"Studying Smarter"? (1 Viewer)

[axwe7]

Hello fellow BOS'ers!

They call it the key to success in the HSC

I just am really concerned and worried about issues relating to my first Preliminary HSC exams which are coming up in 3-4 weeks time.

I want to be prepared. I want to ace.

Even though you all are going to say, "It's just Yr11, it does not even count"... yes, okay, but I just want to get the correct study method integrated into me and my schedule so that I can also ace the HSC. Take into account that not only Yr11's like myself look at this thread. But also countless other Yr12 BOS'ers. So please give a wise answer

What do people mean when they say "Studying Smarter". What do they want people like you and me to do? What should I study and what for how long should I study that particular subject? Exam on more than 4 subjects in 3-4 weeks....... plas hallppp.

There must be one mod/admin, or someone else like Leehuan who's going to ask me why I posted THIS post on THIS thread, reason being is because I want to ask people who are experienced, not only that, I'm 100% sure that this will also benefit the fellow Yr12 BOS'ers.

Thank you.
Regards,
Axwe7.

P.S Aiming for 98.65+ or 99.50.

 

[BandSixFix]

Study smart basically refers to studying when retention, logic and understanding are at peaks. This includes finding the right time and place to study. Place may include somewhere in the house where you feel at calm and relaxed, and time of the day may refer to specific moments where you feel you can learn better. I.e. I study better when I study 10+ - Don't ask why its just different to everyone.

Also - studying smarter refers to not just mindlessly reading information and doing questions for hours on head because it all just becomes a fuzz in your head. Space your study out and give your brain some time to relax and absorb all the information. Also - its important to note that studying something too much may result in your having 'gaps' in your memory. This means that an overload of information may result in your unable to recall some minor details as everything gets clumped into one. That's why its better to space everything out and not burn yourself out. I read somewhere and people have mentioned that state rankers study only about 2-3 hours per night - this is because they adopt these methods and many more they find useful themselves.

In the end, it's up to you to find things that help you. e.g. Some people prefer rote learning, some people like to draw diagrams and visualize to help them memorize things and learn them, or some people (like me) prefer to do past papers to solidify and refine their technique in answering these questions.

Year 11 is basically the 'experiment year' - find things you like and find things that don't suit you, because in the end year 12 is game time!

 

[axwe7]

Study smart basically refers to studying when retention, logic and understanding are at peaks. This includes finding the right time and place to study. Place may include somewhere inthe house where you feel at calm and relaxed, and time of the day may refer to specific moments wher eyou feel you can learn better. I.e. I study better when I study 10+ - Don't ask why its just different to everyone.

Also - studying smarter refers to not just mindlessly reading information and doing questions for ours on head because it all just becomes a fuzz in your head. Space your study out and give your brain sometime to relax and absorb all the information. Also - its important to note that studying something too much may result in your having 'gaps' in your memory. This means that an overload of information may result in your unable to recall some minor details as everything gets clumped into one. That's why its better to space everything out and not burn yourself out. I read somewhere and people have mentioned that state rankers study only about 2-3 hours per night - this is becaues they adopt these methods and many more they find usefull themselves.

In the end, it's up to you to find things that help you. e.g. Some people prefer rote learning, some people like to draw diagrams to help them memorize things and learn them, or some people (like me) prefer to do past papers to solidify and refine their technique in answering these questions.

Year 11 is basically the 'experiment year' - find things you like and find things that don't suit you, because in the end year 12 is game time!

Thanks for the reply dude. You mentioned something about studying for long periods can often lead to minor memory losses of crucial details, hence take breaks to absorb the information and thus retain it.

How long should my breaks be for? And after how many hrs' of 'smart study' should I take a break?

Thx 1nc3 4g41n.

 

[leehuan]

There must be one mod/admin, or someone else like Leehuan who's going to ask me why I posted THIS post on THIS thread, reason being is because I want to ask people who are experienced, not only that, I'm 100% sure that this will also benefit the fellow Yr12 BOS'ers.

Why did you post this here


Nah actually I reckon posting this question here is fine. You're just asking for study advice. I'm a bit tired to add but basically BSF has most of the stuff you need.

 

[AppleTea]

P.S Aiming for 98.65+ or 99.50.

You really need to study smart for an atar like this

 

[leehuan]

Reading this again.

Yeah, the main thing about studying smart is getting out what's best for YOU. It's about how you can optimise your OWN marks.

Personally, all I did was spam trial/HSC papers for my subjects during the lead-ups. That's all I needed though. But hey that's not true for everyone else necessarily.

