How to do well on IB Physics HL tests

[JaelaIsInIB]

Hey guys,

So, I'm Jaela. I'm a junior in my first year of IB Diploma and when I got accepted I was so excited. Applying for it was kind of a spontaneous, following the crowd decision, but I think that it was a really great decision for my future. Recently I've found that I'm having quite a bit of trouble in IB Physics HL. This is my teachers first year of teaching and he gets distracted very easily so we don't really learn much, but then get tested on what we were supposed to learn. I try to study my text book, but considering the fact that we're using an AP text book which is slightly different, it's not very helpful. Transitioning from Honors/AP classes to IB has been a bit difficult for me, especially in the science region. Does anyone have any studying tips or resources that could help me to do better on tests? I really need help. I came home from school today and cried for an hour or two because I really feel as though I'm struggling, but I will not give up.

Thanks!

[Vioh]

Hi!

Im sorry to hear about your situation. But dont let your bad teacher affect your final grade. For physics HL, I recommend you to use the Tsokos physics book for IB, the 5th edition. If there's one in your school's library, borrow it! otherwise, i think you should buy one. It contains all the knowledge you need before the exam. The book is kinda hard to understand at first, but once you grasp the basic concepts and ideas, you should be able to read through most of the book without a problem. Skip the chapter that you dont understand and come back later on in the course. Also try to do as many questions as you can in the excercizes. There are worked solution for the book on the internet which are on the website http://www.katsokos.com/PhySolutions.php.

One tip that i want to give is to make a good "study guide" where you will have all the notes and concepts that you've come acrossed. It is important that you use your own language in your study guide, not just to copy everything from the textbook. It's good to sometimes read it through over and over again to enhance your memory and understanding. This is a great way, for me at least, because i just need to re-read my study guide and then chill before every single test.

Good luck!

[ctrls]

In addition to what's said above, talk to your teacher and ask if you can also get some past-paper questions on the topics you are covering. At least at the beginning, I found it difficult to apply the concepts learnt to solve the actual questions, especially since they tend to be rather specific about what they are asking for in the questions asking to describe something. The Tsokos book suggested above is useful in the sense that the questions tend to be harder than the actual exam problems in a lot of cases, but it lacks descriptive problems which are equally as important.

Also, it may help to have a copy of the syllabus at all times, since you teacher is following a different textbook. This is also helpful since the Tsokos book is actually based off a slightly older syllabus, so you may find topics from time to time that are no longer tested, or vice versa. If you can find more IB physics books in the library or something I'd recommend getting them too, it's helpful to have multiple sources to consult when trying to understand a topic.

Lastly, this thread is worth reading through if you haven't already, it's massively helpful and all of the points are well worth considering. For your final grade, maximizing your IA scores in particular is something I can't stress enough, as it's comparatively easier to score higher in labs. Take the time and get it perfect, it really helps later on.

Hope that helps, best of luck!

[YellowSpider]

Hey guys,

So, I'm Jaela. I'm a junior in my first year of IB Diploma and when I got accepted I was so excited. Applying for it was kind of a spontaneous, following the crowd decision, but I think that it was a really great decision for my future. Recently I've found that I'm having quite a bit of trouble in IB Physics HL. This is my teachers first year of teaching and he gets distracted very easily so we don't really learn much, but then get tested on what we were supposed to learn. I try to study my text book, but considering the fact that we're using an AP text book which is slightly different, it's not very helpful. Transitioning from Honors/AP classes to IB has been a bit difficult for me, especially in the science region. Does anyone have any studying tips or resources that could help me to do better on tests? I really need help. I came home from school today and cried for an hour or two because I really feel as though I'm struggling, but I will not give up.

Thanks!

I think what has been mentioned above should help you out. However, using the Tsokos textbook may confuse you a bit. We use the textbook, and my teacher tells us not to rely entirely on it. For practice, there's nothing better than solving past paper questions.

As mentioned above, make sure you go through the syllabus to see whether what you're doing is relevant or not. I found these two links which may help you, so check them out if you want:

http://nothingnerdy.wikispaces.com/IB+PHYSICS

http://ibphysicsstuff.wikidot.com/

If not these sites, look for others on the internet that will help you out. There are plenty of resources out there. Additionally, you should also check out videos on youtube. My friends say 'Khan academy' has helpful videos. You can also check out their site:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics

But make sure you refer to the syllabus to avoid studying topic out of syllabus.

As far as struggling is concerned, it's good that you're not giving up and continue working hard. In my first year, the whole class used to fail physics tests, literally! But i know that many of them will end up getting 7s. I'm hoping for a 6 Just read through the topics and once you get the concepts, practice questions based on those topics.

