn't take much time to fix up.

As for study techniques, I would recommend reviewing over the work you learned after school and making a summary for the important bits (e.g. formulas, important side notes). Do this everyday consistently for all your subjects and you will be able to remember stuff you did in the past much easily. I'm also aware that some teachers rarely use the Physics textbooks they hand out, but at home you should always be referring to the textbook and looking over not just what you learned last lesson, but also skip ahead to what's next in the syllabus if you have time.

 

[Bennett Hadley]

Having talent surely helps. However, if you work hard and do enough exercise, I am pretty sure that you will do well in your physics exams.

 

[Jaxxnuts]

So I am in year 11 right now and I am just passing physics. I am really motivated to improve to get above 90% but I think my mistake was I didn't practice at all for half yearlies.

My question is in year 12 is the physics really hard and also do you have to be really naturally good at it and be able to think critically?

Or is it still able to do good with hard work?

Please if you can suggest some good study techniques for over 90%

I do not believe it's a subject that is considered "hard" but rather your study technique for that subject and how you approach your weaknesses

If you break down the physics syllabus (and the exams) you can divide it into the following: Scientific skill, understanding concepts, rote memorising, mathematical calculations and short/extended answer response technique

I assure you that if you are strong in all these areas, you'd know the syllabus back to front but this would take a considerable amount of time

1. Scientific skills (and prac skills) comes down to how well you know the ideaology behind experiments in the HSC physics curriculum and how you interpret that data
2. Understanding concepts is knowing concepts in a manner that you can explain it effectively explain it to someone else without the need to rote learn. Also look at some "scientific article questions" where they have a random article which makes you explain the theory behind the article. Also do endless past papers to ensure you understand things back to front
3. Rote memorising comes in with history of science as well as societal impacts. You will need to use the "worksheet method" to memorise a large amount of content (please tell me if u need further explanation)
4. Mathematical calculations is best approached with practice. If u don't know what formula to use, look for a random formula within your formula sheet and use that. Some maths questions may assess more than one thing in physics
5. Short answer/extended response is best approached by "predicting the criteria". This is best done by doing endless past papers and understanding the criteria to responses of certain questions

Hope that helps

Best of luck

 

[pikachu975]

So I am in year 11 right now and I am just passing physics. I am really motivated to improve to get above 90% but I think my mistake was I didn't practice at all for half yearlies.

My question is in year 12 is the physics really hard and also do you have to be really naturally good at it and be able to think critically?

Or is it still able to do good with hard work?

Please if you can suggest some good study techniques for over 90%

Mainly you have to know how to answer questions effectively because most of the course is just rote learning but it's all about how you answer the questions and about knowing specifics.

The calculations are just.. well subbing into formulas 99% of the time but sometimes you gotta do simultaneous equations which is just like general maths/2 unit. The hard part I guess is thinking of what formula to use which comes with practice.

Imo year 12 physics is easier than year 11 but probably personal preference.

The content is more interesting at least.

 

[Bennett Hadley]

Just keep practicing. Practice makes perfect trust me.

 

[Jaxxnuts]

Just keep practicing. Practice makes perfect trust me.

I think that's a misconception

There's no point practising when you don't learn from your mistakes imo