Now is a good time to experiment with your study techniques. The teachers will try and formalise it as much as they can, but really, year 11 is going through the bottleneck into the bottle.
Good arrangements are necessary in study and assessment completion. I find that the assessments in year 11 are 'MINISCULE' compared to major works in year 10. In all fact, the 10%-15% assessments they throw at you are an easy 90% mark. These assessments, especially for the sciences require nothing more than 1 hour revision periods for a few days, or in the case of practicals, simply writing 2 pages on your methodology.
Nevertheless, good teachers will never put any add more pressure than you can handle, and tasks should be completed as soon as possible. It clears the congestion at the end of the year when really important exams come. The Board of Studies is dumb (rants), but the people that work there are not that stupid, the deadlines in tasks are reasonable.
From my experience...
- Sleep at a good time and get 8 and a half hours sleep
- Latin saying: A healthy mind needs a healthy body
- If you HAVE TIME and you are BORED, by all means finish uncompleted homework and revision.
- Have breaks in your study (I can't stress this enough.) Cramming 8 hours is like casual study for 2 hours. I guarentee you that when you cram you will forget everything the next day.
- Write some methodology on tasks that you find difficult to complete. Usually a step by step method on formulaes (especially in maths) can help.
- Consistency is key. Study 2-3 hours a day every day and you'll whizz through.
- Don't burden yourself with a UAI aim. People choke here and there and expectations are unrealistic. You guys are sore that such things as 'UWS' exist. Some universities are only bad because you aren't willing to change.
- Be grateful- there are many kids in Africa that would love to take your seat in the HSC.
- After you read the last line of my response, turn off your comp and TV. Two biggest distractions possible.
- Have a back-up subject. 'A' is one. That means don't go over 12 units. Who are you trying to prove something to and why? The only thing you can prove by doing more than 12 units is that you're trimming off precious study time outside of school to 'prove' that you can win the 'bet' against your friends that you are smart. Noone cares how much you can do. The teachers only really care about 10 units. 10/10.
- And uhh... relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!
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Don't overdo it. Just as you get get cramps from running too hard, you can get really REALLY angry at yourself for staying up late to remember stuff. Not only is cramming bad for your sleeping patterns, its really bad for your health. Muscle spasms become more prevalent through bad study habits...and yes there have been cases where people have died from cramming, and in more humourous cases, playing video games.
How does this happen? The chance of a heart attack is doubled on the days that you do not sleep more than 4 hours. Blood clotting in the legs is caused by poor leg positioning. This is why (Health) is much more important than (Study). You have a whole lifetime to study, but you won't if misfortune should ever occur due to bad health.
Your teachers never expect you to be perfect, but they want you to have your priorities in check.
