Advice for new Year 12's (1 Viewer)

[VuongstER_boi]

Regularly do your dot point summaries as it's too frustrating to study from ur book with everything piece of work all over the places. When you do your dot point summaries, make sure you use a variety of sources ( more sources= more info for the responses in ur exams = higher chance of marks imo) These will be the notes you use for ur final hsc and so you won't be downloading notes off bos like my friend did for her hsc lol. Another benefit of making notes is that the process of making notes actually jogs the stuff into your brain more so than just simply reading off sheets of info but u must do it in ur own words (while keeping the important facts). I do believe this is one of the easiest things you can do improve ur marks=) ..I know i regret not doing them until the last minute ( ie b4 the hsc). Personally, I would also recommend doing qs from the dot points book regularly and also do past hsc questions from books such as creelman ( which are past paper qs by modules so u don't need to know the whole course to attempt past qs)

 

[layzeehbum]

just study ur ass off but be focused more on english and other subjects which will give you higher scaling (since only the best 10 units will count)

do lots of past papers, not just the hsc ones; like papers from other school as well espc. if they are from selective school coz sumtimes the questions are more challenging.

hmm wat else...

 

[lyounamu]

Then how much do you study in block?

By "block", I mean, "how much do you study for each subject in one go?".

I study probably an hour for each subject (or trying to). But for subjects like Mathematics Extension 2, I can study little bit more. It will be GREAT if someone could tell us how much it is really ideal to study in block.

 

[annabackwards]

I do about 3 hours for each subject (not all subjects in the same day) with food/running around/game breaks for about 10mins each 45mins. Then if i wanna i'll continue that subject then i will, if not i move on.

That's only on holidays though. For school days it's more like 1hour on each subject that needs homework and if i've free time then 1hour on subjects i need to do such as chem because i don't seem to get much homework at all =="

Is that a good study block? I got told not to do too much at once because you'll remember less- you tend to remember what you did at the beginning and ends more than the middle so more time = more forgotten.

So yeah, any past HSC high achievers, do tell us what you did

 

[lyounamu]

I do about 3 hours for each subject (not all subjects in the same day) with food/running around/game breaks for about 10mins each 45mins. Then if i wanna i'll continue that subject then i will, if not i move on.

That's only on holidays though. For school days it's more like 1hour on each subject that needs homework and if i've free time then 1hour on subjects i need to do such as chem because i don't seem to get much homework at all =="

Is that a good study block? I got told not to do too much at once because you'll remember less- you tend to remember what you did at the beginning and ends more than the middle so more time = more forgotten.

So yeah, any past HSC high achievers, do tell us what you did

Your study routine sounds really good.

That way, you still have a break. I think mine is quite poor. I just study like for 1+ hour for a subject at once. Then I move on to some other subject and get tired and just go, "stuff this". I think I better incorporate breaks into my study routine too.

However, 3 hours does seem quite a lot even though you don't do every subject in a day.

 

[nottellingu]

Umm, PLAY the system. USE SCALING to your benefit. RECOGNIZE subjects which are moderated well. Balance the RISKs etc

I second this
This guys a champion i bet he got a 100 uai

Yea but seriously look into how a change in marks will affect your aggregate out of 500. All i can say is english english and more english Dont worry too much about maths if u do 4u the scaling will take care of you

 

[nottellingu]

I just used to write down a weekly goal list and i tried to stick to that.
The problem is at the start u may tend to be a bit optimistic about how much u can actually do in a week but its easy to overcome.

And there is no set rule as to how much u ahve to study each night ect. Just do as much as you need to at that particular time.

If you are finding it hard to study but u really want to i say take some time off. There were periods i.e. a week where i just took the week off...its not always the best thing to do but once u take the time off u are more enthusiastic/motivated ect about getting back into it.

 

[enigma?]

Get (and completely fill in) the Dot Point books from Science Press for ALL your science subjects. They provide an excellent set of study notes and seriously, the Biology one was my bible leading up to exams!

