Sitting for a major Physics exam can be a very stressful prospect. Even if students are thoroughly prepared, there is no telling what the question paper will look like. Being able to gauge the types or formats of common questions that might appear is one of the many reasons students in Singapore focus on past year papers as a study method. Some O level Physics or Sec 4 Physics tuition might even include past year papers as part of their tuition curriculum.
Let’s see how solving past year exam papers is an important step in preparing students for their O level or Sec 4 Physics exams:
1. Sharpens Skills
Solving Physics past year papers sharpens the problem-solving skills in students and reinforces their accuracy in recalling concepts accurately. It also acts as an aid to revision. The more regularly students solve past test papers, the more strongly they reinforce their foundational memory and application skills for key formulas and equations which need to be memorised.
2. Self Assessment
The more Physics past year papers students manage to complete, the more adept they get at assessing themselves and gauging their level of preparedness. This helps them to determine well in advance which chapters and concepts they need to work more on. Once they know where they are lagging behind, they can get specific help from their O level Physics tutor to overcome these obstacles and work towards earning a high score in the exams.
3. Psychological Preparation
Performance anxiety can make students forget important points during a Physics exam, especially if they encounter an unseen or tough question. Solving past year test papers is therefore important in building students’ preparation for various question styles. When students have practised handling a range of difficult test questions, they are more confident about the question paper as they head into the exam hall.
4. Improves Time Management Skills
Students have to learn to pace themselves during their Physics exam so that they can answer all the questions and finish the exam on time. With enough practice using past year papers, students are equipped with a better understanding of the different sections of the paper. This facilitates better use of time as students can allocate time to questions depending on the difficulty level.
5. Enables them to work on weak spots
As previously mentioned, past year test papers allow students to assess themselves and identify their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Physics O level tutors may also encourage students to solve maximum test papers because they can then devise a remedial or personalised lesson plan for the particular student. Strengthening of weak spots with expert guidance improves student’s chances of greater success in exams.
6. Practice Makes Perfect
As we have seen, the more practice students get under their belt, the more they enhance their skills, preparedness and confidence as they get ready for the big day. As questions in the O level Physics exam are often repeated, solving past year exam papers can help students prepare for their own exams.. Thus students are in a better position to solve the questions quickly.
Learn Beyond Test Papers with PhysicsProf Learning System
At Physics Academy we go beyond simply asking students to complete past year papers. We provide O level Physics tuition and Sec 4 level Physics tuition specially designed to help our students face their exams with a highly motivated attitude. Our integrated PhysicsProf Learning System (PPLS) with live lessons, digital lessons. 24/7 learning and personalised progress tracking, has proved to be a catalyst in making students achieve top grades in maor Physics exams in Singapore.
Find out about our unique teaching methodology and about our Master tutor Mr. Bryan Lai. Attend a free trial class for a better understanding of our approach to teaching Physics.