First-year general physics exams are usually a written paper of about 2 to 3 hours. Many are in two parts: a section of objective (multiple-choice) questions, often 40 to 60 of them, testing definitions, units, dimensions and quick one-step calculations; and a theory section of five to seven structured questions where you "answer any three" or "answer any four", typically 15 to 20 marks each. Some papers are theory only. Whatever the layout, the same question types come round again and again:

Definitions and statements (1–3 marks each): fundamental and derived quantities, scalar and vector, Newton's laws, conservation of momentum, Hooke's law, Archimedes' principle, specific heat capacity, latent heat.
Dimensional analysis: dimensions of a quantity, checking an equation, deriving a relation such as the pendulum period.
Calculations: resultant of vectors, equations of motion and free fall, projectiles, forces on slopes and in lifts, collisions, work, power and efficiency, centripetal force, orbits and escape velocity, Young's modulus, pressure and hydraulics, method of mixtures.
Sketches: velocity–time graphs, free-body diagrams, the stress–strain curve, the heating curve of water.

The marks live in the working. For every calculation, write the formula in symbols first, substitute with units, and give the answer with a unit and to a sensible number of significant figures (three is usually right). State your sign convention in vector problems and the value of $g$ you are using (9.8 m s⁻² unless the paper says 9.81 or 10). Draw diagrams large, with labelled axes and arrows.

A calm plan for the day: read the whole paper first and choose your theory questions before writing. In the objective section, work quickly and don't get stuck; come back to hard ones. Share your time in proportion to the marks, and keep ten minutes at the end to check units and arithmetic. Before the exam, practise on the calculator you will actually take in: keep it in degree mode for vectors and projectiles (switch to radians only when a question works in radians), use the $\times 10^x$ key for standard form, and store intermediate values in memory instead of rounding them early.