I swear to Cthulhu, this test is going to be the final push that drops me off the cliffs of nuttery. Today alone, I’ve panicked over the following subjects:
1.Which hand do I use for the right hand rule?
2.Which way does the north pole of a magnet point?
3.What’s the formula for the area of a circle?
And various other subjects that are more technical, but should be bleedingly obvious and should come to mind right away. I’m blaming it on test nerves for now, but if my head doesn’t clear up by tomorrow, I’m screwed. And knowing this, I keep panicking even more. It’s a vicious cycle of anxiety.
Anyone have any methods for relaxation before big tests?
Yes, but it’s only legal in some countries. Teehee.
(There’s no one way that works for everyone, but I’ve found mellow music to help quite a bit. I was allowed to listen to the Lord of The Rings soundtrack while I wrote my APs; maybe your teachers will be nice enough to do that for you too.)
Well, I don’t usually suffer from test anxiety, but before the AP test, I drew a little bit. It sort of helped to clear my head of the other crap that didn’t pertain to European history.
Don’t worry about it. I took the AP Phys C test two years ago, and I’m a dumbass at anything math-related. I got a 4 on mechanics and a 3 on E&M (but sadly I didn’t get credit for the 3–that’s what happens when you go to a mega-engineering school like this one…) But anyway, if dumbass ole me got a 4 and a 3, you’ll do fine.
How did I prepare for the Physics APs … ah yes. I had excellent teachers. But really the only thing they did that made my preparation excellent was that all year long I was preparing by doing problems mimicking the ones on the test. As long as you’ve practiced and gained a mastery of AP-like problems, you’ll be fine.
Also, while taking the test, write down EVERYTHING. Every equation you use, write it down before applying it. Write down your logic, your reasoning, and what you had for breakfast that Tuesday six months ago. The AP graders are very big on partial credit. Usually the correct answer itself is worth only 1 or 2 points out of 10 or 15. Everything else is knowing which equation to use and how to use it.
That’s a great piece of advice that I forgot about–writing down everything. In some cases, you can get a point for writing F=ma. Or you can get one point if you have dv/dt=a. Don’t omit any steps, however small they may seem.
Been there done that. Got my test back and sat there for about 3 minutes wondering why I got a question wrong. I even kept on doing the right hand rule with my left hand and was about to go ask the TA when I realized what a moron I was.
I thought you got an equation sheet for the test?
Anyways don’t worry too much becuase in the end it really doesn’t matter that much. If you don’t get credit for the class then you will be a step ahead for your college Physics class. If you do get credit all that means is that you don’t have to take one of the 35 or so that you have to.
You get an equation sheet, but it’s not really all that helpful. It gives you the bare-bones equations, but it’s stuff that’s been drilled into your head all year long, so you already know it by heart. F=ma, V=IR, etc. But most of the equations you use, you’ll need to derive by yourself.
Well, it helps to remember that you don’t need to get close to everything right. My test had an optics question that I was like… on, and I messed up some tension stuff :smack:, but came out with a 4.
Relax. When I took Physics C E&M lo these many years ago (ye gods–ten years ago this year!), I was, Honors Physics survivor or not, a physics weenie. I thought the test thoroughly kicked my ass. I walked out of there with my stomach somewhere down around my ankles, convinced that I would be the first person ever to score a 0 out of 5.
I got a 3.
Lesson learned? Many people–many of whom are stupider than you–are taking the test.
I would also like to pass on my own personal trick of the trade for taking standardized tests: bring along an energy bar (or candy bar) and eat it halfway through the test. Your brain needs FUEL!
I had to have my physics teacher walk me through most of the mechanics section of the class. During the AP E&M test, there were questions that sucked badly enough that I found it better to write poetry than to answer the questions.
I got 4s on both of the tests.
Get a good night’s sleep. If you don’t know it by now, you don’t, and if you do, you do. But, if you don’t sleep, your brain’ll be foggy.
You should stop worrying in situations where worrying does not help. Hopefully your worries are irrational and you know your physics. In which case you will relax once you realize you know the answers to most of the questions. That is what happened to me once I got my act together and started to put more effort into learning. I’d get nervous before a test, because I was not used to knowing all the answers, then after a few questions I felt fine. I eventually stopped getting nervous at all.
I did not have my act together when I took the AP physics test. I got a 3 anyway. It was terribly horrific for me, but that is because I studied very little. If I could get a 3 without that much effort, you should be fine. Unless of course you have not been learning your material in which case you have little hope.
How to get rid of irrational anxieties you ask? Convince yourself they are irrational first. Even if they are rational, it will do you more good to think they are not. Then you should relax. Watch a movie, listen to music, workout, smoke a hookah, play video games, watch porn, get a massage, have sex (really gets the tension out), eat chocolate (stay away plain sugar), drink tea, watch VH1 (it is mindless television but the pretty colors will settle you down), take a hot shower, pet a furry kitten or meditate. With your anxiety, I’d also recommend not to study two days before the test and just relax for those two days.
Thanks for the tips everyone. While I’m not taking an AP Physics test tomorrow, I am going to be taking the HSK test. That’s the PRC’s test of official Chinese. This test has been the enitre purpose of life for the past month or so here, and will probably be the only way I can justify giving me a passing grade back in the States for the year abroad.
As for any tips I have it just read the entire question, and then make sure you know exactly what’s needed, and how to get there before jumping into the first part of the first question. Good Luck!
One other thing I loved about the AP Phys grading:
Say part A asks you to find the velocity with respect to time, and you miscalculate and get the wrong answer. Parts B, C, D, etc. all require you to use the number you found for velocity. You won’t be counted off for B, C, and D as long as those answers are correct in terms of the number you found for velocity. In other words, you’ll only be counted off for that wrong answer once. That was fabulous.
Do something with your hands. Fix something, sand something, paint, whatever. Also, eating McDonald’s breakfast is part of my pre-standardized test ritual. I got a 5 on the calc test.
Well, I think it went pretty well. I knew all the free response, so I think I did well on those, and the multiple choice gave me almost no trouble at all. I’m thinking high 4, maybe a 5.
Well, it helps to remember that you don’t need to get close to everything right. My test had an optics question that I was like… 