“Physics is an attempt conceptually to grasp reality as something that is considered to be independent of its being observed. In this sense one speaks of physical reality.” – Albert Einstein 

Physics is a part of science that deals with the structure of matter and the interactions between the fundamental and technical constituents of the laws of the universe. In the broader sense, Physics, derived from the Greek word ‘Physikos’, associates with all types of matter, both macroscopic such as the universe and microscopic such as atoms and molecules.

Physics, combined with Biology and Chemistry, solve most of the complications linked to the world. Science as a whole defines the functioning of the world and tries to understand it.

Physics is considered to be the toughest subject in science out of the three. Moreover, the standard and complexity of the subject increases each year and evidently reaches its peak in the 12^th grade. Most of the students find it difficult to cope up with the subject while juggling the other academic subjects and extra-curricular activities. The students are compelled to work hard and understand all concepts since they have chosen the subject as a part of their syllabus. While doing so, the students come across several challenges in their examinations and studies:

• The students fail to understand every concept in the syllabus. Failing to understand one concept adds to their inability to understand other chapters since many concepts are interlinked with one another. 
• They face a hard time solving numerical questions as they may not remember all the formulae. The students have to learn hundreds of different formulae from different chapters.
• The students tend to get nervous if they cannot solve a particular sum or write a specific answer. This nervousness leads them to answer other questions inefficiently.
• More often than not, students are faced with excessive time constraints. They find it difficult to complete all the questions- subjective as well as numerical questions within the prescribed time frame.
• Sometimes, students let their competitiveness cloud their judgement. In an attempt to finish their paper faster than their peers, they tend to miss out on questions or leave some answers incomplete.
• Furthermore, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has meddled with the education system in the country. The students have faced immense difficulties while adjusting to online studies and online examinations. This may also hamper their ability to perform well in their examinations.
• As mentioned above, the students may not be able to clearly understand certain concepts online and without adequate practical assignments, they tend to miss out on good learning experiences.

These are some of the challenges faced by students in recent years. The students of the 12^th grade are burdened with a lot of complex concepts. However, there are some ways that the students can overcome these obstacles.

• The students should have a good 8 to10 hours sleep before their exams so as to relax the mind. Some meditation or Yoga is also recommended so as to feel calm and peaceful instead of feeling anxious about the upcoming exam.
• The students should revise all the concepts briefly and learn all the formulae on the days that precede the day of the examination. Selective studies should be avoided at all costs since each concept in Physics is interlinked with one another.
• Students must give extra attention to important chapters such as Ray optics and optical instruments as well as wave optics. These chapters have the highest weightage in terms of marks in the examinations.
• The students should focus on understanding all the concepts instead of rote-learning them blindly. A complete understanding of the concepts enables students to enhance their answers according to the requirements of the questions. Physics is a subject that should not be learned blindly, but laws that should be understood well.
• The students should do all the class 12 physics chapters from their textbooks, the NCERT workbooks and the notes taken down in the class.
• The students must have all their doubts and queries cleared by their teachers well before the examinations. In addition to that, they must revise these concepts thoroughly so as to polish their knowledge.
• While sitting for the examination, the students must avoid any negative thoughts or doubt their memory relating to the Physics chapters or the formulae. They should be confident in their ability and hard work.
• The students should read all the questions meticulously and utilize each minute to decide which questions to opt for and which ones to drop. 
• Examinations should be written to perform well and not to be written quickly so as to compete with the students. Incomplete answers will result in the loss of marks which would otherwise be achieved easily.
• Students are recommended to leave a page for numerical questions that they seem to be incorrect in. They should move forward with other questions and come back to the question after the entire paper is finished.
• When it comes to Physics examinations, each step and a detailed explanation for the same is required. The students should show the application of each formula, write each step and conclusion explicitly.
• This habit comes from the continuous practice in the previous months. Better yet, students should start studying Physics as soon as school starts so as to be at par with the curriculum. The students should write running notes during online classes, raise doubts, jot down each formula and solve various sums based on them and lastly go over each and every definition and concept laid down in the textbook.
• For further reference or additional practice questions, they should purchase one or a maximum of two other workbooks. Reference from several books will only lead to confusion as every textbook has a distinct explanation of the chapters.
• Lastly, if the students complete their examination before time, they should not attempt an extra question. Instead, they should recheck their answers and numerical questions so as to spot and correct errors, if any. 

These are just some of the ways with which students can overcome the obstacles and perform to the best of their ability! Working smart is as essential as working hard. There is no obstacle tough enough to overcome when one works smart and hard.