How to prepare for USAPhO

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>Hey everyone, </p>

<p>I'm a junior taking IB Chemistry HL this year. Last year I took AP Physics B (and AP Biology) and I received a 5 on the AP exam, taking three years of physics in middle school and honors physics in my freshman year. I have a pretty strong base in math and competitions in science/math. And this year, I'm planning on taking the F=ma exam for Physics Olympiad. I'm also self-studying AP Physics C since I enjoyed Physics B a lot, since my school doesn't offer the class for C. </p>

<p>So this leads to my question: How do I prepare for the F=ma exam? Right now, I'm doing past exams and it's going ehh -- a few points under cutoff(scoring around 9-10). Now, I've heard that doing more problems helps, but I can't find the solutions to the problems so it doesn't really help me score any higher.</p>

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<p><em>bumping this</em></p>

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<p>bump…please</p>

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<p>The F=ma exam is mainly mechanics( you should get another cc’er to back me up) So therefore ap physics b should be enough. How strong of a base of math do you have? For example some people qualify for usamo, while others get 5 on ap calc. You may want to check out a few book to review and strengthen some core concepts. What parts of the f=ma test are you having problems with? Is it the conceptual parts and/or problem solving?</p>

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<p>I’ve been having trouble with both actually.</p>