STPM Physics 960 exam-day guide
STPM Physics 960 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Printed or downloaded entry document (slip/admit card)
Bring the document that carries your candidate number and paper schedule. Confirm with the provider how it is issued and whether a printed copy is required, since this varies by centre and year.
Original identity document
Bring the original photo ID that matches your registration. Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted and whether a photocopy is ever sufficient.
Approved scientific calculator
Use a non-programmable scientific calculator whose model is permitted. Confirm with the provider the exact permitted models and whether the model name must be declared on the paper.
Spare batteries and a second permitted calculator if allowed
A dead calculator mid-paper is avoidable; carry fresh batteries and, if the centre permits, a backup of the same approved type. Ask the provider about bringing a second unit.
Black or blue ballpoint pens and a pencil with eraser
Write final answers in ink unless the rubric says otherwise; keep the pencil for rough work and any multiple-choice answer sheet. Confirm any colour restrictions with the provider.
Clear pencil case or transparent pouch
Many centres require stationery to be visible in a clear pouch. Confirm with the provider whether a plain case is acceptable.
Geometry set including a 30 cm ruler and protractor
Practical papers often need accurate scale diagrams and angle measurement, so bring a ruler, protractor, and sharp pencil.
Watch (non-smart, silent)
Some halls have no visible clock. Confirm with the provider whether wristwatches are allowed and whether smart or programmable watches are banned.
Water in a clear bottle with labels removed
Confirm with the provider whether drinks are permitted in the practical laboratory and whether the bottle must be transparent.
Rehearse the core practical skills list
Be able to read a vernier caliper and micrometer screw gauge, use a travelling microscope or metre rule with a set-square, take repeat readings, and estimate uncertainties. Practise tabulating readings with consistent decimal places and units.
Memorise the standard uncertainty and graph conventions
Know how to quote absolute and percentage uncertainty, combine uncertainties for products and powers, plot error bars, and find gradient and intercept with uncertainty. These are the marks most often lost in practical analysis.
Confirm centre location, start time, and reporting time
Check the venue and how early you must report for the practical session, since candidates are usually admitted in batches. Confirm with the provider rather than relying on a friend's schedule.
Plan the day
Work through past practical-style questions under time pressure: one experiment with tabulation, graph, and uncertainty analysis per sitting. Re-derive the formulas for common setups (simple pendulum, resonance tube, Ohm's law and resistivity, Young's modulus by wire or cantilever, specific heat by electrical method, refraction through a glass block). Rewrite your personal list of the five errors you keep making in significant figures, units, and graph scales.
Check your calculator's battery compartment, test it in the mode you will use, and confirm it is on the permitted list. Pack stationery and confirm your ID document is valid and matches your registration name. If anything about permitted equipment is unclear, contact the provider now rather than on the day.
Do a light review only: read your summary sheet of practical techniques and uncertainty rules, and skim the standard graph-checklist (labelled axes with quantity and unit, suitable scale, plotted points, best-fit line, large triangle for gradient). Prepare clothes and transport, set two alarms, and sleep at a normal hour; do not start a new topic.
Eat a proper meal, arrive at the centre with time to spare for admission and seating, and keep your entry document and ID accessible for checking. Leave phones and smart devices switched off and stored as the centre directs. Once seated, read the whole paper before writing, allocate minutes per section, and check that apparatus matches the listed items before starting.
Read the instructions and mark allocation first, then start with the section you can do most reliably. In experiments, take repeat readings, record raw values to the instrument's precision, and only then calculate. Draw tables with units in headers and consistent decimal places. Plot graphs on a sensible scale using at least half the grid, draw a single best-fit line, and show the gradient triangle. Quote uncertainties to one or two significant figures and keep the final answer consistent with them. Leave time to check units, significant figures, and that every question part has been attempted.
Rules to check
Bring the original identity document and entry document specified by the provider; candidates without acceptable ID may be refused entry, so confirm accepted documents with the provider in advance.
Electronic devices, including phones, smart watches, and programmable calculators, are generally prohibited in the examination hall; confirm the exact permitted calculator list and device rules with the provider.
Follow all instructions from invigilators, including seating, start and stop signals, and collection of scripts; writing after the stop signal is a common misconduct finding.
Communicate only with invigilators during the paper; talking, passing items, or looking at another candidate's work can lead to disqualification.
If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator; confirm with the provider whether supervised toilet breaks are allowed and whether extra time is granted.
Report faulty apparatus, damaged question papers, or missing pages immediately; do not attempt to repair equipment yourself, and ask the invigilator for a replacement.
Marks are awarded for method, presentation, and analysis as well as final answers, so show working, label tables and graphs, and state units; confirm the marking scheme conventions with the provider.
Do not remove question papers, answer scripts, or centre apparatus unless the invigilator explicitly permits it; confirm with the provider whether question papers may be taken away.