Physics 110 and 111 are among the most failed courses at the University of Victoria. If you’re enrolled in either one, you’ve probably already heard that from other students. These are difficult courses, and a lot of first-year students underestimate them until it’s too late.
At Heywood Academies, PHYS 110 and 111 are our most tutored courses at UVic. We’ve worked with a lot of students through these courses, and there are patterns in what works and what doesn’t. This guide covers what you actually need to know.
Understand How the Course Is Structured
Both PHYS 110 and 111 follow the same format, which is worth understanding before you get too far in.
The course materials — notes, assignments, and teaching assignments — are released on a weekly schedule, and access to earlier weeks gets restricted as the course progresses. That means if you miss something in week three and try to go back for it in week eight, it may not be there anymore. This is intentional: the course is designed to keep you working week by week rather than cramming at the end.
In practice it can be frustrating, especially if you fall behind. The best way to deal with it is to treat each week as its own unit and make sure you’ve worked through the materials before they get locked.
The Resources Are Actually Good — Use Them
One thing worth saying about these courses: the resources provided are genuinely useful. For each unit you get assignments, teaching assignments, examples from class, and practice tests before each test.
That’s more than most UVic courses give you. Students who struggle with PHYS 110 and 111 are often not struggling because they lack resources — they’re struggling because they don’t know how to use them effectively.
Here’s how to use each one:
Assignments and teaching assignments: Work through these carefully and don’t just check your answers. Questions from these sometimes appear on tests, so treat them as potential test material. Every time you solve a problem, pull the formula you used and add it to your formula sheet (more on that below).
Practice tests: These are the most important resource. The test format in PHYS 110 and 111 is entirely multiple-choice, which requires a specific kind of practice. You need to get comfortable not just solving problems but solving them in a multiple-choice context where you’re choosing between similar-looking answers. Do the practice tests under timed conditions and treat them like the real thing.
Build Your Formula Sheet as You Go
Every test in PHYS 110 and 111 allows you to bring a formula sheet. A lot of students either don’t prepare one properly or scramble to put one together the night before the test.
The better approach is to build it gradually throughout the course. Every time you work through an assignment or practice problem, take the formula from that problem and add it to your sheet. By the time a test comes around, your formula sheet is already done and you’ve seen every formula on it in context, which means you actually understand how to use them.
A formula sheet full of formulas you’ve never applied is almost useless. One built problem by problem is a real study tool.
Multiple-Choice Requires Different Practice
Most high school physics exams have written solutions where you get partial marks for showing your work. PHYS 110 and 111 are entirely multiple-choice, which changes how you need to study.
In multiple-choice physics, the wrong answers are designed to catch common mistakes. If you misremember a formula or mix up a unit, there will usually be an answer choice that matches your mistake. You can’t rely on partial credit to soften the blow of a wrong approach.
The way to get better at this is repetition on the practice tests. Work through them, check your answers, and when you get something wrong, figure out exactly why. Was it a formula error, a unit conversion mistake, or a conceptual misunderstanding? Each type of error needs a different fix.
AI Can Help, But Be Careful How You Use It
Some students use AI tools to work through practice test questions, which can be useful. The catch is that AI sometimes solves physics problems in ways that are technically correct but hard to follow, using methods that don’t match how the course teaches the material.
If you use AI to check your work or get unstuck on a problem, make sure you actually understand the solution before moving on. If the method doesn’t make sense, it’s worth getting a second explanation from a tutor or a classmate rather than just accepting an answer you can’t reproduce on a test.
Also worth noting: make sure any use of AI tools aligns with UVic’s academic integrity policy. When in doubt, check with your instructor before using AI on graded work.
Why So Many Students Fail These Courses
PHYS 110 and 111 have high failure rates for a few consistent reasons.
The weekly lockout system catches students who fall behind early and can’t catch up. The multiple-choice format punishes partial understanding in a way that written exams don’t. And first-year students who did well in high school physics often underestimate the jump in difficulty and don’t adjust their study habits quickly enough.
The students who pass are usually the ones who stay current each week, take the practice tests seriously, and get help early when something isn’t clicking rather than waiting until before the exam.
When to Get a Tutor for PHYS 110 or 111
If you’re confused about the material, struggling with the practice tests, or just not confident going into a test, getting a tutor early makes a real difference. These courses move fast and the weekly lockouts mean you can’t easily go back and patch gaps later.
At Heywood Academies, our tutors focus on working through the practice tests with you in a way that actually makes sense. We cover the same material the course does and explain it in a way that translates directly to the multiple-choice format you’ll be tested on.
If you’re taking PHYS 110 or 111 at UVic and want some help, we’d be glad to match you with a tutor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PHYS 110 hard at UVic? Yes, it’s one of the more difficult first-year courses at UVic. The combination of weekly content lockouts, a fast pace, and an entirely multiple-choice exam format trips up a lot of students, including ones who did well in high school physics.
What is the best way to study for PHYS 110 and 111? Focus on the practice tests above everything else. Work through the assignments and teaching assignments carefully since questions from those sometimes appear on tests, and build your formula sheet gradually as you go rather than putting it together the night before.
Can I use AI to help with PHYS 110? You can use AI to work through practice problems, but be careful. AI sometimes solves physics problems using methods that are hard to follow or don’t match how the course teaches the material. Make sure you understand any solution before moving on.
How much does physics tutoring cost in Victoria? Rates vary depending on the provider. At Heywood Academies, pricing is straightforward with no hidden fees. Visit our website for current rates.