afraid of past papers [seriously]

in physics today I was revising for a end of topic test and i decided to try a past paper again
upon reading it for 2 minutes i felt i could not answer it despite the fact ive spent the past 3 months studying only that 4 units for paper

i started to cry as i felt nothing i actually did made a difference to understanding it and there was nothing i could ever do to understand so i couldnt revise for the rest of the lesson

i dont know why i thought it was a good idea to look at them again when this has happened several times before

what do i do now

Reply 1

physisticandoit

2

Original post by kylantwom

in physics today I was revising for a end of topic test and i decided to try a past paper again
upon reading it for 2 minutes i felt i could not answer it despite the fact ive spent the past 3 months studying only that 4 units for paper

i started to cry as i felt nothing i actually did made a difference to understanding it and there was nothing i could ever do to understand so i couldnt revise for the rest of the lesson

i dont know why i thought it was a good idea to look at them again when this has happened several times before

what do i do now

Relax my dear. Let's tackle it step by step shall we. The moment you're done revising with this topic you are currently doing I want you to take a break to solidify your concepts. Don't go to the past year papers just yet instead try working out some simpler questions on that topic perhaps maybe on issac physics and then level up your game bit by bit. By the second or the third day open a few past papers and try doing them now. Personally I would recommend you doing your theory first as they do not have much of these tricky twists and then go on to your multiple choice ones. Take it bit by bit don't get overwhelmed or start stressing about it if you still have problem with tackling them you could always confront a professional on such matters, ask your friends about it or leave your question here at thestudentroom we'll try our best to help. Instead of stressing upon the fact you are unable to solve this particular question try to tackling it before you start judging it think of any related formulas that come to your mind and jot them down on the corner before figuring out which one is to be applied according to your given data. And remember physics is not a subject you can cram in a single day or maybe even two. Just like maths it requires consistency, lots of practice and a positive attitude. So stay calm and carry on I wish you the best of luck 🤞

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 2

*LifeHappens*

12

Original post by kylantwom

in physics today I was revising for a end of topic test and i decided to try a past paper again
upon reading it for 2 minutes i felt i could not answer it despite the fact ive spent the past 3 months studying only that 4 units for paper

i started to cry as i felt nothing i actually did made a difference to understanding it and there was nothing i could ever do to understand so i couldnt revise for the rest of the lesson

i dont know why i thought it was a good idea to look at them again when this has happened several times before

what do i do now

Hi, please don't feel discouraged! I'm sure you have worked very hard and put a lot of effort in, I can understand why it feels strange when you find a past paper question difficult despite the revision - however, I can assure you that you will be able to answer them confidently, it may not be today but you will work towards it.

First of all, physics is quite a difficult subject in terms of learning + understanding concepts and the ultimate trick to tackling them is to watch video explanations and summarise what you learn into the way you understand it - you can use abbreviations and colours to help. For a day or so, when you sit down to study, have a look at those notes and remind yourself of what you know from the topic - if you don't understand refer to a study guide or video explanation.

Second of all, practice questions may get tough to do at times, especially when you feel like it doesn't correlate to what you have revised yourself. I highly recommend that you would go through the entire question booklet/pdf and answer as many questions as you can. It could be 1-markers and even simple maths equation questions, but answer as much as you can with the knowledge you have. When you look to the mark scheme, mark the questions you have done and then refer to the difficult ones and note down the points for the ones you didn't know. Some time later, you can integrate these points into your notes so you have all the right knowledge in one place.

Lastly, try not to get stressed and feel overwhelmed. If at any point when you study, you feel like you cannot carry on, give yourself a break and get some well-deserved rest. It's super important to have a clear mind when you do revision and to go easy on yourself when it comes to testing how much you've learnt. If you want you can look at past paper questions and compare them to your notes so you can see what's similar and what's missing - you can think of past papers as a way to improve your knowledge rather than only to test it.

I hope your exam goes well and good luck :smile:

Reply 3

kylantwom

OP

6

Original post by physisticandoit

Relax my dear. Let's tackle it step by step shall we. The moment you're done revising with this topic you are currently doing I want you to take a break to solidify your concepts. Don't go to the past year papers just yet instead try working out some simpler questions on that topic perhaps maybe on issac physics and then level up your game bit by bit. By the second or the third day open a few past papers and try doing them now. Personally I would recommend you doing your theory first as they do not have much of these tricky twists and then go on to your multiple choice ones. Take it bit by bit don't get overwhelmed or start stressing about it if you still have problem with tackling them you could always confront a professional on such matters, ask your friends about it or leave your question here at thestudentroom we'll try our best to help. Instead of stressing upon the fact you are unable to solve this particular question try to tackling it before you start judging it think of any related formulas that come to your mind and jot them down on the corner before figuring out which one is to be applied according to your given data. And remember physics is not a subject you can cram in a single day or maybe even two. Just like maths it requires consistency, lots of practice and a positive attitude. So stay calm and carry on I wish you the best of luck 🤞