 

[Kaido]

If you want a solid 99+, it's not enough to 'study smart'. Sure, your knowledge of that particular subject might be close to perfect, but you must befriend the most crucial part of the HSC - perfect exam technique. Whilst many will spam past papers, check answers and remember the structure of these answers in correspondence to the marking criteria, it is simply not enough if you wish to achieve mid-high b6s (esp in the 3 sciences). You should consult teachers in your school who were past markers, and have them mark it for you (with feedback would also be nice, but you need some srs bribing to get them to do that for you). Learn how to retain information, have a revision schedule... you'll thank me later

Best of luck

 

[leehuan]

If you want a solid 99+, it's not enough to 'study smart'. Sure, your knowledge of that particular subject might be close to perfect, but you must befriend the most crucial part of the HSC - perfect exam technique. Whilst many will spam past papers, check answers and remember the structure of these answers in correspondence to the marking criteria, it is simply not enough if you wish to achieve mid-high b6s (esp in the 3 sciences). You should consult teachers in your school who were past markers, and have them mark it for you (with feedback would also be nice, but you need some srs bribing to get them to do that for you). Learn how to retain information, have a revision schedule... you'll thank me later

Best of luck

You can't mark your own essay in my opinion. But if you learn how to be strict like I did, harshly marking short answers and even M/C (i.e. actually marking M/C, not going back and being like oh no that never happened), that can play out.

But it always varies for person to person. I missed the 99+ range because I didn't put enough effort into English out of dislike, and MX1 was bad last year. Yet past papers were a golden means for me to retain information

Note that a 95+ in science is not exactly required just to get 99+. That's starting to aim for 99.7+

 

[BandSixFix]

Thanks for the reply dude. You mentioned something about studying for long periods can often lead to minor memory losses of crucial details, hence take breaks to absorb the information and thus retain it.

How long should my breaks be for? And after how many hrs' of 'smart study' should I take a break?

Thx 1nc3 4g41n.

Hey man, yeah in relation to that you should ultimately consider how you feel while studying. Some people find studying a solid 20 minutes is enough to take a break of maybe 5-10 or maybe 20 minutes. Whereas other people may find studying for a solid hour or two is good enough for them because they are able to sustain their studying. Personally, I like to study in breaks of 20-30 minutes as opposed to large periods. I found as I completely focused on something - for example, one dot point in the syllabus completely and did a few past paper questions I was more confident in my knowledge than going for a full hour or something as it felt both over whelming and tiring.

Not sure how applicable this is for your science subjects as HSIE dot points are very clear and concise and they relate to past paper questions more easily. As for humanities, even writing a few essays a during a week or two and getting them marked will be substantially helpful since ultimately this is what you'll be tested on in assessments and ultimately the HSC.

But yeah in the end - just find how many hours suits you and what amount helps you retain information better. And remember not to burn out - don't over do yourself. Ultimately in the end, prelim and HSC is a journey that requires sustained effort.

 

[turntaker]

Study hard not smart

 

[Kaido]

You can't mark your own essay in my opinion. But if you learn how to be strict like I did, harshly marking short answers and even M/C (i.e. actually marking M/C, not going back and being like oh no that never happened), that can play out.

But it always varies for person to person. I missed the 99+ range because I didn't put enough effort into English out of dislike, and MX1 was bad last year. Yet past papers were a golden means for me to retain information

Note that a 95+ in science is not exactly required just to get 99+. That's starting to aim for 99.7+

He did say his ultimate goal is 99.50 (or higher )

 

[Kaido]

@BSF

You can get into Law pretty easily with a few bonus points

 

[BandSixFix]

@BSF

You can get into Law pretty easily with a few bonus points

Only if Law offered bonus points

 

[eyeseeyou]

English: English is one of the subjects thats hard to study for IMO. You need to know the rubric and structure of texts and get ready for the nasty surprises that pop out in exams (and also asking "why")

Maths: Practice a million past papers and keep redoing those past papers until you get it right. Do HSC exams a couple of times before the actual exam as this will make you more confident of what's coming in the exam. Know how to approach and tackle the last question in the maths exam (especially if you've never seen this question before). Also ask "why" and practice your exam technique

Sciences: Similar principle to Maths, practice a million past papers and keep redoing those past papers until you get it right. Do HSC exams a couple of times before the actual exam as this will make you more confident of what's coming in the exam. The thing that's different to a maths and a science exam is that a science exam will have a 4-8 marker question (a curveball) where this question will make you use various links in the syllabus. This question is not an easy question because it requires you to understand and apply links in the syllabus. Similarly. you'll need to know how to approach this question especially if it seems foreign to you. Keep on asking "why" and practice your exam technique

What I suggest you do:

Getting ahead of yourself and peers as this will provide a major advantage between other students (if you already go tutor, self learn it before it is covered in tutor). The nature of the high school’s syllabus is that it cannot go into too much detail to explain the theory behind certain concepts, so many students just blindly accept what they are taught. Going beyond the syllabus and asking "why" will help you understand concepts rather than spending hours memorizing concepts and it will help you prepare better for those exam questions the board of studies throws at you. NEVER EVER STOP ASKING WHY just keep on going to the very end of your death and learn exam technique

Remember to know your verbs, learn the equations/diagrams, and after each past paper, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MARKING CRITERIA.