 

[Harkaraj]

Biology: While many people think this is easy to score well in, your answers must contain the necessary jargon and ALOT of detail. So during these holidays try to atleast make DETAILED/CONCISE notes on a couple of modules and read over them a couple of times aloud and actively (helps with retention more than just reading silently). Highlight important ideas and also have a few diagrams you've learnt to impress the markers e.g. enzyme function graphs, enzyme models diagrams, antigens etc. Also start learning how to answer in dot points and adressing the syllabus verbs in exams e.g. assess- at the end of your answer include your assessment etc. During exams you should have so much knowledge that you straight away know the answer once reading the question.
Chemistry: Basically same advice as Biology except you must practice alot of the numerical/mathematical questions as the HSC has 10-15 marks on calculations e.g. mole concepts, volumes, pH etc. This is very important to master early on. The rest is just memorising like biology and answering concisely with detail.
English Advanced: I basically just made generic essays on each module and practice short stories and then memorised them and adapted to the question (I only got 90 so English isn't my strength).
Mathematics Extension 1/2: Initially use textbooks like Cambridge/Patel/Cambridge Ext 1 study guide to learn all of your key concepts and topics, then by the HSC you should aim to do 10-15 past HSC's and you should be sweet. Id highly recommend tutors, during stages of the year EXT 2 seems so hard and impossible but at the end the scaling makes it worthwile .
Physics: Similar to Bio/Chem, study the SYLLABUS, and put more emphasis on calculations and key concepts e.g. Lenz's law etc also adress your verbs.

GL people, most of all what matters is your motivation, committment and the hours put in.

Also do what enigma? said, Dot points books are quite awesome for science I also used all of them.

 

[ahhliss]

With scaling, is an E3 in Maths Extension 1 bad?

I don't know if I'd do better with the extra time I have on the rest of my subjects, or to try and improve on Maths :S This year's teachers aren't as good as last year's so I think I'll have to work harder and more independently. By my subjects, what do you think would be better for my UAI?

Is an E4 with a mark of 45 that much better than an E3 with a mark of 44?


Also are the top 10 units taken by the best mark, or the best effect if will have on the UAI?

 

[Harkaraj]

With scaling, is an E3 in Maths Extension 1 bad?

I don't know if I'd do better with the extra time I have on the rest of my subjects, or to try and improve on Maths :S By my subjects, what do you think would be better for my UAI?


Also are the top 10 units taken by the best mark, or the best effect if will have on the UAI?

Well seeing as your doing Ext 2 Maths you should be aiming for an E4 and should get it quite easily as around 30% of Ext 1 Students get E4. You basically have to study everything, Id definitely spend alot of time on Maths, Physics, Chemistry and English and it depends how good you are at Chinese cont.

The top 10 units are taken based on the scaled marks of each subject, you should aim to have 4 units of maths in your top 10.

 

[lyounamu]

With scaling, is an E3 in Maths Extension 1 bad?

I don't know if I'd do better with the extra time I have on the rest of my subjects, or to try and improve on Maths :S This year's teachers aren't as good as last year's so I think I'll have to work harder and more independently. By my subjects, what do you think would be better for my UAI?


Also are the top 10 units taken by the best mark, or the best effect if will have on the UAI?

Depends on which mark on E3. But if you really don't want to get scaled down for MX1, at least E4 would be much preferred.

 

[ahhliss]

I'm hoping for my top 10 units to be English, Maths 4U, Chemistry and Physics because I hate Chinese and ranked badly. I need to keep it though because I'm not allowed to be on 10 units with Extension 2 until next year July or something :S

I got a 44 for Extension 1 D: I was so pissed because I was 1 mark off! My ex Maths teacher will probably think I'm a freak if I do decide to repeat Maths... She reckons I aim too high O_O

 

[lyounamu]

I'm hoping for my top 10 units to be English, Maths 4U, Chemistry and Physics because I hate Chinese and ranked badly. I need to keep it though because I'm not allowed to be on 10 units with Extension 2 until next year July or something :S

I got a 44 for Extension 1 D: I was so pissed because I was 1 mark off! My ex Maths teacher will probably think I'm a freak if I do decide to repeat Maths... She reckons I aim too high O_O

What?

If you are confident that you can do much better, you should repeat. I wasn't dissapointed with my 48 but I was actually wanting higher than that, like 49.

I got 48 as my HSC but I got dragged by some people in front of me, so I should have got closer to 49. So that's why I am repeating with 48.

44 is high but you can still get much higher. If you really wish to take advantage of your superiority in maths, you should repeat like I do.

 

[ahhliss]

What?

If you are confident that you can do much better, you should repeat. I wasn't dissapointed with my 48 but I was actually wanting higher than that, like 49.

I got 48 as my HSC but I got dragged by some people in front of me, so I should have got closer to 49. So that's why I am repeating with 48.

44 is high but you can still get much higher. If you really wish to take advantage of your superiority in maths, you should repeat like I do.

Woah you're repeating with 48!?

I'm not confident that I'll do better (like I said, the good Maths teachers are teaching General and 2U at the moment o.0) and I think if I repeat, it'll take a lot of my time that could otherwise be spent on the rest of my subjects.

