How to revise DSE Physics so the concepts actually stick — and how to use the tools on this site to get there with short, daily sessions rather than last-minute cramming.
The HKDSE Physics public exam is two written papers plus School-based Assessment (SBA), the practical/lab work carried out in school. The final grade runs from level 1 to level 5, with the higher awards 5* and 5** at the top. There is no SL/HL split.
| Component | Time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (compulsory) | about 2.5 h | Section A — multiple-choice; Section B — short/structured & data-based questions on the five compulsory parts. |
| Paper 2 (electives) | about 1 h | Structured questions on the two electives you chose. |
| School-based Assessment | in school | Practical/lab assessment carried out during the course. |
The five compulsory parts are Heat and Gases, Force and Motion, Wave Motion, Electricity and Magnetism, and Radioactivity and Nuclear Energy. For Paper 2 you sit the two electives you picked from Astronomy and Space Science, Atomic World, Energy and Use of Energy and Medical Physics. Physics is heavily a concept, application and problem-solving subject, so practise calculations, graphs and experiments — not just recall.
Marks are lost every year by answering the wrong "type" of question. Train yourself to spot the command word and give exactly what it asks for:
Reading notes feels productive but is one of the weakest ways to revise. Active recall — trying to retrieve an answer from memory before checking — is far more effective, and it is exactly what this site is built around:
Revisit each topic several times with gaps of days, not in one long block. Short daily sessions beat a single marathon: your per-topic scores show what to come back to, and correctly answered questions and flashcards are deliberately set aside so you do not waste time on what you already know.
The School-based Assessment (SBA) is the practical/lab work you do in school, so build experimental skills as you revise: set up and describe controlled experiments, record data with units and significant figures, plot and interpret graphs (including reading gradients and intercepts), and identify sources of error. Get fluent with the key equations and the list of physical constants and units so you can rearrange the formula and substitute values quickly under exam pressure — always check units at the end.