Beyond the Textbook: How to Actually Think like a Physics Olympian

Academic competitions are very different from just physics at schools. At times, a college student may not know how to solve a relatively easy olympiad problem. It is a subject that requires a considerable amount of preparation, as well as intuition for physics.

In high schools, regardless of the system, many college-level classes are provided, such as Advanced Placement Physics, or IB programs. During the preparation of these exams, teachers would present all important formulas, and teach them about the science behind it, and how to use it in the actual test, since a formula sheet is provided at the test. Knowing what each formula means and how to use them would significantly help a student secure a decent score in these exams. Nevertheless, Olympiad-level physics is very much different.

During preparation for the Physics Olympiads, many students spend a lot of time doing past problems. There are many books on the market as well that target these students and provide them with a whole book of problems in the olympiad difficulty. This process is not designed to help them predict what could be on the actual test, or memorize how to solve each type of problem, but to build something in their brain, that they would instantly recognize the fundamental structure behind each problem, seeing through the surface and thus easily use the formulas that they have been using.