How To Combat Second-Guessing Your Answers In Physics Exams

Sometimes, we can’t help but feel like we’re a character in a cartoon show, with an angel and devil situated on either side of our shoulders. Because when you’re going through your workings and answers during Physics examinations, you can’t help but doubt yourself. You’d start questioning if you are doing things right, or if you should change the answers. Especially when working on multiple-choice questions (MCQ), where examiners tend to put out tricky and similar-sounding options for you to choose. So, how can you foster your self-confidence before sitting for an assessment? For practical tips on being more certain with yourself and your answers, read on:

1. Learn from your mistakes

Rather than being too hard on yourself for making mistakes, perhaps it’s time you embrace them instead. Take it as a learning experience that’s bringing you closer to your goals! Because the main way to boost your confidence when making decisions is by reflecting on what your mistakes tell you. For example, do you tend to lose marks in a specific Physics topic? If so, it could mean that you’re facing difficulty understanding that specific concept!

2. Be consistent in your revision sessions

Apart from making even the most straightforward problems seem complicated, the human brain can be rather forgetful.

To deepen your understanding of the subject, you would need to dedicate time to revise regularly. This also includes re-attempting Physics problems through workbooks, textbooks and past exam papers, that you can attain from attending Physics tuition.

This helps you remember the type of formulae needed to solve equations, as well as definitions of certain concepts. While you’re at it, you get to discover different ways to answer a single question. Furthermore, if you make any mistakes, it’ll allow you to learn from them without needing to lose marks from when you sit for an exam. As you widen your exposure in Physics problems, you’re also fostering your self-confidence in the subject.

3. Understand instead of merely memorising

Don’t memorise blindly. Instead, try your best to understand what is being taught. If you focus solely on memorisation, then you might end up overloading your mind with too much information instead of letting it process the learning materials. This can cause you too much stress. It also isn’t a sustainable study method because it does not teach you how to apply what you’ve learnt in your exam paper.

4. Learning how to study effectively

There’s no cookie-cutter approach to studying. Just because someone else can excel through visual learning materials, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will too. Perhaps, you might find yourself getting the most out of your study sessions through both visual and auditory means! Finding a study method that suits you is an ongoing process, but it isn’t something that should be left on the night before you sit for a test.

Learning how to study effectively helps you manage your anxiety when you sit for an exam. You get to stay calm and collected as you rationally answer each question. It also helps make the learning process slightly more manageable.

5. Always strive to be confident and consistent

Physics surely is a complex subject, but it isn’t impossible to master. As the saying goes, a little goes a long way. Through consistency, you’re making baby steps towards your goal! And if you find yourself requiring a little guidance along the way, there’s no shame in signing up for a JC Physics tuition class - if you’re preparing for your GCE A-Level examinations!

And as you find your grades improving bit by bit, we hope that this will affirm you that you’re moving in the right direction. Hopefully, it’ll boost your self-esteem and certainty, so if you ever find yourself second-guessing your answers again, try to calm down and take a short break before getting to it again.https://www.physics.com.sg/How-To-Build-Your-Child%E2%80%99s-Confidence-In-Physics.htm