IGCSE Physics study strategy

How to revise Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625 / 0972) so the facts actually stick — and how to use the tools on this site to get there with short, daily sessions rather than last-minute cramming.

1. Know your papers

IGCSE Physics is tiered. You sit either the Core route (grades C–G) or the Extended route (grades A*–G), and every candidate takes three components:

RouteMultiple choiceTheoryPractical
CorePaper 1 (40 MCQ)Paper 3 (short/structured)Paper 5 (practical) or 6 (alternative to practical)
ExtendedPaper 2 (40 MCQ)Paper 4 (short/structured)Paper 5 or 6

Find out from your teacher which route and which practical paper you are entered for, then make sure your revision matches it — Extended students must also know the Supplement content, marked separately in the syllabus.

2. Learn the command words

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:

3. Use active recall, not re-reading

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:

4. Space it out

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.

5. Do not neglect the practical paper

Whether you take Paper 5 or Paper 6, you need confident practical skills: taking accurate measurements of length, time, mass, volume and temperature, timing oscillations, determining density, investigating springs (extension against load), measuring current, voltage and resistance in circuits, and light experiments (reflection, refraction and lenses) — plus reading instruments precisely, drawing and labelling apparatus, plotting graphs and planning a fair test with one variable changed. Practise interpreting data and tables, not just recalling facts.

6. A simple topic-by-topic plan

7. Common mistakes to avoid

Start practising →