How Physical Science works
Physical Science replaced the old General Science subtest when Form T arrived in 2014. Older guides that mention biology questions are describing Form S.
Questions are facts and short applications: units, laws, definitions, and what happens to light, sound or heat in a given situation. At 30 seconds a question there is little time to work anything out; you know it or you do not.
In the published Form T composite table, Physical Science feeds none of the six composites. It is still administered after the break, so take it seriously enough to finish, but spend your preparation time on the subtests that count.
How to answer at 30 seconds a question
- Many questions are half a sentence. Read each option as the ending and keep the one that makes a true statement.
- If a question needs a formula, write it first: speed is distance over time, power is voltage times current, resistance is voltage over current.
- Rule out options in the wrong unit or the wrong kind of quantity before you calculate anything.
- Guess and move on when you do not know. The next question may be one you do.
Worked example
“A 1,200-watt heater runs on a 120-volt circuit. How much current does it draw? (A) 0.1 amperes (B) 1 ampere (C) 10 amperes (D) 100 amperes (E) 1,440 amperes.” Power equals voltage times current, so current is 1,200 ÷ 120 = 10 amperes: C. Option A divides the wrong way round, and E multiplies.
“Sound travels fastest through: (A) a vacuum (B) air (C) helium (D) water (E) steel.” Sound needs a medium and travels fastest through solids, so E. It cannot travel through a vacuum at all.
Tips for the real subtest
- Revise the basics once: Newton’s laws, Ohm’s law, the states of matter, the parts of an atom, the order of the planets and the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Know the units: newton, joule, watt, volt, ampere, ohm and coulomb, and what each measures.
- Do not let it rattle you. It comes after the break, and a weak result here does not move a composite.
- Answer every question before time runs out.
Practise Physical Science on CogniPrep
Our Physical Science game gives you 20 questions in 10 minutes with five options each, across astronomy, chemistry, atomic structure, electricity, light, mechanics, sound and heat. You can move back and change answers until time runs out. Your result is the number right with the topics you missed, compared with other CogniPrep users.