PHYS 102 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Exam Information
Physics 102 has a total of six 50-minute tests and one 110-minute final exam. All exams are proctored by the Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF).
Page Contents
Exam Format
All exams in Physics 102 are computer-based. The exams are programmed into PrairieLearn and administered through PrairieTest. After completing an exam you may log in to PrairieLearn.org to review your score; Your instructor will reopen tests for you to review after everyone has finished taking their test.
Question format
Questions will provide a description of a physical scenario using words and/or graphics. You will be asked to determine something specific about the scenario. Test questions are in a multiple-choice format.
Number of questions
You can expect to see 7-10 questions on each test. The final exam will contain up to 25 questions.Partial Credit
You will be able to grade your questions as you go on tests this semester. For questions you answer incorrectly, you will have the opportunity to retry the question for half credit, with a second retry available for 30% credit.
Formula Sheet
We will provide access to the same formula sheet for all tests in Physics 102. We recommend using it as a reference throughout the semester for discussion, homework, lab, etc. [View the formula sheet]
Exam Dates and Content
| Test number | Test dates | Reservations open | Lectures covered | Study Guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb. 12-14 | Jan. 29 | Electric charge, forces between charges Lectures 1-4 |
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| 2 | Feb. 26-28 | Feb. 12 | Electric fields and potential Lectures 4-8 |
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| 3 | Mar. 11-13 | Feb. 26 | Circuits I Lectures 8-11 |
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| 4 | Apr. 2-4 | Mar. 12 | Circuits II; Magnetic force Lectures 12-15 |
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| 5 | Apr. 16-18 | Apr. 2 | Magnetic fields; Induction Lectures 16-19 |
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| 6 | Apr. 30-May 2 | Apr. 16 | Light and Optics Lectures 20-23 |
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| Final | May 7-12 | Mar. 13 | All Physics 102 content Lectures 1-27 |
Reservations
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All tests and exams must be scheduled in advance using the CBTF scheduling system.
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All students should read and understand the information posted on the CBTF website.
Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF)
- This course uses the Grainger College of Engineering’s Computer-Based Testing Facility for its exams.
- Sign up for your exam time slot on prairietest.org. You must use your Illinois login.
- When you check in, you will need to confirm your identity using your icard or the Illinois app.
- You will be required to use the calculators provided by the CBTF. It may be helpful for you to review the calculator information. We will also do a "calculator check" exercise at the begin of each exam to help you acclimate to the calculators.
- The policies of the CBTF are the policies of this course, and academic integrity infractions related to the CBTF are infractions in this course.
- Students with DRES Accommodations will take their tests at the CBTF. If you have accommodations identified by the Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services (DRES) for exams, please submit your Letter of Accommodations (LOA) here before you make your first exam reservation. This must be done each semester you use the CBTF.
- If you have any issue during an exam, inform the proctor immediately. Work with the proctor to resolve the issue at the time before logging off. If you do not inform a proctor of a problem during the test then you forfeit all rights to redress.
- Review all instructions on the CBTF website before your first exam: https://cbtf.illinois.edu/students
What to do: Missing a Test
Missed CBTF reservations
Language taken directly from the CBTF Policy Page:
If you missed an exam and the testing window is still open, you will need to speak with a proctor inside one of the CBTF labs to request that your reservation be deleted. Once your reservation is deleted you can then make a new reservation in the PrairieTest.
If you missed an exam and the testing window has closed, you will need to contact your instructor to arrange an extended testing window. CBTF staff cannot extend the testing window.
If you need an extended testing window, please contact our teaching team as soon as possible. On an emergency basis, we can extend the testing window by 1–3 days (at the discretion of your instructor); however, we do not permit students to take (or make up) tests after they have been opened to the class for review in PrairieLearn.
Illness or Emergency During the Testing Window
Students who are ill during the testing window or experience an emergency that will prevent them from taking their test should plan to miss the test and request an EX grade according to our Excused Absence Policy. It is generally better to rest and recover, requesting an EX within a reasonable time window, than to try to take the test while impaired or distracted. Students who take a test are not able to retroactively have a test excused.
Conflicts Known in Advance
If you have a conflict you know about in advance, such as travel for Varsity Athletics or Religious Observances, please reach out to your instructor to arrange a plan for the test(s) involved.
Practice
Spring 2026 Note: This semester we are shifting Physics 102 from three 110-minute exams to six 50-minute tests. We are working to update the labels on these practice tests, but they may not be 100% correct at the beginning of the semester. Please check back again closer to the relevant test for updated labels.
Practice Tests on PrairieLearn:
Practice tests that resemble the question format of the actual tests in Physics 101 will be provided on PrairieLearn. Questions on the practice tests will not appear on the actual test.
These practice exams may contain a different number of questions than your actual exam – here we simply provide the opportunity to practice a wide variety of questions that are similar in character and difficulty to the exam you will be taking.
Practice tests are provided to students to help them become familiar with the test format and to help students diagnose concepts or applications that may need strengthening during exam preparation. The practice tests are not designed as tools to predict your score on the actual tests.
You have to be enrolled in the current Physics 102 course on PrairieLearn to access the Practice Tests.
Additional Practice: Old Paper Exams
Here we provide (very) old paper exams from Physics 102 for additional practice. The testing schedule of Physics 102 has shifted significantly over the years, so the questions you find in these old tests are not sorted according to the current testing schedule. This means that, for example, the old exam 1 sets may contain material relevant to Tests 1-3.
Feel free to ask a member of our teaching team if you are not sure whether a practice question is relevant to the current test.Practice Problem Sets: Questions suitable for both Exam 1 & Exam 2
- Fall 2014
- Spring 2014
- Spring 2013
- Fall 2012
- Spring 2012
- Fall 2011
- A compilation of questions that are appropriate for Exam 1 is here (solutions to some of the questions are here) Note: for this term ignore all the E field questions, those won't be until exam 2
- A compilation of questions that are appropriate for Exam 2 is here (very rough solutions to some of the questions here) [Note, no RC circuits on exam 2 this term!]
- A compilation of questions that are appropriate for Exam 3 is here (rough solutions to some questions here).
- A compilation of questions that are appropriate for the post-exam 3 material in Fall 2023 is here (ignore all the induction questions are at the end, those were on exam 3!)
- A "greatest hits" collection from the above four files is here, solutions are here, solutions on video are here
Practice Problem Sets: Questions suitable for both Exam 2 & Exam 3
Practice Problem Sets: Questions suitable for both Exam 3 & Final Exam
Previous final exams are not available.