Praxis Physics 5265 study plan

Derive and apply Newton's three laws to free-body diagrams for inclined planes, pulleys, and stacked blocks, solving at least 15 problems without notes

Compute work, kinetic and potential energy, and power in conservative and non-conservative systems, and verify conservation-of-energy solutions algebraically

Set up and solve impulse-momentum and elastic/inelastic collision problems in one and two dimensions

Build a one-page formula and sign-convention reference sheet for translational dynamics and energy

Solve rotational kinematics and dynamics problems using torque, moment of inertia, and angular momentum conservation

Apply static-equilibrium conditions (net force and net torque zero) to beam, ladder, and hanging-sign configurations

Analyze simple harmonic motion for springs and pendulums, deriving period expressions from restoring forces

Solve circular-motion and universal-gravitation problems, including orbital speed and Kepler's third law

Apply Coulomb's law and superposition to compute electric field and potential for point-charge and continuous-charge geometries

Use Gauss's law to derive fields for spherical, cylindrical, and planar symmetry cases

Calculate capacitance, stored energy, and equivalent capacitance for series and parallel networks

Solve DC circuit problems with Kirchhoff's rules, including multi-loop circuits with internal resistance

Apply the right-hand rule to determine magnetic force on moving charges and current-carrying wires, and torque on loops

Use Ampere's law and the Biot-Savart law to compute magnetic fields for straight wires, loops, and solenoids

Solve induction problems with Faraday's law and Lenz's law, predicting current direction in changing-flux scenarios

Distinguish and compute resistance, resistivity, and RC charging/discharging behavior

Model wave propagation, superposition, standing waves, and beats, computing frequency, wavelength, and speed for strings and pipes

Apply the Doppler effect and resonance conditions to quantitative problems

Solve reflection, refraction, Snell's law, and total internal reflection problems with ray diagrams

Analyze single- and double-slit interference and thin-film interference, computing fringe positions and phase shifts

Apply the first law of thermodynamics to isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, and isochoric processes, computing work and heat

Compute efficiency and coefficient of performance for heat engines and refrigerators, and state the second-law limits

Relate temperature, pressure, and volume through the ideal gas law and kinetic theory, deriving RMS speed and internal energy

Solve calorimetry and phase-change problems involving latent and specific heat

Solve photoelectric-effect, Compton-scattering, and de Broglie wavelength problems using photon and matter-wave relations

Apply mass-energy equivalence, binding energy, and radioactive decay laws to nuclear problems

Identify experimental design elements: independent and dependent variables, controls, and sources of systematic versus random error

Perform uncertainty propagation, significant-figure handling, and unit conversion in lab-style calculations

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under test-day conditions and record per-domain accuracy

Re-teach the three lowest-accuracy topics from scratch using worked examples, then re-test each

Consolidate all formula sheets into a single final review document organized by domain

Practice pacing strategy and calculator use on multi-step quantitative items