I can't work out what's better. I don't even know if I can get Band 6's on the Sciences, I don't think we get that many at our school :S This year there were 2 for Chemistry and 1 for Physics O_O

 

[lyounamu]

Woah you're repeating with 48!?

I'm not confident that I'll do better (like I said, the good Maths teachers are teaching General and 2U at the moment o.0) and I think if I repeat, it'll take a lot of my time that could otherwise be spent on the rest of my subjects. I can't work out what's better. I don't even know if I can get Band 6's on the Sciences, I don't think we get that many at our school :S

Yeah, I am. 48 wasn't really a cut-off for me because I know that Mathematics Extension 1 will definitely count and my maths teacher told me that studying for 4 unit is basically studying for 3 unit because there are some overlaps (especially in polynomials, integration, physical application of calculus and harder 3 unit) so I just decided to repeat, hoping for 99 or 100 next year.

And my rank at school wasn't even that high (about 3/4) where top got 99. So that's what I am aiming for. If you got about 44, your mark should have been around low 60s because that's what my mate got or high 50s. I reckon you can raise fair bit by next year. So have a look at that. I am sure you can pull off 47+ if you repeat and the difference is huge in terms of scaled mark. Trust me. If maths is your forte and if it's going to count, have a go at repeating. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[mirann]

I wish I'd balanced school work with another activity like sport or work (but I also had several friends who were compromising school work for a job - don't do that), because I had spare time on my hands pretty much after every school day and didn't really feel motivated to come back home and just start working, so I'd turn to the phone, TV, internet (especially) which would lead to me starting assignments/study just before the due date - NOT a good idea! Procrastination was my worst enemy HSC.

Keep on top of things. Start everything when you get them, eg do a bit of english, switch to maths, then to chem etc. That way you're not completely bored on one subject and it can be a lot more motivating to have started an assignment (though don't let that be a reason for you to type 100 words and then leave it till the night before)

If your teacher is bad, use study guides. Go and buy a few for each subject or textbooks. I had several teachers who sucked (who I'm sure are now claiming credit for my year's results) so most of us bought extra textbooks. Make notes from them, or double check facts your teacher is giving you against them.

Don't be discouraged if you get a few bad marks. They can be just as good a source of motivation as great marks. Our school marked very harshly, but that was adjusted before we received our final assessment marks. So don't let it get you down. Forget about it and move on.
Don't neglect English.

Also, if you're doing RE, SOR 1 especially, don't neglect it! It can be that extra one unit counted in your UAI, aim for over 85/90 each assessment because it can help you out.
Good luck! If you don't get the UAI you want theres always another way, but there should not be a reason for failure if you do things right

 

[katie21792]

I do:
English Advanced
Mathematics
Chemistry
Ancient History
Modern History
History Extension
SOR1u

is it possible for me to get a UAI of 93+?
also, how much do your school ranks effect your UAI, or is it more assessment marks?
I don't really understand the system so if someone could explain it to me that would be awesome!

 

[ahhliss]

Yeah, I am. 48 wasn't really a cut-off for me because I know that Mathematics Extension 1 will definitely count and my maths teacher told me that studying for 4 unit is basically studying for 3 unit because there are some overlaps (especially in polynomials, integration, physical application of calculus and harder 3 unit) so I just decided to repeat, hoping for 99 or 100 next year.

And my rank at school wasn't even that high (about 3/4) where top got 99. So that's what I am aiming for. If you got about 44, your mark should have been around low 60s because that's what my mate got or high 50s. I reckon you can raise fair bit by next year. So have a look at that. I am sure you can pull off 47+ if you repeat and the difference is huge in terms of scaled mark. Trust me. If maths is your forte and if it's going to count, have a go at repeating. That's just my 2 cents.

Yeah I thought about how the 3U work is needed for Extension 2 but then the Extension 2 Maths teacher said something like "when you do 4U, you start to neglect your 3U work".


Is it as long as I don't sit my Extension 1 HSC exam, I keep this year's mark? I'm scared I might get lower or something.

 

[lyounamu]

Yeah I thought about how the 3U work is needed for Extension 2 but then the Extension 2 Maths teacher said something like "when you do 4U, you start to neglect your 3U work".


Is it as long as I don't sit my Extension 1 HSC exam, I keep this year's mark? I'm scared I might get lower or something.

Okay, I see. You will get to keep your mark, yes. But that will be doubled on the HSC result paper next year you get it. (like 44/50 = 87, 88 or 89)