Preparation
How to prepare for the EPP exam: a plan for 8 to 12 weeks
The Ergänzungsprüfung Physik (EPP, also called EPPh) at the VWU is oral only: there is no written exam. You answer for 10 to 15 minutes in front of a board of 3 people, after 20 minutes of preparation. How much is asked depends on how many of the 4 voluntary bonus tests from the course you have passed.
The plan below runs over 12 weeks and can be compressed to 8. It follows the 6 sections of the course script and ends with oral practice runs. The VWUPass physics trainer is not open yet. What you can use today is in the section “What you can work with today”.
Starting point: an oral exam with no written part
Because everything is spoken, it does not matter whether you recognise a formula, but whether you can explain it and use it. At least 50 percent of every question must be answered, so a question you skip cannot be made up for by a strong one.
The first thing to settle is how many bonus tests you have. That decides how many sections you really have to learn.
| What | Rule |
|---|---|
| Format | Oral only, there is no written exam |
| Length | 10 to 15 minutes, after 20 minutes of preparation |
| Board | 3 people |
| Passed | At least 50 percent of every question must be answered |
| Bonus | Up to 4 voluntary bonus tests in the course; they shrink the material. Only for students of the VWU physics course |
| Attempts | 5 in all, 6 sittings a year |
| Fee | 49 euros per attempt |
Source: the information sheet of the VWU physics course and the physics page of vwu-info.at; the fee from the OeAD page on the supplementary exams.
How much is asked: the scope depends on your bonus tests
With all 4 bonus tests you get 2 questions, and only from sections 3 and 6 (Further mechanics and Electromagnetic radiation and optics). With 3, one question from a section you have no bonus for is added. With 2 or fewer, the board asks 3 questions from the whole material.
Only students of the VWU physics course can earn the bonus. If you do not attend the course, you prepare for the whole material.
| Bonus tests passed | Questions | What is asked |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | Sections 3 and 6 |
| 3 | 3 | Sections 3 and 6 and one section you have no bonus for |
| 2 or fewer | 3 | The whole material, all 6 sections |
A section is a chapter of the course script, see the table below.
The 6 sections of the script
Sections 3 and 6 have no bonus test, so they are asked in every exam, however many bonus tests you have. That is why they get their own fixed time in the plan and come up again and again in the practice runs.
| Section | Semester | Bonus test in the course |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elementary mechanics | 1 | yes |
| 2. Heat | 1 | yes |
| 3. Further mechanics | 1 | no, always asked |
| 4. Electrostatics and current | 2 | yes |
| 5. Magnetism and electrodynamics | 2 | yes |
| 6. Electromagnetic radiation and optics | 2 | no, always asked |
The plan: 12 weeks in 4 phases
The order is our suggestion, not a VWU rule: mechanics first, then electricity and magnetism, then heat and radiation, and oral practice runs over the whole material at the end.
If you only have 8 weeks, give each phase 2 weeks instead of 3. The order stays the same.
| Weeks | Focus | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Elementary mechanics and Further mechanics | Read the theory, explain each law aloud in your own words, then work one example |
| 4 to 6 | Electrostatics and current and Magnetism and electrodynamics | The same routine; if you have all the bonus tests, shorten this phase |
| 7 to 9 | Heat and Electromagnetic radiation and optics | Work through heat and optics, section 6 with special care, it is always asked |
| 10 to 12 | oral practice runs | Prepare for 20 minutes, then answer aloud for 10 to 15 minutes, in front of a person who asks follow-up questions like a board |
Weeks 1 to 3: Elementary mechanics and Further mechanics
Mechanics comes first, and section 3 (Further mechanics) is asked in every exam. Read the theory first, then explain each law aloud in your own words and work an example. Practise the order an oral answer needs: the idea first, then the formula, then the numbers.
Weeks 4 to 6: Electrostatics and current and Magnetism and electrodynamics
Both sections, Electrostatics and current and Magnetism and electrodynamics, have a bonus test in the course. If you have passed all 4 bonus tests, you are not asked about them and can shorten this phase. Everyone else works through them as in phase 1: read the theory, explain aloud, work an example.
Weeks 7 to 9: Heat and Electromagnetic radiation and optics
Heat has a bonus test, section 6 (Electromagnetic radiation and optics) does not and is therefore always asked. Give section 6 most of this phase’s time. At the end of the phase, repeat section 3 once more, the other section that comes up in every exam.
Weeks 10 to 12: oral practice runs
Now you practise the exam itself: 20 minutes of preparation against a stopwatch, then 10 to 15 minutes of answering aloud, in front of a person who asks follow-up questions like the board. Draw the questions from the area your bonus tests leave open (table above). Answer every question at least halfway, because each has to reach 50 percent: better all questions in outline than one in full and one not at all.
What you can work with today
The VWUPass physics trainer is not open yet, and there is no price or start date. On the course page you join the waitlist; we write once, on the day it opens.
Without an account you can open the course page with an interactive model to try, the theory library for the material, and the page on how the exam works, with the sittings. There are no written practice papers for physics, because the exam is oral and has no written tasks.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start preparing for the EPP?
First count your passed bonus tests: with all 4 only sections 3 and 6 are asked, with fewer more. Then work through the plan on this page, starting with mechanics, and practise explaining aloud from the first week.
How does the oral EPP work?
You get 20 minutes of preparation and then answer for 10 to 15 minutes in front of a board of 3 people. At least 50 percent of every question must be answered. There is no written exam.
How much material is asked in the EPP?
It depends on the bonus tests in the course. With all 4 passed you get 2 questions on sections 3 and 6; with 3 passed, 3 questions, one of them from a section without a bonus; with 2 or fewer, 3 questions from the whole material. Only students of the VWU physics course can earn the bonus.
How long does EPP preparation take?
The plan on this page runs over 12 weeks and can be compressed to 8. If you have all 4 bonus tests you only have to learn two sections and need less; if you prepare the whole material, plan the full weeks.
Is there a trainer or mock exams for the EPP?
Not yet. The VWUPass physics trainer is not open; you can join the waitlist on the course page. The theory library and the page on how the exam works are open. There are no written practice papers, because the exam is oral. You do the practice run of phase 4 with a person of your choice.
Is the theory alone enough to prepare for the EPP?
For understanding, yes; as your only preparation, rather not. The theory articles explain the material but do not train you to present it aloud and in order in the exam. That is what the practice runs of the last phase are for: preparation time, an answer in front of a person, follow-up questions.
How often can I sit the EPP, and what does it cost?
5 attempts are possible in all, and there are 6 sittings a year. The fee is 49 euros per attempt. The current sittings are on the page on how the exam works.