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Oxford Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)

Does anyone have strategies to revise for the PAT or knows other resources other than past papers to revise from?

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I'm going to do the PAT myself, but I've been told that past papers from the BPO are useful as well as questions from the UKMT maths challenge.

https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/olympiad/PastPapers.html (the AS challenge question papers)
http://vle.woodhouse.ac.uk/topicdocs/maths/smchome.htm
Reply 2
Original post by TheOtherSide.
I'm going to do the PAT myself, but I've been told that past papers from the BPO are useful as well as questions from the UKMT maths challenge.

https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/olympiad/PastPapers.html (the AS challenge question papers)
http://vle.woodhouse.ac.uk/topicdocs/maths/smchome.htm


Do you know of any youtube channels or videos I can watch if I don't understand how to solve a problem or something like that?
Original post by Nooneee
Do you know of any youtube channels or videos I can watch if I don't understand how to solve a problem or something like that?


I don't actually, but there are solutions to the past papers on the maths & physics tutor website.
Reply 4
Original post by TheOtherSide.
I don't actually, but there are solutions to the past papers on the maths & physics tutor website.


For the PAT there are some videos on youtube; just search the paper and it should come up
Simon Clark (SimonOxfPhys) did a video a couple years back on how to prepare for the PAT that I'm finding useful (I'm sitting it this year too...)

Best of luck to everyone!
Hey guys, I wanted to wish you guys good luck for the tests tomorrow! I've put up a video regarding admissions test and tips for them with some general advice, and some extra for the MAT, so I'd check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5biKSdpXIY&t=188s

Best of Luck! Hope to see you at interviews! -Mani
Well. How did people find it? Personally I thought it was dreadful!
Original post by Anghdavies
Well. How did people find it? Personally I thought it was dreadful!


The hardest I've ever done. Honestly the physics challenges felt easy compared to this. Missed out the last question entirely.

And then because of the stress I made sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many errors ... the the orbiting question I could have got but I made silly error after silly error. I might get like 3 method marks if I am lucky for some of the individual stages.
Original post by DrSebWilkes
The hardest I've ever done. Honestly the physics challenges felt easy compared to this. Missed out the last question entirely.

And then because of the stress I made sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many errors ... the the orbiting question I could have got but I made silly error after silly error. I might get like 3 method marks if I am lucky for some of the individual stages.


OH MY WORD! Yes the binary star system one was awfuuuuul! And the last question... I did not have a clue! I think this was the worst paper yet.
Reply 10
I mean... What the hell was that? I don't even know if I did 30 points, and I had been studying for months
Original post by Peppi9
I mean... What the hell was that? I don't even know if I did 30 points, and I had been studying for months


I feel you! It was the worst paper ive ever seen!
Yea i got that integration question wrong cause of how thrown off i was, easy 9 marks gone.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Levisual360
Yea i got that integration question wrong cause of how throw off i was, easy 9 marks gone.


I wish I could say that's all I got wrong because of how thrown I was.
Original post by DrSebWilkes
I wish I could say that's all I got wrong because of how thrown I was.



Im just praying for a low cut off mark.
Original post by Levisual360
Lol I had no clue about the last question, and that weird trig angular frequency wavelength question, even the circles one couldnt find the segment length. Problem is each question was like 8-9 marks.

Though those are questions i cant answer, the integral just annoyed me cause it was marks i could have gained but didnt :/

Im just praying for a low cut off mark.


saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame
Reply 16
Original post by Levisual360
Lol I had no clue about the last question, and that weird trig angular frequency wavelength question, even the circles one couldnt find the segment length. Problem is each question was like 8-9 marks.

Though those are questions i cant answer, the integral just annoyed me cause it was marks i could have gained but didnt :/

Im just praying for a low cut off mark.


Same!! So sad though. I surely won't be even invited for an interview, and that was my big dream... do you guys think it is worth to wait and try the next year?
Original post by Peppi9
Same!! So sad though. I surely won't be even invited for an interview, and that was my big dream... do you guys think it is worth to wait and try the next year?


you don't know that yet, also it depends on the grades you get and how much you like your other universities. I still have other unis I'd be happy to go to so it's not AS big a deal for me
Original post by Peppi9
Same!! So sad though. I surely won't be even invited for an interview, and that was my big dream... do you guys think it is worth to wait and try the next year?


Honestly same, but there's no point planning to reapply now since we don't know how we did! But if it does come to that I recommend you read this blog post. It's very helpful! http://oxbridgeadvice.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/re-application.html
Original post by Anghdavies
Honestly same, but there's no point planning to reapply now since we don't know how we did! But if it does come to that I recommend you read this blog post. It's very helpful! http://oxbridgeadvice.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/re-application.html


I hate to say it but the papers, at least before this year, haven't been getting much easier but the pass marks pretty much went up and up for a reason.

I suspect there are just more better people applying making that top 500 harder to get into. The pass mark this year will probably be about 55.


On a personal note, I do give up: I remembered all the stuff I got wrong and the list grows and grows. It's not even funny how much I got wrong. Past papers I was getting in the 70s and even 80s at times. People know me to be good at physics and when I was talking to some people (I know outside of TSR don't worry) about the PAT I was explaining [some!] answers to them that I knew deep down I didn't really do myself. I'm not standing here saying "oh I got 60 boo hoo" because I didn't even get 50. I'm saying all this not because I cheated after or because I had some long think, but because some of it really is straightforward. I don't do written tests well, and I have always done better at speaking and presenting points than writing but that's the game so ...

I do want think about next year. If I go for Cambridge next year, which if I am honest might have been the original place I wanted to go to if it not the fact they didn't do straight physics, because most people get an interview I might be able to get across I like physics and can hopefully do it to some degree even if the NSAA wouldn't go spectacularly to plan.

There is always the "forget oxbridge route" ... but I'm worried I can't do the dream job behind all this ...

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