Preliminary Physics and chemistry (1 Viewer)

[absydau]

Hi all,
Since annual exams are fast approaching, please provide any past paper or study techniques for both physics and chemistry.

 

[windebygirl]

i dropped chem at the end of semester 1 last year, but here are my tips for physics.

1. get to know your formula sheet. it's your best friend. when you get to a calculation question, even if you don't fully understand it conceptually, you can still just plug numbers into whatever formula looks correct.
2. don't underestimate the amount of non-calculation question's you'll get. you can get something like a 4 marker that won't give you any numbers at all, just a scenario that you then have to explain. physics isn't just the formulas, you do have to understand the concepts quite well (kind of contradictory to my first point, but you get what i mean. btw - they really like making these conceptual q's on electro/mag.)
3. don't overthink it. follow the syllabus, go over what you did in class, and make sure you leave no stone unturned. it's not hard, you just have to make sure you find your weak points and study them harder. prelim physics is pretty straightforward imo (no quantum stuff lol)

i've attached 2 prelim papers and their solutions (you probs already have these ones), but beware - bought physics exams like these are notorious for providing incorrect solutions, so make sure that if you're like 90% sure you got a question right but the solution says it's wrong, check with your teacher!!!!
good luck, i'm sure you'll do amazing.

 

[SweatyAsian#1]

i dropped chem at the end of semester 1 last year, but here are my tips for physics.

1. get to know your formula sheet. it's your best friend. when you get to a calculation question, even if you don't fully understand it conceptually, you can still just plug numbers into whatever formula looks correct.
2. don't underestimate the amount of non-calculation question's you'll get. you can get something like a 4 marker that won't give you any numbers at all, just a scenario that you then have to explain. physics isn't just the formulas, you do have to understand the concepts quite well (kind of contradictory to my first point, but you get what i mean. btw - they really like making these conceptual q's on electro/mag.)
3. don't overthink it. follow the syllabus, go over what you did in class, and make sure you leave no stone unturned. it's not hard, you just have to make sure you find your weak points and study them harder. prelim physics is pretty straightforward imo (no quantum stuff lol)

i've attached 2 prelim papers and their solutions (you probs already have these ones), but beware - bought physics exams like these are notorious for providing incorrect solutions, so make sure that if you're like 90% sure you got a question right but the solution says it's wrong, check with your teacher!!!!
good luck, i'm sure you'll do amazing.

Hello there windebygirl,
Just a quick question but may I ask the main reason you dropped Chemistry? I'm planning on dropping Business studies but I would like to see the 'opportunity cost' if I do go this route.
OR (idk if i want this option)
Should I drop both Business studies and chemistry and do 4U? High risk high reward... Sometimes Mathematics is a burden, sometimes it isn't. I really need help lol.

 

[windebygirl]

Hello there windebygirl,
Just a quick question but may I ask the main reason you dropped Chemistry? I'm planning on dropping Business studies but I would like to see the 'opportunity cost' if I do go this route.
OR (idk if i want this option)
Should I drop both Business studies and chemistry and do 4U? High risk high reward... Sometimes Mathematics is a burden, sometimes it isn't. I really need help lol.

Well, I dropped chem fairly early on, because i was on 14u and also just didn't really like it. I chose it in y10 because I thought I would enjoy it (I always enjoyed science in the junior years, hence why I chose both chem and phys), but I ended up really hating it and finding that I was putting a lot of work into it but not getting the marks I wanted. So if you're enjoying it, I don't think I can help you much - I have quite a few friends who absolutely love it (or need it as a prerequisite for their uni courses - so check that this doesn't apply to you before you go changing all your subjects). However, as fas as 4u goes, I definitely recommend! It's so much fun, and even though your raw marks will probably look terrible, scaling will be on your side come hsc. Also, if you get good marks in ext 1, then remember that doing 4u will make ext 1 count for 2 of your units! Which is great because a lot of people only do 3u and put a lot of work into ext 1 only to have it count for just 1 of their final units. If you're willing to put the work in, 4u will be the key to getting a good atar. Let me know if you want any more info regarding 4u or hsc physics