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PHYSICSTEST

PRACTICEBOOK

This practice bookcontains

� one actual full-lengthGRE Physics Test

� test-taking strategies

Become familiar with

� test structure and content

� test instructions andanswering procedures

Compare your practicetest results with theperformance of thosewho took the test at aGRE administration.

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Note to Test Takers: Keep this practice book until you receive your score report.The book contains important information about content specifications and scoring.

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3PHYSICS TESTPRACTICE BOOK

Purpose of the GRESubject TestsThe GRE Subject Tests are designed to help graduateschool admission committees and fellowship sponsorsassess the qualifications of applicants in specific fieldsof study. The tests also provide you with an assessmentof your own qualifications.

Scores on the tests are intended to indicate knowl-edge of the subject matter emphasized in many under-graduate programs as preparation for graduate study.Because past achievement is usually a good indicator offuture performance, the scores are helpful in predictingsuccess in graduate study. Because the tests are stan-dardized, the test scores permit comparison of studentsfrom different institutions with different undergraduateprograms. For some Subject Tests, subscores are pro-vided in addition to the total score; these subscoresindicate the strengths and weaknesses of your prepara-tion, and they may help you plan future studies.

The GRE Board recommends that scores on theSubject Tests be considered in conjunction with otherrelevant information about applicants. Because numer-ous factors influence success in graduate school,reliance on a single measure to predict success is notadvisable. Other indicators of competence typicallyinclude undergraduate transcripts showing coursestaken and grades earned, letters of recommendation,

the GRE Writing Assessment score, and GRE GeneralTest scores. For information about the appropriate useof GRE scores, write to GRE Program, EducationalTesting Service, Mail Stop 57-L, Princeton, NJ 08541,or visit our Web site at www.gre.org/codelst.html.

Development of theSubject TestsEach new edition of a Subject Test is developed by acommittee of examiners composed of professors in thesubject who are on undergraduate and graduate facul-ties in different types of institutions and in differentregions of the United States and Canada. In selectingmembers for each committee, the GRE Program seeksthe advice of the appropriate professional associationsin the subject.

The content and scope of each test are specifiedand reviewed periodically by the committee of examin-ers. Test questions are written by the committee and byother faculty who are also subject-matter specialistsand by subject-matter specialists at ETS. All questionsproposed for the test are reviewed by the committeeand revised as necessary. The accepted questions areassembled into a test in accordance with the contentspecifications developed by the committee to ensureadequate coverage of the various aspects of the fieldand, at the same time, to prevent overemphasis on anysingle topic. The entire test is then reviewed andapproved by the committee.

Subject-matter and measurement specialists on theETS staff assist the committee, providing informationand advice about methods of test construction andhelping to prepare the questions and assemble the test.In addition, each test question is reviewed to eliminatelanguage, symbols, or content considered potentiallyoffensive, inappropriate for major subgroups of the test-taking population, or likely to perpetuate any negativeattitude that may be conveyed to these subgroups. Thetest as a whole is also reviewed to ensure that the testquestions, where applicable, include an appropriatebalance of people in different groups and different roles.

Because of the diversity of undergraduate curricula,it is not possible for a single test to cover all thematerial you may have studied. The examiners,

Table of Contents Purpose of the GRE Subject Tests ............................ 3

Development of the Subject Tests............................ 3

Content of the Physics Test ..................................... 4

Preparing for a Subject Test...................................... 5

Test-Taking Strategies .............................................. 6

What Your Scores Mean........................................... 6

Practice Physics Test ................................................. 9

Scoring Your Subject Test ...................................... 73

Evaluating Your Performance ................................. 76

Answer Sheet ......................................................... 77

4 PHYSICS TESTPRACTICE BOOK

therefore, select questions that test the basic knowl-edge and skills most important for successful graduatestudy in the particular field. The committee keeps thetest up-to-date by regularly developing new editionsand revising existing editions. In this way, the testcontent changes steadily but gradually, much like mostcurricula. In addition, curriculum surveys are con-ducted periodically to ensure that the content of a testreflects what is currently being taught in the under-graduate curriculum.

