PAU Physics (Castilla y León) exam-day guide
PAU Physics (Castilla y León) · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Official ID document
Bring the original DNI, passport, or residence card in force, matching the name you registered under. A photocopy or a photo on your phone is normally not accepted. Confirm with the provider or your school which document is valid for your case, especially for foreign candidates.
Exam venue and call time confirmed
Confirm the exact building, room, and reporting time on your exam registration or the official call notice. Venues are often large faculties with several entrances; locate yours in advance. If anything is unclear, confirm with the provider (your school or the university coordination).
Printed or downloaded exam schedule
Save the session timetable (which subject, which day, which time) offline on your phone and on paper. Sessions for different subjects can be on different days and times, and last-minute changes are posted on official notice boards; check the board on arrival.
Transparent pencil case with permitted material
Bring several blue or black ballpoint pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener, and a ruler. Use a clear case so invigilators can inspect it quickly. Do not bring pencil cases with printed notes or hidden compartments.
Scientific calculator you have practised with
Physics papers require numerical work. Bring a non-programmable, non-graphing scientific calculator you know well, with working batteries, and confirm the exact model rules with the provider. Do not rely on the phone calculator: phones are not allowed in the exam room.
Watch (non-smart)
A simple analogue or digital watch helps you pace the paper if the room clock is far away or absent. Smartwatches and any device with connectivity are not permitted; leave them outside the room.
Water and a light snack
Bring a small bottle of water and something easy to eat between sessions if you have two papers in one day. Confirm with the provider whether water bottles are allowed at the desk in your venue; rules vary by centre.
Leave prohibited devices at home or in your bag
Mobile phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and any connected device must stay switched off and outside the exam room. Even a phone that rings or vibrates on your person can trigger disciplinary action. Confirm the exact storage arrangements with the provider.
Know the scoring and structure of your paper
Check the official structure for your subject: number of questions, whether there are options (for example choosing between alternatives), and the mark allocation. This is published in the official model and past papers; confirm the current-year structure with the provider before the exam.
Plan for transport and buffer time
Arrive well before the call time, allowing for traffic, parking, and finding the room. Late arrival rules are set by the venue; do not assume you will be admitted after the start. Confirm the admission policy with the provider.
Rest and normal routine the night before
Sleep at your usual time rather than cramming all night. A rested candidate makes fewer arithmetic and unit errors in physics problems than a sleep-deprived one. Keep the final review short and focused on formulas and units.
Backup plan for the calculator
If possible, bring a second permitted calculator or fresh batteries. A calculator failing mid-paper is a common and avoidable disaster. Confirm with the provider that a spare is allowed on the desk; if not, keep it in your bag.
Plan the day
Switch from learning new content to consolidating. Rework the official model paper and one or two past papers under timed conditions, then mark them strictly against the official solutions. Build a one-page sheet of formulas, constants, and unit conversions you keep getting wrong, and review only that sheet in the final days.
Confirm logistics: venue, room, reporting time, transport, and what you are allowed to bring. Check the calculator model against the permitted list and test it. If any rule is unclear (calculator type, water at the desk, ID for your situation), confirm with the provider now, not on the morning.
Do a focused pass on the topics where you lose most marks, typically units and significant figures, graph reading, and the interpretation of results. Practise writing full solutions with clear steps, because method marks are awarded even when the final number is wrong. Rehearse stating assumptions and checking whether an answer is physically reasonable.
Do a light review only: your formula sheet, common constants, and the structure of the paper (how many questions, whether there are choices). Pack your bag: ID, pens, pencils, eraser, ruler, calculator plus spare batteries, watch, water, printed schedule. Charge nothing you cannot bring: leave the phone at home or plan where it will stay.
Set two alarms, check the weather and transport, and go to bed at your normal time. Avoid last-minute group chats about difficult questions; they raise anxiety without adding marks. Eat a normal meal and avoid starting a new topic.
Eat a proper breakfast, take your ID and packed bag, and leave with a generous buffer. Arrive early, find the room and the official notice board, and check for any last-minute room or time changes. Keep your phone off and stored before you enter the building if the venue requires it.
Fill in your personal details exactly as registered and check the number of pages and questions. Read the whole paper before writing. If the paper offers a choice, decide which questions you will answer now, and mark the ones you are skipping so you do not answer too many.
Allocate time by marks, not by question order. Start with the questions you can do cleanly to bank marks, then return to harder ones. In physics problems, write the formula, substitute with units, give the result with units and sensible significant figures, and state the direction of vectors. Show working: method marks survive a wrong final number.
Reserve the last five to ten minutes to check that every required question is answered, that units and signs are correct, and that no answer is left in the wrong place. Check that your name and details are complete. Do not erase working you might need; cross out clearly instead.
Do not spend the break re-analysing the paper with classmates if you have another session. Eat, rest, and review only your formula sheet for the next subject. Keep your ID and materials together for the following session.
Rules to check
Bring the original valid ID document you registered with and place it visibly on the desk if asked. Candidates without acceptable identification may not be admitted; if your situation is unusual, confirm the accepted documents with the provider in advance.
Phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and any connected or programmable device are prohibited in the exam room. Switch them off and store them as the venue instructs. Do not keep a phone in your pocket even switched off.
Only permitted material may be on the desk: pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener, ruler, the permitted calculator, and your ID. Bags go where the invigilators direct. Confirm with the provider whether water is allowed at the desk.
Follow the invigilators' instructions on timing, starting, and stopping. Writing after the order to stop, or before the order to start, can lead to annulment of your paper. Raise your hand if you need to leave the room; escorted exits are usual and the clock may not be stopped.
Do not communicate with other candidates, look at other papers, or share material during the session. Any suspected irregularity is recorded and handled under the official procedure; the consequences can include losing the grade for that subject.
Breaks between sessions are for rest and food, not for discussing the content of a paper you have already sat with candidates who have not yet sat it. Keep any discussion away from the exam area.
The paper is scored against the official marking criteria for the subject, with method and reasoning taken into account as well as the final result. Read the instructions on the cover for the exact number of questions and any choice; confirm the current-year structure with the provider.
If you believe there is an error in a question or a problem with the room, tell an invigilator at the time and note it afterwards. Formal complaints follow the official channel and deadlines; confirm those with the provider rather than relying on rumour.