Help with HSC Please! :( I'm going so crap at it... (2 Viewers)

[ragemaster1]

Hey,
First of all - I just want to say, you're not an idiot, you're not stupid, you're not a failure or any other degenerative features you may think you are. The HSC and your father's expectations are just an obstacle that you can overcome. At the end of the day, the mark you'll get is what you'll get. There are definitely, 100%, ways of improving your marks for your externals and getting a higher ATAR than what you're expecting. Being ranked last in your school does not always, definately, 100% mean that you'll get a ATAR that's bordering a mystery mark. If you try hard for the externals, you should be able to get a higher mark. Have you tried looking into scholarship or bonus points/ other features that can potentially raise your ATAR? I feel like the stress is hindering on your academic progress, and is causing you to make silly mistakes. Remember, as cheesy as it sounds, if you truely believe you can do well, you will do well. That top maths kid doesn't believe that he/she is going to get 0 in their test. They're confident and they know that they'll get a good mark. This assurance comes from doing past papers and getting high marks in those past papers. Ideally this is where you want to be at.

Secondly - it's awesome that you have a tutor. There's nothing to be ashamed of if you don't get a question right after you've been taught it - give your brain time to process the answer. Everyone started off as a beginner. You just need to work the extra mile to catch up to your classmates - but I can promise you it's not hard. Chunk your workload first - so maybe do one exercise of maths today, review your notes for biology tomorrow etc. As you go through these excersises you'll start to figure out what you know and what you don't know. The more you do, the more you'll know and the more confident you'll be. Really start thinking you can do something and build up your confidence because it really, really, really does affect your performance. You have 5 more weeks of school (I think) and the HSC doesn't start until something like 3 weeks after school ends. You've got HEAPS of time. Don't be stressed or worried if you've failed to complete whatever workload you've assigned to yourself for the day - you still have a while to go. Studying is about being consistent, try not to cram if you can. That being said, while you should give yourself frequent breaks and ease yourself into studying, don't get complacent. Try and study at a place where you won't have that many distractions either - so e.g, if your father is stressing you out, maybe study at a library?

From your evaluation of your subjects, I would say that maybe you're struggling with memorising? Have you found an efficient way to retain information? For example, I like to read out loud and that helps me retain information. Try memory techniques etc if you feel like you're struggling. English - I know 800-1000 words of an essay seems like a lot to remember. Break it up, memorise paragraph by paragraph. Take 2 days to remember a paragraph, then on the third night write out the paragraph you remembered. Repeat with all your paragraphs - you can break your analysis up and use recollection techniques as well. Understand what you're trying to say. If you're really struggling, maybe consider findng a tutor? I know it's a bit late, but the externals does count for 50% of your mark.
Chemistry in the HSC course, unlike prelim, has alot of rote. So although you need to understand it, kinda, it's definately achievable. Practise is the key. If you're really struggling - just look at the textbook. Conquering chemistry I find is pretty good. Read it, and try to understand it. Then compile a list of equations and memorise that. If you understand the content, you should do OK. Then practise past papers. You can also make your own summarised notes to make sure you understand everything.

Lastly, you've identified exam pressure as the concern for the rest of your subjects. (Good job on identifying what's wrong! You're already half-way on the road to improvement! Now all you need to do is fix this mistake) Ask your tutor and/or teachers. Remember, in an exam, you're not aiming to answer everything if you can't. Don't stress if you don't get all the questions - you're aiming to maximise your marks. So if you don't know a question, skip it, leave it for later, and do all the ones you can first. Similarly in a question - if you don't know some components of it, don't stress. Answer what you can. If it's more than one mark, try and figure out what the other marks are for. Again you're not aiming for full marks, you're aiming to get all the marks you can. E.g, in chemistry - if it's a 4 mark question asking about nuclear isotopes. If you don't remember the equations for examples of isotopes, don't worry. It's probably only 1-2 marks of the 4 at most. Realistically, you can still get 2-3 of that four marks. etc

Hope that helped and all the best!

Thank you so much! I will be looking into bonus marks, scholarships etc. The info you also gave me was very helpful and I'll use those tips to relieve exam stress !

 

[astab]

Hey mate,

I understand what you're going through. Try and surround yourself with your mum more than your dad because she's supportive. So long as you're trying your best. Remember that stress is counterproductive too - first term of year 12 I was freaking out and panicking, I was actually dragged away from work and didn't do as well compared to now (it feels like I'm doing a lot less work). Try and listen to relaxing music, meditate a bit, etc. and go to sleep with delta waves, because you have the deepest sleep and feel calm. But just keep on working consistently and results will come.