After a new edition of a Subject Test is first admin-istered, examinees’ responses to each test question areanalyzed in a variety of ways to determine whethereach question functioned as expected. These analysesmay reveal that a question is ambiguous, requiresknowledge beyond the scope of the test, or is inappro-priate for the total group or a particular subgroup ofexaminees taking the test. Answers to such questionsare not used in computing scores.

Following this analysis, the new test edition isequated to an existing test edition. In the equatingprocess, statistical methods are used to assess thedifficulty of the new test. Then scores are adjusted sothat examinees who took a difficult edition of the testare not penalized, and examinees who took an easieredition of the test do not have an advantage. Varia-tions in the number of questions in the differenteditions of the test are also taken into account inthis process.

Scores on the Subject Tests are reported as three-digit scaled scores with the third digit always zero.The maximum possible range for all Subject Test totalscores is from 200 to 990. The actual range of scores fora particular Subject Test, however, may be smaller. Themaximum possible range of Subject Test subscores is20 to 99; however, the actual range of subscores for anytest or test edition may be smaller. Subject Test scoreinterpretive information is provided in Interpreting YourGRE Scores, which you will receive with your GREscore report, and on the GRE Web site at www.gre.org/codelst.html.

Content of the Physics TestThe test consists of about 100 five-choice questions,some of which are grouped in sets and based on suchmaterials as diagrams, graphs, experimental data, anddescriptions of physical situations.

The aim of the test is to determine the extent ofthe examinees’ grasp of fundamental principles andtheir ability to apply these principles in the solutionof problems. Most test questions can be answered onthe basis of a mastery of the first three years of under-graduate physics.

The International System (SI) of units is usedpredominantly in the test. A table of information (seepage 10) representing various physical constants and afew conversion factors among SI units is presented inthe test book.

The approximate percentages of the test on themajor content topics have been set by the committeeof examiners, with input from a nationwide survey ofundergraduate physics curricula. The percentagesreflect the committee’s determination of the relativeemphasis placed on each topic in a typical undergradu-ate program. These percentages are given below alongwith the major subtopics included in each contentcategory. In each category, the subtopics are listedroughly in order of decreasing importance for inclusionin the test. Nearly all the questions in the test willrelate to material in this listing; however, there may beoccasional questions on other topics not explicitlylisted here.

1. CLASSICAL MECHANICS (such askinematics, Newton’s laws, work andenergy, oscillatory motion, rotationalmotion about a fixed axis, dynamics ofsystems of particles, central forces andcelestial mechanics, three-dimensionalparticle dynamics, Lagrangian andHamiltonian formalism, noninertialreference frames, elementary topics influid dynamics)

2. ELECTROMAGNETISM (such aselectrostatics, currents and DCcircuits, magnetic fields in free space,Lorentz force, induction, Maxwell’sequations and their applications,electromagnetic waves, AC circuits,magnetic and electric fields in matter)

3. OPTICS AND WAVE PHENOM-ENA (such as wave properties, super-position, interference, diffraction,geometrical optics, polarization,Doppler effect)

20%

18%

9%


4. THERMODYNAMICS AND STA-TISTICAL MECHANICS (such asthe laws of thermodynamics, thermo-dynamic processes, equations of state,ideal gases, kinetic theory, ensembles,statistical concepts and calculation ofthermodynamic quantities, thermalexpansion and heat transfer)

5. QUANTUM MECHANICS (such asfundamental concepts, solutions ofthe Schrödinger equation (includingsquare wells, harmonic oscillators,and hydrogenic atoms), spin, angularmomentum, wave function symmetry,elementary perturbation theory)

6. ATOMIC PHYSICS (such as proper-ties of electrons, Bohr model, energyquantization, atomic structure, atomicspectra, selection rules, black-bodyradiation, x-rays, atoms in electric andmagnetic fields)

7. SPECIAL RELATIVITY (such asintroductory concepts, time dilation,length contraction, simultaneity,energy and momentum, four-vectorsand Lorentz transformation,velocity addition)

8. LABORATORY METHODS (such asdata and error analysis, electronics,instrumentation, radiation detection,counting statistics, interaction ofcharged particles with matter, lasersand optical interferometers, dimen-sional analysis, fundamental applica-tions of probability and statistics)

