How To Get Better at Physics: 8 Tips For The New School Year

Short answer: To get better at physics, learn the idea behind each equation instead of memorizing it, solve every problem with the same step-by-step method, and make your algebra automatic. Draw a diagram for every problem, check units and signs, keep an error log, and practice a few problems most days rather than cramming before tests.

Physics rewards habits more than talent. The students who improve fastest are rarely the ones who “get it” right away; they are the ones who follow a method and learn from every mistake.

Key points

• Concepts before equations: Know what each equation describes and when it applies.
• Same method every time: A fixed problem-solving routine beats waiting for inspiration.
• Draw it first: A labeled diagram with a chosen coordinate system prevents most sign errors.
• Math is the language: Weak algebra and trig show up as “physics” mistakes.
• Learn from errors: An error log turns wrong answers into your best study material.
• Practice little and often: Short daily sets build skill better than late-night cramming.

Why does physics feel so hard?

Physics asks you to do three things at once: understand an idea about the real world, translate it into math, and carry out the math correctly. A gap in any one of them makes the whole problem collapse.

Most struggling students do not have a physics problem so much as a method problem. They read a question, hunt for an equation with the right letters, and plug in numbers. That works for the first week of kinematics and then stops working.

What are the 8 best tips to get better at physics?

1. Learn the concept behind every equation

Every equation is a sentence about the world. F = ma says a net force changes an object’s motion, and a bigger mass resists that change more. If you can say an equation in words, you will know when it applies and when it does not.

For each new equation, write down three things: what each symbol means (with units), what the equation describes, and the conditions it needs. For example, the constant-acceleration equations only work when acceleration really is constant.

2. Solve every problem with the same steps

Students often freeze because they think they need the whole solution before writing anything. You don’t. A fixed routine gets you moving:

1. Read and sketch. Draw the situation and label everything you know.
2. List knowns and the unknown. Write each value with its units, and circle what you are asked to find.
3. Pick the principle. Decide which idea applies (Newton’s second law, conservation of energy, kinematics) before choosing an equation.
4. Solve with symbols first. Rearrange for the unknown, then substitute numbers at the end.
5. Check. Do the units come out right? Is the size and sign of the answer reasonable?

Here is the full 8-step method our tutors use for solving physics problems, from Alexander Tutoring.

3. Keep your own equation sheet

Build a one-page sheet of the equations from each unit, written in your own handwriting, with a one-line note on when each one applies. Rewriting it from memory once a week is a quick self-test.

On the AP Physics 1 exam, College Board provides reference materials in the Bluebook testing app and calculators are permitted (AP Central, AP Physics 1 exam). That means the test rewards knowing which equation to use far more than reciting it. For memory techniques that do help, see how to memorize math formulas.

4. Draw a diagram and choose a coordinate system

Free-body diagrams, motion sketches and energy bar charts turn words into a picture you can reason about. They also force you to decide which direction is positive, which is where most sign errors come from.

Gravity is not automatically negative. If you choose “down” as positive, g is +9.8 m/s²; if you choose “up” as positive, it is −9.8 m/s². Either works, as long as you stay consistent.

This short Alexander Tutoring lesson explains why your coordinate system, not gravity, decides the sign.

Interactive simulations help too. The University of Colorado’s free PhET simulations let you change mass, force or angle and watch what happens. Visual learners can find more ideas in our visual learner strategies.

5. Ask questions early

Physics builds on itself: forces depend on kinematics, energy depends on forces. A question you leave unanswered in September becomes a wall in November.

Bring specific questions to your teacher: “I got 24 m but the answer is 12 m, and I can’t find my mistake” gets a far better answer than “I don’t get it.” Getting a wrong answer and finding out why is often more valuable than getting it right the first time.

6. Strengthen your math

Many “physics” mistakes are algebra mistakes: solving for the wrong variable, dropping a negative, or mixing up sine and cosine. Introductory physics leans on algebra, right-triangle trigonometry and vectors; calculus-based courses add derivatives and integrals.

Tutor tip: If you lose points on the math rather than the physics, spend ten minutes a day on pure algebra practice: rearranging formulas for a different variable and working with exponents and scientific notation. Our list of common algebra mistakes is a good checklist.

7. Keep an error log

Common physics mistakes include misreading what the question asks, forgetting to convert units, treating vectors as plain numbers and losing a sign. Each time you miss a problem, write down what went wrong and the rule that would have prevented it.

“Too many students never learn to find their own mistakes. Error analysis is essential to growth.”

Jake Gerhardt, Alexander Tutoring math tutor

After a few weeks, patterns appear. Most students find the same two or three errors cause most of their lost points.

8. Practice under test conditions

Watching a teacher solve a problem feels like learning, but the test asks you to solve it alone. Work problems without notes first, then check the solution, then redo any you missed a few days later.

Use past exams from your teacher or, for AP courses, released free-response questions. A free textbook such as OpenStax College Physics 2e also has worked examples and end-of-chapter problems with answers.

Tutor tip: A short, steady habit works better than marathon sessions. Three or four problems most days keeps the methods fresh, and the week before a test becomes review instead of cramming.

What does the step method look like on a real problem?

Problem: A ball is dropped from rest off a 20 m ledge. Ignoring air resistance, how long does it take to hit the ground, and how fast is it going?

1. Sketch and choose directions. Draw the ledge and the ball. Choose down as positive, so g = +9.8 m/s².
2. Knowns and unknowns. v₀ = 0, d = 20 m, a = 9.8 m/s². Find t and the final speed v.
3. Principle. Constant acceleration, so use d = v₀t + ½at² and v = v₀ + at.
4. Solve symbolically. With v₀ = 0, d = ½at², so t = √(2d ÷ a).
5. Substitute. t = √(2 × 20 ÷ 9.8) = √4.08 ≈ 2.02 s. Then v = 9.8 × 2.02 ≈ 19.8 m/s.
6. Check. Units: √(m ÷ m/s²) = s, and m/s² × s = m/s. A 20 m drop (about six stories) taking two seconds is reasonable.

How do you get better at physics with AI tools?

Chatbots can explain a concept a second way or generate extra practice. They can also give confident, wrong solutions, and copying a worked answer skips the struggle where learning happens.

“I know you’re going to use AI chatbots, but you can’t make them do the work for you. They’re great for a lot of things, just not everything. AI is a tool, not the goal.”

Jake Gerhardt, Alexander Tutoring math tutor

Use AI after you have attempted a problem, to check your reasoning, not before.

When should you get help with physics?

Consider extra help if you are spending hours on homework without progress, if test scores are much lower than homework scores, or if an upcoming course (AP Physics, calculus-based physics) builds on units you never mastered. For planning ahead, see how to prepare for high school math and physics and, for AP students, our guide to an AP Physics tutor.

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