Btw, losing hope is all freedom!

 

[nancylime]

 

[monopoly73]

i think that you having too much pressure from your dad which is unhelpful. i wouldn't say that im in the same boat because my dad dosn't tease me or call me fat or stupid, but he does put alot of pressure on me. honestly you have to be honest with youreslf. my dad beleives that i can get 90+ atar but i know that it is not going to happen, i just want an atar to get into the course i want becasue at the end of the day that is what matters. it dosn't matter how you got to uni but once youo get there thats all that matters. my brother got a 66 atar which in my family is shamefull (typical brown parents) but he is happy with the teaching course that he does and thats all that matters.
you can get the atar you want with hard work and study. for biology as i do biology as well i think that rote learning may be helpful for some people but for me mainly it was just doing past hsc question and thats how i cam first in trials. past hsc questions help as they show how you should apply your knowledge and by doing questions i actually memorise better as i remember doing questions from certain topics.
the hsc exam is what really matters at the end so just do good in that. i do chemistry as well and got 35 in my trials but aced the exam and got 81 which i am pretty proud of. don't let anyone discourage you, maybe be in company with people who can support you better like study groups. as you said exam pressure effects you alot, i know its abit late but in my school they let you do exams in seperate rooms if you if will help you, maybe you could ask your teacher
dont give up there is still time to better yourself. i hope i my advice helped you, stay positive and hope for the best!

 

[EarthSci34]

Hey ragemaster1,

Your current situation may seem deplorable, but please do not despair. Every cloud has its silver lining, and I'm sure it's soon to come! Please see a councillor or a friend about these negative feelings. These feelings eat at you constantly, sometimes leaving you a hollow version of yourself. I'm also quite worried about the way your father treats you-- a proper paternal figure may give 'tough love' but not to the extent of bringing you down. I also recommend telling a trusted friend, teacher or councillor of this seemingly abusive relationship.

Okay, remember THERE IS LIFE AFTER THE HSC. As cliched as that sounds, it's really easy to blow out of proportion all of the problems and worries that we have. Please take the time to take a breather and reflect on your progress so far.

Alright-- first's things first. Foster a positive self-image. 'Fake it 'till you make it' was this funny thing I heard until I realised what it meant. Just believing in yourself and your abilities can take you a long way. This is difficult, I know, but that's the first step. Believing that you can do that math problem, or memorise that essay or slay that exam will take you so far! Repeat to yourself that "I've got this covered." or something of the sort to help you find solace in your abilities. Trust me, this helps a lot.

For your subjects, just reflect on your learning processes. What is effective? What isn't? How do I facilitate a proper learning environment? Learning is a range of overarching processes and maximising these will greatly benefit you!

For English, my biggest advice for you would be to make a quote sheet with explanations and themes. This would be extremely helpful, as you would be 'compressing' all that you would need to know for an essay. Essentially for advanced, you just need a firm understanding of themes, quotes, analysis of quotes and significance to the rubric to do well. This can be done by deconstructing the rubric, looking for and understanding its demands and ultimately looking for these demands within your school's chosen texts.

For Biology, it seems you need to to practise tests. By that, I mean A LOT of practise texts. This will help you get a feel for your exams and will help settle your nerves in exam conditions. You'll get used to it eventually, maybe it's exam stress or maybe not writing fast enough that impacts your test taking abilities. I know these impact mine regularly.

Overall, just keep working hard. There are so many people who didn't fare well internally but worked hard for the HSC and smashed it! Keep soldiering on and don't believe any of the negativity that your Dad or anyone else tells you. Honestly, work hard, do your best and I'm sure the rest will follow.

 

[ragemaster1]

OP,

You perform well in class, but generally do shltty under exam conditions.
You forget stuff soon after you learn it...

I know that feeling very well, as I have the same problems.
Do you happen to also get nervous for speech presentations?
If so, then you're not alone.

I think you are doing ok at this stage (at least for your circumstances).
Many kids in your situation would probably run away from home, if under this toxic home environment.
For this, you are resilient.

Out of curiosity, can you tell us your school rank, and your plans for the future?


Edit: hahahahha I just realised I bumped an old thread.

I'm coming last and second last in most if not all my subjects. This isn't normal for me!