9. SPECIALIZED TOPICS: Nuclearand Particle physics (e.g., nuclearproperties, radioactive decay, fissionand fusion, reactions, fundamentalproperties of elementary particles),Condensed Matter (e.g., crystalstructure, x-ray diffraction, thermalproperties, electron theory of metals,semiconductors, superconductors),

Miscellaneous (e.g., astrophysics, mathemati-cal methods, computer applications)

Those taking the test should be familiar withcertain mathematical methods and their applicationsin physics. Such mathematical methods include singleand multivariate calculus, coordinate systems (rectan-gular, cylindrical, and spherical), vector algebra andvector differential operators, Fourier series, partialdifferential equations, boundary value problems,matrices and determinants, and functions of complexvariables. These methods may appear in the test in thecontext of various content categories as well as occa-sional questions concerning only mathematics in thespecialized topics category above.

Preparing for a Subject TestGRE Subject Test questions are designed to measureskills and knowledge gained over a long period of time.Although you might increase your scores to someextent through preparation a few weeks or monthsbefore you take the test, last-minute cramming isunlikely to be of further help. The following informa-tion may be helpful.

� A general review of your college courses isprobably the best preparation for the test. How-ever, the test covers a broad range of subjectmatter, and no one is expected to be familiarwith the content of every question.

� Use this practice book to become familiarwith the types of questions in the GRE PhysicsTest, paying special attention to the directions. Ifyou thoroughly understand the directions beforeyou take the test, you will have more time duringthe test to focus on the questions themselves.

10%

12%

10%

6%

6%

9%


Test-Taking StrategiesThe questions in the practice test in this book illus-trate the types of multiple-choice questions in the test.When you take the test, you will mark your answers ona separate machine-scorable answer sheet. Total testingtime is two hours and fifty minutes; there are noseparately timed sections. Following are some generaltest-taking strategies you may want to consider.

� Read the test directions carefully, and work asrapidly as you can without being careless. Foreach question, choose the best answer from theavailable options.

� All questions are of equal value; do not wastetime pondering individual questions you findextremely difficult or unfamiliar.

� You may want to work through the test quiterapidly, first answering only the questions aboutwhich you feel confident, then going back andanswering questions that require more thought,and concluding with the most difficult questionsif there is time.

� If you decide to change an answer, make sure youcompletely erase it and fill in the oval corre-sponding to your desired answer.

� Questions for which you mark no answer or morethan one answer are not counted in scoring.

� As a correction for haphazard guessing, one-fourth of the number of questions you answerincorrectly is subtracted from the number ofquestions you answer correctly. It is improbablethat mere guessing will improve your scoresignificantly; it may even lower your score.If, however, you are not certain of the correctanswer but have some knowledge of the questionand are able to eliminate one or more of theanswer choices, your chance of getting the rightanswer is improved, and it may be to your advan-tage to answer the question.

� Record all answers on your answer sheet.Answers recorded in your test book will notbe counted.

� Do not wait until the last five minutes of atesting session to record answers on youranswer sheet.

What Your Scores MeanYour raw score — that is, the number of questions youanswered correctly minus one-fourth of the numberyou answered incorrectly — is converted to the scaledscore that is reported. This conversion ensures that ascaled score reported for any edition of a Subject Testis comparable to the same scaled score earned on anyother edition of the same test. Thus, equal scaledscores on a particular Subject Test indicate essentiallyequal levels of performance regardless of the testedition taken. Test scores should be compared onlywith other scores on the same Subject Test. (Forexample, a 680 on the Computer Science Test is notequivalent to a 680 on the Mathematics Test.)

Before taking the test, you may find it useful toknow approximately what raw scores would be requiredto obtain a certain scaled score. Several factors influ-ence the conversion of your raw score to your scaledscore, such as the difficulty of the test edition and thenumber of test questions included in the computationof your raw score. Based on recent editions of thePhysics Test, the table on the next page gives the rangeof raw scores associated with selected scaled scores forthree different test editions. (Note that when thenumber of scored questions for a given test is greaterthan the range of possible scaled scores, it is likely thattwo or more raw scores will convert to the same scaledscore.) The three test editions in the table that followswere selected to reflect varying degrees of difficulty.Examinees should note that future test editions may besomewhat more or less difficult than the test editionsillustrated in the table.


