Top tips for passing physics and chemistry

Work and effort are the essential ingredients to succeeding in any kind of exam, but it’s also true that for some subjects, such as physics and chemistry, extra support might be needed. In these cases, it could be beneficial to consider private science classes.

One of the best ways to boost your grades is by getting an online chemistry or physics tutor. This way you can improve your knowledge of the subject in the comfort of your own home. With these subjects, you can also put into practice your maths skills as it can often be applied to both physics and chemistry.

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1. Study, understand and assimilate the concepts

This is what most people understand how to do by studying, but some may struggle to do so independently and as such seek private tuition in physics and chemistry. Sitting down in front of a blank syllabus, knowing nothing more than the tutor's explanations and starting to read can be challenging. It’s important to acknowledge the stages of learning before being able to assimilate concepts in physics and chemistry:

• Understand: read the concepts and understand them - the sooner we do this, the better. 
• Review: nobody gets the idea and immediately retains it. A popular trick encouraged by online physics tutors is to make small flashcards for key vocabulary and review them before bedtime or at the same time every day.
• Make learning easier: use diagrams or drawings and stick them up in your room like posters to make it easier to study. When it comes to practice, you can leave problems in books and notebooks and refer back to them as and when you need.

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2. Internalise, memorise and practice the concepts

Once understood, all that remains is to retain them and know how to put them into practice. This is one of the things that sets physics and chemistry apart from other subjects. Once you have understood and mastered the terms, you only need to know how to apply them.

• Memorise: once you’ve understood a concept, it’s important to retain it in your mind in any way you can. You can use very useful mnemonic rules.
• Practice: there is no other way to learn physics or chemistry than by doing exercises. As the exam approaches, you can ask your online tutor for some past exam papers.
• Study in a group: studying in a group is always a good idea in science subjects. If you study with others, you can compare exercises and see what you are doing right and wrong, without having to wait for extra help with a private chemistry lesson.

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3. Plan for the specific exam

Apart from learning the subject, you will have to study it to pass a physics or chemistry exam. For this, it is important to attend class and to listen to the tutor. If necessary, you can take some private tuition in physics or chemistry to resolve any doubts you have about the content.

• Be clear about the syllabus: it is important to be aware of the exam syllabus, especially what is included and what is not. This will help you avoid surprises when the time comes to take the test.
• Stick to the syllabus: don't study more or less than what will be included. Don't gamble and leave out subjects that you think are less important and don't study things that are no longer relevant.
• Prepare the material: it is very important that you have all the material you need for the exam ready. Don't forget your calculator if you are allowed to take it with you.
• Rest: It is important to arrive at the test with a well-rested mind, so try to get enough sleep the night before and leave some time between the last study session and the exam, so you don't arrive saturated.

4. Tips for coping with exams

When it comes to taking a physics and chemistry exam, there are a number of things to keep in mind. Your online physics tutor will help you with tips and study techniques. Some of these are common to all other exams and others are unique to this subject.

• Organise your time: mark each problem with the time you think it will take you to complete each one and keep this in mind so that you can do them in the order that suits you best.
• Read and understand: it is important that you read the problems several times and make sure you understand them. If necessary, write down what you think you need to do so that you don't forget.
• Show the process: doing the operations on a dirty sheet of paper is fine, but try to put the process in the exam afterwards - this may score you points.
• Keep calm: if you don't get the result you expected or you think it's wrong, it's important not to panic, go through each part of the exercise step by step.
• Double check: once you have solved the problem, go over it a couple of times to see if it is right or not.

5. Other useful tips

• Learning science

To pass any science exam, the first thing you need to do is master the theory. Those terms that are central to physics or chemistry. In private tuition in physics, we learn that these are the theories that give meaning to our world and that if we do not understand them we will not be able to apply them.

For this it is important to know the history of science, to know how these theories were generated and what they mean. Popularising and educating in science is much more than getting students to memorise formulas and apply them. That's why there are online physics tutors.

• Work on your maths

This is a part that many students want to avoid, but a good physicist or chemist knows how to master mathematics. If your only aim is to pass these subjects, you don't need to follow a very complex mathematics syllabus, but it is useful to do logic exercises to help you.

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• Make things easier

Science subjects can sometimes be scary and intimidating - so many operations, calculations and terms that are so alien to our day-to-day lives, but there’s always help out there if you need it.

Try to reduce everything to simple language, have an online chemistry tutor and try to understand everything from your point of view. Sometimes a physics theory can sound very complex, when it might just explain why a light bulb lights up so quickly or why things fall on the floor. Try to simplify these concepts to make it easier for yourself.

Science is not impossible to master - it is just a way of explaining the world and the universe around us. If you look at it simply, in your own words and with your own vision, passing physics and chemistry will be easy.