Last minute study tips?

[stupid9234]

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Calculus and Physics?

Thanks

 

[Theafoni]

Practice problems, start early.

 

[turayza]

Calculus and Physics?

Thanks

Yeah..can't cram calc and physics. Only practice problems do the trick.

 

[stupid9234]

Yeah..can't cram calc and physics. Only practice problems do the trick.

****, challenge accepted.

 

[turayza]

****, challenge accepted.

Hahah good luck to you, friend.
I've found that sleeping after cramming leads to better recall on exams. But it's not like there's anything to cram for calc and phys...just do it.

 

[stupid9234]

Hahah good luck to you, friend.
I've found that sleeping after cramming leads to better recall on exams. But it's not like there's anything to cram for calc and phys...just do it.

Haha true, I have been doing the problems but it seems as if each time I'm presented with a new one ->😵

 

[ZDMaestro]

I have not taken calculus so I cannot speak on that... but I will say that I did cram both physics 1 and 2. I took trig-based, by the way. The class averages for tests were 40-75 (which I think is normal?), and I'll admit that the tests truly were stressfully difficult. I made an A in both of them (I didn't do so well for biology and chemistry...). Basically, I would begin reading all of the chapters (usually 3-4 per test) and truly understand them on a conceptual level. I read through the example problems in the chapters and their explanations. I did not work any problems (homework for physics 1 was mandatory, but the entire semester was due by the last day of exams [three days after my exam day]; homework for physics 2 was suggested and never graded). Out of both physics 1 and 2, I probably did about 30 total problems in preparation for a test in total (which is very few). I only did them when I was having difficulty understanding on a the conceptual level. For my classes, we went through about 75% of the Wiley (Cutnell & Johnson) Physics book (which is a lot of material...). The professors would tell us when we needed to memorize a formula (and we assumed all others would be given -- there were very few that we had to memorize). But, of course, if we were given a formula then that was all that we were given -- no explanation or name for it or anything. Just a page of random formulas with at least half of them being equations that did not relate to any question on the test (in order to determine if you really knew the equations you needed). Anyway, all of that just to explain how it was set up for me in my classes and that I survived by cramming on the :conceptual: level, not the "practice over and over" level. I hate that method, honestly, and it's rarely worked for me... and it's terribly boring.

I just wanted to be on the "you can cram for physics" side. Granted, some of those nights I slept between 0-3 hours because I had to stay up so late. Physics chapters are extremely dense... and it can take 20 minutes just to read one page (and understand it) sometimes.

The biggest struggle for me was taking the exams and finishing them within the class period. This is where practicing obviously would've fixed things -- I wasn't used to solving any problems on my own so the problems on the exams were my first time really having to think through things on my own. Sometimes I would sit and stare for a long time without being able to answer it before a path finally became clear to me. This was very scary and stressful, but it ended up working out.

Lastly, I wanted to say that I do not advise this method because I have forgotten basically everything and it's biting me in the ass now that MCAT time is rolling around... Learn the material and learn it well (except for calculus, which is not tested, of course...). I'm basically terrible at physics...

Hope this helps!

 

[turayza]

Haha true, I have been doing the problems but it seems as if each time I'm presented with a new one ->😵

and on the exam, you'll have done everything already. #done

 

[Boolean]

Make a formula sheet. Write it out. Now, write it again. Keep on writing it until you have it memorized. If you write an formula three times successfully in a row, cross it out. Continue until no formulas exist.

 

[touchpause13]

Get off SDN

 

[youmed]

Practice problems so you shouldn't be on sdn.