Range of Raw Scores* Needed to EarnSelected Scaled Scores on Three

Physics Test Editions ThatDiffer in Difficulty

Raw ScoresScaled Score Form A Form B Form C

900 75 71 60-61800 61 57 45700 47 43-44 33600 33-34 29-30 22

Number of Questions Used to Compute Raw Score100 100 98

*Raw Score = Number of correct answers minus one-fourth thenumber of incorrect answers, rounded to the nearest integer

For a particular test edition, there are many ways toearn the same raw score. For example, on the editionlisted above as “Form A,” a raw score of 47 would earna scaled score of 700. Below are a few of the possibleways in which a scaled score of 700 could be earned onthat edition.

Examples of Ways to Earna Scaled Score of 700 on theEdition Labeled As “Form A”

Number ofQuestions Questions Questions Questions UsedAnswered Answered Not to Compute

Raw Score Correctly Incorrectly Answered Raw Score47 47 0 53 10047 52 20 28 10047 57 40 3 100


Practice TestTo become familiar with how the administration will be conducted at the test center, first remove theanswer sheet (pages 77 and 78). Then go to the back cover of the test book (page 72) and follow theinstructions for completing the identification areas of the answer sheet. When you are ready to begin thetest, note the time and begin marking your answers on the answer sheet.

9

FORM GR9677

11

This test starts on page 12.

13

SCRATCHWORK

15

SCRATCHWORK

17

SCRATCHWORK

19

SCRATCHWORK

21

SCRATCHWORK

23

SCRATCHWORK

25

SCRATCHWORK

27

SCRATCHWORK

29

SCRATCHWORK

31

SCRATCHWORK

33

SCRATCHWORK

35

SCRATCHWORK

37

SCRATCHWORK

39

SCRATCHWORK

41

SCRATCHWORK

42

r

d

Vacuum

AConductor

y

x

43

SCRATCHWORK

45

SCRATCHWORK

47

SCRATCHWORK

49

SCRATCHWORK

51

SCRATCHWORK

53

SCRATCHWORK

55

SCRATCHWORK

57

SCRATCHWORK

59

SCRATCHWORK

60

THIS ITEM WAS NOT SCORED.

61

SCRATCHWORK

63

SCRATCHWORK

65

SCRATCHWORK

67

SCRATCHWORK

69

SCRATCHWORK

71

SCRATCHWORK


Scoring Your Subject TestPhysics Test scores typically range from 400 to 990.The range for different editions of a given test mayvary because different editions are not of preciselythe same difficulty. The differences in ranges amongdifferent editions of a given test, however, usually aresmall. This should be taken into account, especiallywhen comparing two very high scores. The scoreconversion table on page 75 shows the score rangefor this edition of the test only.

The worksheet on page 74 lists the correct answersto the questions. Columns are provided for you to markwhether you chose the correct (C) answer or anincorrect (I) answer to each question. Draw a lineacross any question you omitted, because it is notcounted in the scoring. At the bottom of the page,

enter the total number correct and the total numberincorrect. Divide the total incorrect by 4 and subtractthe resulting number from the total correct. This is theadjustment made for guessing. Then round the result tothe nearest whole number. This will give you your rawtotal score. Use the total score conversion table to findthe scaled total score that corresponds to your rawtotal score.

Example: Suppose you chose the correct answers to44 questions and incorrect answers to 30. Dividing 30by 4 yields 7.5. Subtracting 7.5 from 44 equals 36.5,which is rounded to 37. The raw score of 37 corre-sponds to a scaled score of 740.


Worksheet for the Physics Test, Form GR9677Answer Key and Percentage* of Examinees

Answering Each Question Correctly

QUESTION TOTAL Number Answer P + C I

QUESTION TOTAL Number Answer P + C I

1 B 732 B 293 B 554 A 345 B 29

6 B 437 A 228 A 379 A 40

10 B 47

11 D 3612 C 3613 B 3714 D 6615 E 12

16 B 2017 E 4018 C 7719 B 1720 D 20

21 C 2722 C 2623 D 2424 D 7025 E 38

26 C 1327 D 4928 D 4029 E 5830 C 28

31 E 6532 B 4133 C 5634 D 3135 A 79

36 D 4637 D 5338 D 3939 E 5440 A 21

41 A 2842 B 5243 C 1744 A 4845 E 45

46 C 3647 C 2848 C 3049 C 2250 C 33

Correct (C)

Incorrect (I)

Total Score:

C – I/4 = ____________

Scaled Score (SS) = ____________

* The P+ column indicates the percentage of Physics Test examinees thatanswered each question correctly; it is based on a sample of December 1996examinees selected to represent all Physics Test examinees tested betweenOctober 1, 1993, and September 30, 1996.

