By Benjamin Hong, Co-Editor-in-Chief
On January 16, 2026, River Hill’s Physics Olympiad Club will be hosting an information session after school for the February 12 F=ma exam, a national physics competition that tests advanced problem-solving skills and familiarity with classical mechanics concepts.
The exam, the first stage of the prestigious US Physics Olympiad (USAPhO), consists of 25 multiple-choice questions focused on concepts from AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C: Mechanics, according to club president and River Hill senior Christopher Austin. “If you have enjoyed AP Physics 1 or AP Physics C: Mechanics,” Austin went on to explain, “I think you’ll really enjoy F=ma.”
Austin described the F = ma exam as more challenging than typical classroom tests because it focuses less on memorized formulas. “It’s a lot more problem-solving than the AP Physics test,” he stated. “It’s a lot more difficult and interesting.” This increased rigor, coupled with how late into high school River Hill offers physics courses, has meant that, historically, River Hill students have not had much notable success with it. Austin shared that the school has “only had one person in the entirety of our school’s history qualify for the second round of USAPhO, and that was over 10 years ago.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that there has been a dearth of strong showings. One former student, Yusuf Shabazz, who graduated in 2025, was just one point short of advancing to the next round in his junior year, according to Austin. Despite the disappointing result, Shabazz asserted that taking the exam was still a valuable experience. “It was pretty fun,” Shabazz stated. “I hadn’t completed a full physics course yet, but I studied a little bit beforehand.” He continued that what he enjoyed most about the test was its emphasis on creativity rather than rote procedure. “AP Physics is a lot of just straightforward calculation, whereas the F=ma test is a really good test of your intuition with fundamental physics concepts,” Shabazz explained.
Shabazz added that River Hill’s physics curriculum provided a strong conceptual foundation for the exam. Even without significant self-study, “if you’ve completed a full year of Physics C: Mechanics, I think you’d be decently prepared,” he shared.
Both Shabazz and Austin were unable to take the exam last year, due to the testing centers all being snowed out. “Despite having two backup plans at our local library and community college, none of our backup plans worked out,” Austin explained. “All of them closed that day, and it just ended up being a really unfortunate situation.” This setback has motivated Austin to gear the club up for a strong showing this time around, with him hoping that “this year we can get some really strong candidates.”
In the run-up to the interest meeting, Austin encourages students who are curious about physics to give the F=ma exam a try, even if they feel unprepared. “The only way to get good is to start,” Austin asserted. “The more effort you put in, the more success you’ll get out.”