Should I go for the AEA? (Physics)

Hi, I'm in the second year of A-level, and have recently received my results which I was quite pleased with, gaining an A for the Forces, Fields & Energy module I took in January. I also got an A in the first year of Physics. Generally I find Physics at A2 very straight forward, and feel I'm not being challenged as much as I could be. I'm taking the module Nuclear & Particle physics at the minute, and while it is very interesting to learn about Nuclear Fusion and the various varieties of particles, the difficulty level still isn't great, in my opinion.

I've to speak to my teacher about the AEA, though I've done a little research on it and looked at a specimen paper online. I think I may be able to attract the interest of a few more people in my class, who might wish to take the paper also.

Do you think that it's worth putting my name down? I'm currently focusing much of my out of lesson study efforts into maths, and so wouldn't have a tremendous amount of time to prepare for it, though I don't suppose this would matter too much as the AEA doesn't require knowledge beyond that of A-level.

I'm hoping to do a Physics degree.

Thanks

Reply 1

yorkshirelass

I have a friend who wants to do it too, and all I can say is: go for it! There's nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Apparently nobody from my college has ever passed it.. my friend's hoping to be the first.

Reply 2

simxp

Definitely go for it. A few tips: although the AEA syllabus covers the same identical topics as the A-level one, that doesn't mean it doesn't require more knowledge. You have to know *why* a certain equation is what it is, properly understand the principles behind the topic, and be able to twist the two to new ends on the fly (in A-level, I find 80% of the time you can just read the equation off the formula book and plug the numbers in, which is hardly physics, if you ask me). Also try and get a good idea as to scale, for the estimation questions -- e.g. can you estimate how wide the solar system is to the nearest order of magnitude? What about the mass of the Earth? Don't learn the numbers off by heart, just get a good general idea of how big/small things are so you can make a reasonable guess for anything.

If you think you're going to do a Physics degree, absolutely go for it. Good luck!

Reply 3

WokSz

I say give it a go! It should be worth it and if you do apply to prestigious universities (ie. Cambridge) they will definately like to see this.

Reply 4

Krell

Thanks guys. I'm going to see what my teacher has to say today :smile:

Reply 5

kellywood_5

Definitely go for it! You say you don't feel challenged by the A-level and the AEA was designed exactly to solve that problem. If you've already applied to uni, getting a Distinction in the AEA may help sway things in your favour if you happen to miss your offer, and if you haven't, it will look good. At the same time, it doesn't matter if you fail because you don't need it for anything and I don't think you have to declare it unless you pass. Don't worry about other people doing it or time to prepare either. I'm doing French AEA on my own and it hasn't been a problem, and the idea behind AEAs is that you don't need much preparation.