** Item 90 was not scored when this form of the test was originally administered.

51 B 7052 C 1553 C 3454 B 1855 A 30

56 C 4257 C 4158 E 2259 B 3660 B 9

61 B 2662 C 1363 A 5664 C 2665 D 44

66 E 2567 C 2868 E 6169 A 1470 D 14

71 A 2072 A 2973 C 3474 B 2175 D 27

76 B 5277 D 1278 E 3679 D 2280 C 31

81 B 2782 E 1583 D 1584 D 2085 B 15

86 B 3687 A 688 B 5789 D 1890 ** **91 E 2592 D 1593 D 2694 D 2895 E 23

96 A 2897 E 1198 D 3999 B 44

100 C 51


TOTAL SCORE

Raw Score Scaled Score % Raw Score Scaled Score %

67-99 990 9765-66 980 96

64 970 9663 960 9562 950 9561 940 94

59-60 930 9358 920 9257 910 9156 900 91

54-55 890 9053 880 8952 870 8851 860 8650 850 85

48-49 840 8447 830 8346 820 8245 810 8144 800 79

42-43 790 7741 780 7640 770 7439 760 7338 750 71

36-37 740 6935 730 6734 720 6533 710 6332 700 61

30-31 690 5929 680 5728 670 5527 660 5326 650 50

24-25 640 4823 630 4522 620 4321 610 40

19-20 600 38

18 590 3517 580 3216 570 2915 560 27

13-14 550 2512 540 2311 530 2010 520 189 510 15

7-8 500 13

6 490 115 480 94 470 73 460 6

1-2 450 40 440 3

Score Conversions and Percents Below*for GRE Physics Test, Form GR9677

*Percentage scoring below the scaled score is based on the performance of11,322 examinees who took the Physics Test between October 1, 1993, andSeptember 30, 1996.


Evaluating Your PerformanceNow that you have scored your test, you may wish tocompare your performance with the performance ofothers who took this test. Both the worksheet on page74 and the table on page 75 use performance data fromGRE Physics Test examinees.

The data in the worksheet on page 74 are based onthe performance of a sample of the examinees who tookthis test in December 1996. This sample was selected torepresent the total population of GRE Physics Testexaminees tested between October 1993 and September1996. The numbers in the column labeled “P+” on theworksheet indicate the percentages of examinees in thissample who answered the questions correctly. You mayuse these numbers as a guide for evaluating your perfor-mance on individual test questions.

The table on page 75 contains, for each scaledscore, the percentage of examinees tested betweenOctober 1993 and September 1996 who received lowerscores. Interpretive data based on the scores earned byexaminees tested in this three-year period were used byadmissions officers in the 1997-98 testing year. Thesepercentages appear in the score conversion table in acolumn to the right of the scaled scores. For example,in the percentage column opposite the scaled score of660 is the number 53. This means that 53 percent ofthe GRE Physics Test examinees tested betweenOctober 1993 and September 1996 scored lower than660. To compare yourself with this population, look atthe percentage next to the scaled score you earned on

the practice test. Note: due to changes in the test-takingpopulation, the percentile rank data have also changed.To obtain current percentile rank information, visit theGRE Web site at www.gre.org/codelst.html, or contactthe GRE Program.

It is important to realize that the conditions underwhich you tested yourself were not exactly the same asthose you will encounter at a test center. It is impos-sible to predict how different test-taking conditionswill affect test performance, and this is only one factorthat may account for differences between your practicetest scores and your actual test scores. By comparingyour performance on this practice test with the perfor-mance of other GRE Physics Test examinees, however,you will be able to determine your strengths andweaknesses and can then plan a program of study toprepare yourself for taking the GRE Physics Test understandard conditions.

54082-007627 • U81M9 • Printed in U.S.A.IN 991067

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