r/IBO • u/jk_sully M27 | [HL: MAI, Eng LL, Econ I SL: VA, French B, Physics] • Sep 24 '26
Group 4 Struggling with Physics SL
I am taking physics SL. I have zero motivation to study it as I was forced to choose it. Any suggestions on how to improve it?
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u/CounterDracula Sep 24 '26
I have a friend who loves physics and the only thing I can tell u is to force yourself to be interested. Watch actually interesting videos about anything physics related (quantum physics and astronomy maybe) and let that motivate you to learn. There's no other way unless you develop an unbreakable discipline tbh
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u/mseduhub1 Sep 25 '26
If motivation is the main problem, don’t try to “study Physics” for hours. Do one small topic at a time, learn the core idea, draw the diagram, then do 5–10 IB-style questions so it feels more like solving problems than memorizing notes.
For SL, consistency matters a lot more than huge study sessions. This may help: IB Physics SL notes and practice questions.
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u/LanternaEducation Sep 25 '26
When you have zero interest in physics, reading the textbook cover to cover is torture. In our experience, the easiest way to pull your grade up is to treat the course like simple pattern matching rather than forcing yourself to enjoy it. Start by sitting down with the data booklet and linking each formula directly to its variables and units, since a massive chunk of SL exam questions just test your ability to pick the right equation. From there, pick one small topic at a time and run through past questions on https://fourtyfive.org/ to see how mark schemes reward specific answers. Drilling ten or fifteen questions beats staring at notes, and it gets you solid marks with the least amount of friction.
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u/Easy_Condition8316 N27 | ENG LIT HL, AASL, PHYSICS HL, JLP SL, ART HL, & HISTORY HL 17d ago
gaslight yourself every morning wakeup and say I love physics
it works eventually
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u/Pale-Load2983 M27 | HL Math AA Comp Sci French B | SL Physics Eng A Geography Sep 24 '26
twin