PAT 2012 thread

I've been through all of them now, really not so bad [especially when I realised that you could use a calculator in 2006/7 physics - I wasted loads of time wondering how they expected you to know 'cos10' ! haha] Did anyone else notice that 2010 was really really easy, but they made 2011 extra hard to kind of compensate? How does that compensate? The same people aren't going to be doing it again!

Reply 3

C.H.

1

Is there anywhere you can practice questions similar to those in the Physics section about ducks or caterpillars (the simultaneous equations ones)? And the same for the geometry questions?

Reply 4

Thr33

Original post by glug

I've been through all of them now, really not so bad [especially when I realised that you could use a calculator in 2006/7 physics - I wasted loads of time wondering how they expected you to know 'cos10' ! haha] Did anyone else notice that 2010 was really really easy, but they made 2011 extra hard to kind of compensate? How does that compensate? The same people aren't going to be doing it again!

Hard to guess, just be prepared for whatever comes at you!

The 06/07 paper screwed with me as well for that very reason :P

@C.H. - If you do all the PAT papers, I think you'll find that theres one on every paper. If you do the questions, I'm happy to check them for you + do solutions.

Reply 5

Thr33

Original post by C.H.

Is there anywhere you can practice questions similar to those in the Physics section about ducks or caterpillars (the simultaneous equations ones)? And the same for the geometry questions?

If you do all the PAT papers, I think you'll find that theres one on every paper. If you do the questions, I'm happy to check them for you + do solutions.
Geometry questions are a little more touch and go...they're in every paper, but agreeing on answers is pretty horrible. Just try practicing, I think you'd probably find the C1-C4 OCR MEI textbook would be useful, but I can't comment on the other exam boards given that I havn't done them.

Original post by glug

I've been through all of them now, really not so bad [especially when I realised that you could use a calculator in 2006/7 physics - I wasted loads of time wondering how they expected you to know 'cos10' ! haha] Did anyone else notice that 2010 was really really easy, but they made 2011 extra hard to kind of compensate? How does that compensate? The same people aren't going to be doing it again!

Hard to guess, just be prepared for whatever comes at you!

The 06/07 paper screwed with me as well for that very reason :P

Reply 6

Iknowwhoyouare

The preparation was killing me but hopefully it will all be worth it!
GOOD LUCK GUYS

Reply 7

RebeccaTenney

1

I'm the only person at my college doing this but i've found the physics olympiad papers help, and they have mark schemes :P

Reply 8

Original post by RebeccaTenney

I'm the only person at my college doing this but i've found the physics olympiad papers help, and they have mark schemes :P

I am also the only person at my college to do PAT~ Good luck~

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Reply 9

Have u guys noticed the minimum score to be short listed is not so high! If the paper is relatively more difficult, the score is only around 50! So don't worry too much guys~ Now what I am currently worrying about is time. I didn't practice one past paper watching time......I always divided a past paper to do in different time......

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Reply 10

Original post by janet.liu

Have u guys noticed the minimum score to be short listed is not so high! If the paper is relatively more difficult, the score is only around 50! So don't worry too much guys~ Now what I am currently worrying about is time. I didn't practice one past paper watching time......I always divided a past paper to do in different time......

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Yeah but I imagine 50 in the time limit is reasonably difficult, considering that everyone doing the paper is good enough to apply to Oxford - plus the scores are used as part of their system to give out offers. I think they assign points to various bits of your application: grades, PAT, interviews etc and then the top ~190 people get offers, and I think that the PAT carries significant weight on this system so a good score is needed otherwise your interview/grades will have to really make up for it!

Reply 11

Original post by glug

Yeah but I imagine 50 in the time limit is reasonably difficult, considering that everyone doing the paper is good enough to apply to Oxford - plus the scores are used as part of their system to give out offers. I think they assign points to various bits of your application: grades, PAT, interviews etc and then the top ~190 people get offers, and I think that the PAT carries significant weight on this system so a good score is needed otherwise your interview/grades will have to really make up for it!

So it really means we have to work hard for PAT, though I don't want to! Sigh...... It has been really stressful for me recently. Loads of school work+ECA+PAT+application to other countries and the most suffering thing is that I cannot go back to my sweet home every day after school like before. I am studying in another city away from home and living in an rent department taking care of myself. Home sweet home~

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Reply 12

Original post by janet.liu

So it really means we have to work hard for PAT, though I don't want to! Sigh...... It has been really stressful for me recently. Loads of school work+ECA+PAT+application to other countries and the most suffering thing is that I cannot go back to my sweet home every day after school like before. I am studying in another city away from home and living in an rent department taking care of myself. Home sweet home~

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Wow that's a pretty hectic schedule! Where else are you applying in the UK? HYP in the states i'm assuming... Don't worry about it too much, let's face it if you're bright, which I'm guessing you are, it doesn't matter where you go really - just what you make of it, Oxford would be quite nice, but then again they couldn't take everyone even if they wanted to!

Reply 13

Original post by glug

Wow that's a pretty hectic schedule! Where else are you applying in the UK? HYP in the states i'm assuming... Don't worry about it too much, let's face it if you're bright, which I'm guessing you are, it doesn't matter where you go really - just what you make of it, Oxford would be quite nice, but then again they couldn't take everyone even if they wanted to!

Um I am also applying to Durham, Warwick, Bristol and Exeter in UK. I am trying to not give myself too much pressure. It really doesn't where u go as long as u are happy. Do u believe in destiny haha? Sometimes the best way to comfort oneself and to accept a horrible truth is to believe in that everything is already set there and waiting for you. Well, u can ignore what I was babbling about......haha Where else are u applying to?

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Reply 14

Original post by janet.liu

Um I am also applying to Durham, Warwick, Bristol and Exeter in UK. I am trying to not give myself too much pressure. It really doesn't where u go as long as u are happy. Do u believe in destiny haha? Sometimes the best way to comfort oneself and to accept a horrible truth is to believe in that everything is already set there and waiting for you. Well, u can ignore what I was babbling about......haha Where else are u applying to?

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St Andrews, Durham, Imperial and Lancaster. Got an interview at Lancaster next week :s-smilie:

. My No1 choice would probably be St Andrews or Durham, Imperial seem to be really fickle in giving out offers so I'm not holding out on them! And yeah you're probably right, and hey in the grand scheme of the universe we're all meaningless anyway! But that may be a little nihilistic...

Reply 15

Original post by glug

St Andrews, Durham, Imperial and Lancaster. Got an interview at Lancaster next week :s-smilie:

. My No1 choice would probably be St Andrews or Durham, Imperial seem to be really fickle in giving out offers so I'm not holding out on them! And yeah you're probably right, and hey in the grand scheme of the universe we're all meaningless anyway! But that may be a little nihilistic...

Good luck with your interview! I believe you will do a great job that day. Some of my friends go to imperial but honestly, I dislike ICL...... Partly because it is too tiny---only a few buildings...... I like grassy lawns and open space! Do u believe that the world will, in the near future, from 21st Dec to 23rd Dec this year experience a 3-day darkness and half of the population will die...... This is a more reliable prediction and it is better than the end of the world......at least.

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Reply 16

EuskaltelEuskadi

8

Having done 4ish papers, I've found that the odd numbered years seem harder and 2011 is definitely the hardest paper! Let's hope that the pattern continues and we get an easy one :P Also, has anyone else found that the maths sections are generally easier than the physics sections?

Reply 17