The finite volume time domain(FVTD) technique faces serious limitations in simulating electromagnetic scattering at high frequencies due to requirements related to discretization. A modified FVTD method is proposed for electrically large, perfectly conducting scatterers by partially incorporating a time-domain physical optics(PO) approximation for the surface current. Dominant specular returns in the modified FVTD method are modeled using a PO approximation of the surface current allowing for a much coarser discretization at high electrical sizes compared to the original FVTD scheme. This coarse discretization can be based on the minimum surface resolution required for a satisfactory numerical evaluation of the PO integral for the scattered far-field. Non-uniform discretization and spatial accuracy can also be used in the context of the modified FVTD method. The modified FVTD method is aimed at simulating electromagnetic scattering from geometries containing long smooth illuminated sections with respect to the incident wave. The computational efficiency of the modified FVTD method for higher electrical sizes are shown by solving two-dimensional test cases involving electromagnetic scattering from a circular cylinder and a symmetric airfoil.