Is
this a placement exam?
No. You don't need to take the Physics Exemption Exam to be placed into one
of the introductory physics courses. Please click here for
information on how to choose
an introductory physics course.
Who
should take this exam?
The
Physics Exemption Exam is intended for students who have a strong
high school preparation in physics and are interested in taking a
physics course that has a prerequisite of PHYS 107 (Introductory
Physics I - Classical Mechanics) and/or PHYS 108 (Introductory
Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism). In other words, you only need
to take this exam if you plan to skip our introductory physics course(s)
and take a more advanced physics course.
A strong
performance on only the classical mechanics
section of the exam will exempt you from PHYS 107 and allow
you to enter PHYS 108. (PHYS 108 is offered in both the Fall
and the Spring semesters, as is PHYS 107.) A strong performance
on both parts of the exam will exempt you from PHYS 107
and
108 and qualify you for a 200-level physics course, typically
PHYS
202 (Modern Physics).
Do
I need to take this exam if I have taken A.P. physics?
Not necessarily. The
material covered in PHYS 107 and 108 forms an essential background
for all of our more advanced courses. There are relatively few students
who end up being exempted from PHYS 107 and even fewer who are
exempted from both PHYS 107 and 108. These courses are taught
at
a level that is higher than that of most high school courses, including
a typical Advanced Placement (A.P.) physics course. The laboratory
exercises that accompany these courses are also typically quite different
from the laboratories that are found in most high schools. Our experience
has been that unless a student has an unusually strong high school
physics (and math) preparation, she will be best served by starting
out in PHYS 107. Few people report feeling bored or unchallenged
in this course. Of course it makes little sense for those students
who do have a preparation equivalent to the one offered by PHYS
107 and 108 to repeat these courses. The purpose of the exemption
exam is to identify these students and guide them to a course at
the
appropriate level.
What's
on this exam? Do I need to study for it?
The
exam consists of two parts, one covers classical mechanics and
the other covers electricity and magnetism. The
exam is closed book with a 90-minute time limit for each
part. One
good way for you to decide if it is appropriate for you to take
the exemption exam is to look at the sample
questions and syllabi. They should give you a sense of what
the exam will be like.
If
you decide to take the exam, we strongly recommend that you spend
some time reviewing material from your
high school physics course(s).
Does
my performance on this exam appear on my Wellesley transcript?
No, it does not. Results of the exam are kept strictly confidential
and will appear nowhere on your Wellesley College transcript.
If
you have more questions regarding the exam, or if you
are unsure about whether or not to take it, please feel free to contact
me.
Ted
Ducas
Physics Department Chair
Phone: (781) 283-3047
Office: Room 141 Science Center
email:
tducas@wellesley.edu
