Physics Sensei questions & answers
Why Do My Friends Study Less and Get Better Grades Than Me?
You study for hours. Your friend studies for one. You both take the same quiz. They get an A. You get a C.
It’s easy to think they’re just smarter. Or that physics comes easy to some people and not to you.
But that’s usually not what’s going on. If your friends study less and get better grades, the difference is almost never talent. It’s what they do during the time they study.
What’s really going on
Your friend doesn’t really study less. They just spend their time on a different kind of practice.
Most of us study by reading notes, rewatching videos, and looking over solved examples. It feels like studying. But the exam doesn’t ask you to read. It asks you to solve problems on your own.
Students who do well spend more of their time doing exactly that. They try problems before they look at the answer. So even with fewer hours, they get more of the practice the exam checks.
Some friends also had a head start, like taking physics in high school. That isn’t talent either. It’s practice they did earlier. You can catch up the same way they got there.
Why comparing hours makes it worse
When a friend gets a better grade, there are two ways to explain it. The way you pick decides what happens next.
If you decide they’re just smarter, only two choices are left: give up, or study even longer the same way. Neither one changes your score.
If you ask what they do differently, you find something you can change. That’s the path that moves your grade.
Why it’s hard to copy them
You can’t see how your friend studies. You only see the result. So you copy what you can see, like the hours they put in or the notes they take.
And the part that makes the difference doesn’t feel good. Trying a problem without looking is slow. You get stuck. Reading a solved example feels easier and faster. So most people go back to reading.
The fix: make your homework count twice
You already do homework. The trick is to do it the way the exam works. Then every homework problem is also exam practice, and you don’t need extra hours.
Try this on your next homework: notes closed first
- Before you start, close your notes, your book, and any solved examples.
- Try each problem on your own. Ask yourself: What are they asking? What do I know? What’s the big idea?
- Stuck for more than 5 minutes? Then look, but only for the one step you need. Put a star next to that problem.
- Finish the rest of the homework the same way.
- Two days later, redo only the starred problems, with your notes closed again.
The stars show you what you don’t know yet. That’s where your study time should go. No more rereading the parts you already know.
What changes
At first, your homework will take longer. That’s okay. You’re doing two jobs at once: homework and exam practice.
After a couple of weeks, you’ll need fewer stars. Quiz problems will start to feel familiar. And you might become the friend someone else asks for help.
Not more hours. More of the right practice.
Practice problems built for this
On Physics Sensei, every problem is solved step by step with the same questions you just used. Each one asks you to try it first. Then it gives you one more like it, with new numbers. You find out right away exactly where you slipped.
Your next step: pick one homework problem tonight. Try it with your notes closed. Then check your work on Physics Sensei.
More questions about studying and grades? See them all here.
Raul, Physics Sensei