Good luck

Edited November 8, 2013 by MISHI

[JaelaIsInIB]

Hi!

Im sorry to hear about your situation. But dont let your bad teacher affect your final grade. For physics HL, I recommend you to use the Tsokos physics book for IB, the 5th edition. If there's one in your school's library, borrow it! otherwise, i think you should buy one. It contains all the knowledge you need before the exam. The book is kinda hard to understand at first, but once you grasp the basic concepts and ideas, you should be able to read through most of the book without a problem. Skip the chapter that you dont understand and come back later on in the course. Also try to do as many questions as you can in the excercizes. There are worked solution for the book on the internet which are on the website http://www.katsokos.com/PhySolutions.php.

One tip that i want to give is to make a good "study guide" where you will have all the notes and concepts that you've come acrossed. It is important that you use your own language in your study guide, not just to copy everything from the textbook. It's good to sometimes read it through over and over again to enhance your memory and understanding. This is a great way, for me at least, because i just need to re-read my study guide and then chill before every single test.

Good luck!

Thank you for your suggestions! I'll definitely look into purchasing that book. For an IB school, my school really does not have very many resources and my teacher only seems to have AP physics guides. But anyway, thank you so much! It's hard to study well and relax when my teacher announces tests the day before we take them. I end up staying up until 2 or 3 studying, then I have the class 1st period. But once again, thank you!

[JaelaIsInIB]

In addition to what's said above, talk to your teacher and ask if you can also get some past-paper questions on the topics you are covering. At least at the beginning, I found it difficult to apply the concepts learnt to solve the actual questions, especially since they tend to be rather specific about what they are asking for in the questions asking to describe something. The Tsokos book suggested above is useful in the sense that the questions tend to be harder than the actual exam problems in a lot of cases, but it lacks descriptive problems which are equally as important.

Also, it may help to have a copy of the syllabus at all times, since you teacher is following a different textbook. This is also helpful since the Tsokos book is actually based off a slightly older syllabus, so you may find topics from time to time that are no longer tested, or vice versa. If you can find more IB physics books in the library or something I'd recommend getting them too, it's helpful to have multiple sources to consult when trying to understand a topic.

Lastly, this thread is worth reading through if you haven't already, it's massively helpful and all of the points are well worth considering. For your final grade, maximizing your IA scores in particular is something I can't stress enough, as it's comparatively easier to score higher in labs. Take the time and get it perfect, it really helps later on.

Hope that helps, best of luck!

Thank you so much! I'll definitely be reviewing my syllabus and printing out a few more copies of it for the upcoming semester. I haven't really looked at it at all. Thank you for your other suggestions also.

[JaelaIsInIB]

Hey guys,

So, I'm Jaela. I'm a junior in my first year of IB Diploma and when I got accepted I was so excited. Applying for it was kind of a spontaneous, following the crowd decision, but I think that it was a really great decision for my future. Recently I've found that I'm having quite a bit of trouble in IB Physics HL. This is my teachers first year of teaching and he gets distracted very easily so we don't really learn much, but then get tested on what we were supposed to learn. I try to study my text book, but considering the fact that we're using an AP text book which is slightly different, it's not very helpful. Transitioning from Honors/AP classes to IB has been a bit difficult for me, especially in the science region. Does anyone have any studying tips or resources that could help me to do better on tests? I really need help. I came home from school today and cried for an hour or two because I really feel as though I'm struggling, but I will not give up.

Thanks!

I think what has been mentioned above should help you out. However, using the Tsokos textbook may confuse you a bit. We use the textbook, and my teacher tells us not to rely entirely on it. For practice, there's nothing better than solving past paper questions.

As mentioned above, make sure you go through the syllabus to see whether what you're doing is relevant or not. I found these two links which may help you, so check them out if you want:

http://nothingnerdy.wikispaces.com/IB+PHYSICS

http://ibphysicsstuff.wikidot.com/

If not these sites, look for others on the internet that will help you out. There are plenty of resources out there. Additionally, you should also check out videos on youtube. My friends say 'Khan academy' has helpful videos. You can also check out their site:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics

But make sure you refer to the syllabus to avoid studying topic out of syllabus.

As far as struggling is concerned, it's good that you're not giving up and continue working hard. In my first year, the whole class used to fail physics tests, literally! But i know that many of them will end up getting 7s. I'm hoping for a 6 Just read through the topics and once you get the concepts, practice questions based on those topics.

Good luck

Thank you! A lot of my classmates use KhanAcademy for test and they apparently help a lot, so I'll have to check them out. Thank you for the other resources also.

Good luck on your exams this year!

[YellowSpider]

thanks

[IBgremlin]

Try alibris.com they are great for second hand books, they have a Tsoskos 4th edition for 8.85 dollars.