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Oxford Physics: PAT test discussion

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Original post by DrSebWilkes
Is this the question near the end that people say was too easy for 9 marks?


I'm pretty sure that question was the one involving calculus. You have no idea how many times I repeated that question and doubted myself after finishing it in 2 minutes.....I still fear that I've fallen for a trap and made hasty assumptions but I couldn't find what I was missing.
Original post by Ersin33
I'm pretty sure that question was the one involving calculus. You have no idea how many times I repeated that question and doubted myself after finishing it in 2 minutes.....I still fear that I've fallen for a trap and made hasty assumptions but I couldn't find what I was missing.


No you did what I suspect 90% of people have done and that's what both of my maths teachers would have done -BUT- they did say that technically it shouldn't be allowed; yet since there was no extra information it was right.
Original post by DrSebWilkes
No you did what I suspect 90% of people have done and that's what both of my maths teachers would have done -BUT- they did say that technically it shouldn't be allowed; yet since there was no extra information it was right.


Oh so are you saying there was a trap? Ugh I irrationally hoped that there was no trap but... sigh...
Original post by Ersin33
We shouldn't talk details but I remember it was the last one that we had to draw....I remember how I was terrible at drawing and kept drawing and erasing multiple times to get some insight xD


I messed up on that one as well, misread a number and worked out the entire question with that mistake, then noticed it and tried to correct it but didnt get further than half the question
Original post by Ersin33
Oh so are you saying there was a trap? Ugh I irrationally hoped that there was no trap but... sigh...


Well this is Oxford so ... somehow there probably is ...
Original post by DrSebWilkes
Well this is Oxford so ... somehow there probably is ...


Well I really should stop kicking myself and hope that I get an interview and try to show Oxford what I can do!
Original post by Ersin33
Well I really should stop kicking myself and hope that I get an interview and try to show Oxford what I can do!


And I have no doubts that's what will happen. If you were getting high 80s or 90s or whatever before then that's because you're a good candiate. If you got 65 this time (which you probably didn't) then ... .... welcome to the real world where tests are hard!! There are, therefore, going to be loads of people who did far far worse.

I think you need to realise that a lot of people here, probably myself included tbf, won't even get to interview because we're not even close. See?
Please don't tell me the assumption was some letter being a constant...
What's the point..?
Wtf...
Original post by Ersin33
I'm pretty sure that question was the one involving calculus. You have no idea how many times I repeated that question and doubted myself after finishing it in 2 minutes.....I still fear that I've fallen for a trap and made hasty assumptions but I couldn't find what I was missing.


There were a couple of questions that seemed too easy for number of marks but I think that might be becouse there were also a couple really challeging ones taking up more time
Did anyone else find the parametrics too easy
Original post by joe.lai
Did anyone else find the parametrics too easy

Yeah me to but I think that might be the point
Original post by Tomyil12345
Yeah me to but I think that might be the point


Not sure if this violates the tsr policy tho
Original post by Tomyil12345
Not sure if this violates the tsr policy tho


Don't think so it's no more specific than the comments above
What do you think your PAT score is? A poll is online:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5033726
Original post by Tomyil12345
Not sure if this violates the tsr policy tho


Wait you found a general solution?? **** if only I knew how?
I used an arbitrary variable which I had to introduce but I couldn't figure out how to represent that in terms of the variable in the question to give me the infinite number of solutions.
Original post by DrSebWilkes
Wait you found a general solution?? **** if only I knew how?
I used an arbitrary variable which I had to introduce but I couldn't figure out how to represent that in terms of the variable in the question to give me the infinite number of solutions.


I think there was a very very hard way to do it and a really simple one that took about 3 min.
Original post by Tomyil12345
I think there was a very very hard way to do it and a really simple one that took about 3 min.


Or I have misread the question which tends to happen :smile:
Original post by DrSebWilkes
Wait you found a general solution?? **** if only I knew how?
I used an arbitrary variable which I had to introduce but I couldn't figure out how to represent that in terms of the variable in the question to give me the infinite number of solutions.


No I just found a few specific solutions as far as I can tell due to the nature of the variables there's always going to be an infinite number of solutions
Original post by joe.lai
No I just found a few specific solutions as far as I can tell due to the nature of the variables there's always going to be an infinite number of solutions

Me too
Original post by Ersin33
We shouldn't talk details but I remember it was the last one that we had to draw....I remember how I was terrible at drawing and kept drawing and erasing multiple times to get some insight xD

Iol I believe I have seen this question before, trying to navigate throught the equations is perhaps the hardest part. One 5 mark question (physics) is deceptively easy, don't you think

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