08-18-2012, 10:56 AM
Hi everyone. Since I asked about how hard the Physical Science DSST exam was, and not many people had taken it, I thought I would share a positive experience from someone who has just taken it. I passed it with an 80, but I must say it was an ugly test experience.
As per the confidentiality agreement, I cannot disclose test specifics, but I can give you a general feeling of what the test was like for me.
Resources used:
- Barron's EZ-101 Physics. This book was a nice summary, but it is much more useful if you have a physics background, since it does not get into enough detail for new concepts. Since I had taken physics in the past, this book was a good review.
- Barron's Chemistry The Easy Way. This book was much bigger, which was very intimidating when I received it. I ended up skimming the relevant chapters.
- DSST Physical Science The Easy Way to Pass. I read through this book, which was very easy and occasionally had some concept mistakes (although they were easy to spot).
If I had to study this again, I would use the Barron's physics book, skim through the chemistry book, and get some of my old school textbooks to revise some of the more complex physics concepts.
Recommended study method:
Get the official exam fact sheet, and look for the different topics. You will be asked about most (if not all) of the topics, so make sure you understand them. I would just look for a topic on the Barron's study guides, and if that's not enough, go to a real physics or chemistry text book. This exam covers 3 credits of physics and chemistry, so there isn't much need to get into a lot of detail.
Total study time:
3 afternoons (2 for physics and 1 for chemistry) and a quick read through on the evening before the test. I had to prepare many other exams for this week, and since I could take a class or SL course to get these credits, this wasn't my top priority. I would recommend revising a bit more, because I had many many doubts during the exam.
General Feedback:
1) Questions. Questions were long and awful. There were 75 questions, and they took me over an hour to complete. I kept second-guessing myself, and I marked about 30 for review before giving up and not marking them even when I was unsure of my answers.
2) Equations. I had relearned about half of the equations I learned in school, but they were not too useful. I had some formula-based questions, but this test certainly looked for an understanding of the topic. It was not enough to know the equations except for a few questions (the only questions where I knew that my answers were right).
3) Chemistry - Ugh. I used to have a good chemistry background (I took part in the chem olympiads in my last year at school), but I did not remember the periodic table or half of the concepts. Chemistry concepts are necessary for this test, so make sure you know them. Try to learn the periodic table and common atomic masses, like you probably learned for chemistry at high school. I took this less seriously than a normal class, so I was not sure about the theory. I expected a few more equation balancing questions, and it was somewhat disappointing that half of the exam was not based on those.
4) Physics. I am good at physics, but this exam was weird. Some questions made no sense, and I could not recall one or two equations. Physics is supposed to be my strong subject, and here I didn't really know what to think. Make sure you read the questions properly, and if there seems to be a direct answer, mark it.
5) Don't fear. I was tempted to cancel my scores, believing that my exam was horrible. I thought that I had paid anyway, so went ahead and reported the scores. I was really surprised to see the score, which means that the curve plays in our favour. I know I made several mistakes, so it's great to receive the maximum score.
Good luck everyone!
As per the confidentiality agreement, I cannot disclose test specifics, but I can give you a general feeling of what the test was like for me.
Resources used:
- Barron's EZ-101 Physics. This book was a nice summary, but it is much more useful if you have a physics background, since it does not get into enough detail for new concepts. Since I had taken physics in the past, this book was a good review.
- Barron's Chemistry The Easy Way. This book was much bigger, which was very intimidating when I received it. I ended up skimming the relevant chapters.
- DSST Physical Science The Easy Way to Pass. I read through this book, which was very easy and occasionally had some concept mistakes (although they were easy to spot).
If I had to study this again, I would use the Barron's physics book, skim through the chemistry book, and get some of my old school textbooks to revise some of the more complex physics concepts.
Recommended study method:
Get the official exam fact sheet, and look for the different topics. You will be asked about most (if not all) of the topics, so make sure you understand them. I would just look for a topic on the Barron's study guides, and if that's not enough, go to a real physics or chemistry text book. This exam covers 3 credits of physics and chemistry, so there isn't much need to get into a lot of detail.
Total study time:
3 afternoons (2 for physics and 1 for chemistry) and a quick read through on the evening before the test. I had to prepare many other exams for this week, and since I could take a class or SL course to get these credits, this wasn't my top priority. I would recommend revising a bit more, because I had many many doubts during the exam.
General Feedback:
1) Questions. Questions were long and awful. There were 75 questions, and they took me over an hour to complete. I kept second-guessing myself, and I marked about 30 for review before giving up and not marking them even when I was unsure of my answers.
2) Equations. I had relearned about half of the equations I learned in school, but they were not too useful. I had some formula-based questions, but this test certainly looked for an understanding of the topic. It was not enough to know the equations except for a few questions (the only questions where I knew that my answers were right).
3) Chemistry - Ugh. I used to have a good chemistry background (I took part in the chem olympiads in my last year at school), but I did not remember the periodic table or half of the concepts. Chemistry concepts are necessary for this test, so make sure you know them. Try to learn the periodic table and common atomic masses, like you probably learned for chemistry at high school. I took this less seriously than a normal class, so I was not sure about the theory. I expected a few more equation balancing questions, and it was somewhat disappointing that half of the exam was not based on those.
4) Physics. I am good at physics, but this exam was weird. Some questions made no sense, and I could not recall one or two equations. Physics is supposed to be my strong subject, and here I didn't really know what to think. Make sure you read the questions properly, and if there seems to be a direct answer, mark it.
5) Don't fear. I was tempted to cancel my scores, believing that my exam was horrible. I thought that I had paid anyway, so went ahead and reported the scores. I was really surprised to see the score, which means that the curve plays in our favour. I know I made several mistakes, so it's great to receive the maximum score.
Good luck everyone!
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