This is not based on experience but what I have gathered from various resources

 

[eyeseeyou]

English: English is one of the subjects thats hard to study for IMO. You need to know the rubric and structure of texts and get ready for the nasty surprises that pop out in exams (and also asking "why")

Maths: Practice a million past papers and keep redoing those past papers until you get it right. Do HSC exams a couple of times before the actual exam as this will make you more confident of what's coming in the exam. Know how to approach and tackle the last question in the maths exam (especially if you've never seen this question before). Also ask "why" and practice your exam technique

Sciences: Similar principle to Maths, practice a million past papers and keep redoing those past papers until you get it right. Do HSC exams a couple of times before the actual exam as this will make you more confident of what's coming in the exam. The thing that's different to a maths and a science exam is that a science exam will have a 4-8 marker question (a curveball) where this question will make you use various links in the syllabus. This question is not an easy question because it requires you to understand and apply links in the syllabus. Similarly. you'll need to know how to approach this question especially if it seems foreign to you. Keep on asking "why" and practice your exam technique

What I suggest you do:

Getting ahead of yourself and peers as this will provide a major advantage between other students (if you already go tutor, self learn it before it is covered in tutor). The nature of the high school’s syllabus is that it cannot go into too much detail to explain the theory behind certain concepts, so many students just blindly accept what they are taught. Going beyond the syllabus and asking "why" will help you understand concepts rather than spending hours memorizing concepts and it will help you prepare better for those exam questions the board of studies throws at you. NEVER EVER STOP ASKING WHY just keep on going to the very end of your death and learn exam technique

Remember to know your verbs, learn the equations/diagrams, and after each past paper, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MARKING CRITERIA.

This is not based on experience but what I have gathered from various resources

Remember no matter how good your exam technique is, if you don't know your content, you're really screwed. You need to UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS not memorise.

 

[InteGrand]

Remember no matter how good your exam technique is, if you don't know your content, you're really screwed. You need to UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS not memorise.

It is very possible to do well in the HSC by memorising (sometimes you need to memorise).

 

[BandSixFix]

It is very possible to do well in the HSC by memorising (sometimes you need to memorise).

Yeah - In the end the HSC is how well you can memorize

 

[bangali]

Have you heard of the Pareto Principle (also called the 80/20 rule or the law of the vital few)? It basically says that in almost every situation, 20% of the input (effort, time, employees, w/e) will cause 80% of the output (results, income, happiness, w/e), and the remaining 80% of the input will create 20% of the output.

'Study smarter' suggests that not all work was created equal, and some things and some study time you spend will have more impact on your marks than other things/study time. So you should be constantly watching what study techniques are those 20% that create 80% of your results. Basically - be analytical! Don't just let it happen, watch, ponder and plan.

Some key tips:
- Study with FULL concentration on just one thing - not even one 2-second internet flick or change to studying another subject
- Avoid passively reading the textbook and instead use active techniques, like testing your recall, doing practise questions, and summarising in your own words
- Stick to examinable content from the syllabus, rather than learning ridiculous unnecessary detail (unless of course you find it fascinating, because that's awesome) - prioritise the stuff that'll have greatest impact on your marks
- Use spaced repetition in learning (e.g. try Anki)
- Use short-cuts, like dot-pointing answers in prac exams or homework questions
- Pick the time of day that you're most focused to study 'hard' things, don't waste it on mindless easy stuff like passively watching a video

EDIT: apparently I answered this sort of thing another time here.

 

[Kaido]

Only if Law offered bonus points

Look at the AAA scholarship from UNSW.
You can also participate in the U@UNSW program to obtain the SAA scholarship.

Both offer 3 bonus points that you can use towards law

 

[Kaido]

Have you heard of the Pareto Principle (also called the 80/20 rule or the law of the vital few)? It basically says that in almost every situation, 20% of the input (effort, time, employees, w/e) will cause 80% of the output (results, income, happiness, w/e), and the remaining 80% of the input will create 20% of the output.

'Study smarter' suggests that not all work was created equal, and some things and some study time you spend will have more impact on your marks than other things/study time. So you should be constantly watching what study techniques are those 20% that create 80% of your results. Basically - be analytical! Don't just let it happen, watch, ponder and plan.

Some key tips:
- Study with FULL concentration on just one thing - not even one 2-second internet flick or change to studying another subject
- Avoid passively reading the textbook and instead use active techniques, like testing your recall, doing practise questions, and summarising in your own words
- Stick to examinable content from the syllabus, rather than learning ridiculous unnecessary detail (unless of course you find it fascinating, because that's awesome) - prioritise the stuff that'll have greatest impact on your marks
- Use spaced repetition in learning (e.g. try Anki)
- Use short-cuts, like dot-pointing answers in prac exams or homework questions
- Pick the time of day that you're most focused to study 'hard' things, don't waste it on mindless easy stuff like passively watching a video

EDIT: apparently I answered this sort of thing another time here.

I agree with most of the above tips offered, except the fact that most of those outlined are much easier said than done. To be able to achieve all these, you would need to build a foundation -> forming a concrete habit over, say, 3 months. So, don't just take these tips as they are - adjust it, tone it down a little, and work from there.