Study Advice for Year 12 (1 Viewer)

[thesadghost77~_~]

Hi! I'm doing my HSC this year. My subjects are English ADV, Math ADV, Economics, Physics and Engineering Studies. Any advice on how I can study/use for studying, etc so I can get a >95 ATAR? I am a chronic procrastinator, I struggle with working at a good pace (I can get really slow), and managing my time. Also, I have no idea how I should study for each subject and most importantly, how to memorize the actual content - I always forget the next day. This is a huge struggle of mine. I am going into Term 2 of HSC and these holidays haven't been productive for me, I feel stuck and hopeless, but I REALLY want to get a <95 ATAR. Any advice on study tips, resources and memory retention is welcome and would be very very much appreciated.

thank you so much and take care

 

[jimmysmith560]

Favourable performance in English Advanced will require a thorough understanding of your prescribed text(s) for each module as this will enable you to make relevant connections (through elements such as quotes as well as themes raised in each text for instance) between your texts and questions requiring long responses. It is therefore important to ensure that you have a good understanding of each of your texts and, if needed, seek clarification regarding any aspects that you may not fully understand.

Additionally, you should emphasise your knowledge and ability to apply a range of literary and visual techniques as those will likely be incorporated into your written responses alongside relevant quotes in order to assist you in presenting your main points and ultimately develop a good quality response. Once both of these elements are addressed, you should seek feedback on your written responses and implement any suggestions that you may be given, so as to continually improve the quality of your writing.

In terms of Mathematics Advanced, it is important to regularly complete practice material in addition to ensuring that you understand the concepts well. Having a good understanding of each topic is of course essential, but you also need to ensure that you are able to apply your understanding to the various types of questions that you may be exposed to, which calls for the need to complete as much practice material (including textbook questions and past exam papers) as possible on a regular basis so that you familiarise yourself with different patterns and methods required to solve different questions to a large extent. The more you do this, the more likely you are to identify areas of improvement, giving you the opportunity to seek clarification with any concepts that you may not be fully confident with (which is something that you should do as soon as possible, if applicable).

It is definitely understandable that you may not be able to approach content memorisation in a more traditional way. The good news is, you can definitely still memorise content. You just need to determine a method that suits your specific needs, i.e. one that you feel you are comfortable with. An example that you may wish to consider is trying to create some sort of element that will allow for the creation or a pattern that you can easily retain. If you do this, you will be, in a way, memorising a particular pattern directly, but you will also be memorising the actual content (and recalling it more easily), allowing you to achieve your study goals. This could be anything from highlighting important words to rearranging your notes in an optimal order.

It is also important to note that a 95+ ATAR is not easy to achieve, meaning that, in addition to the above, you must stay determined and diligent in your approach to each of your subjects and throughout your HSC journey as a whole. Best of luck!

I hope this helps!

 

[imgetting99.96]

Considering the fact that I'm just like you, and trying to get through this year, here's my two cents on doing decent in Maths 2U (which I accelerated last year):

1. PAST PAPERS! - Literally this is the only way people actually do well in their exams, as it exposes you to those higher-order questions fairly quickly as opposed to learning the content from a textbook and mindlessly waiting for the exams to haunt you the month before. (my method was do a couple of textbook questions, and then head straight to past papers, preferably hard trial q's, where you can attempt to get the more demanding questions correct. Also it reduces pressure for the real exams!
2. Next I want to stress the importance of LEARNING CONTENT BEFORE YOUR CLASS COVERS IT! - This applies for most subjects, and could even involve you updating your notes the night before a lesson. I tried to never let myself slide into a lesson where I felt clueless, since that was probably the worst feeling that I ever experienced, given that I needed to understand it especially for the HSC!!!
3. Doing whole past papers, once you've hit that 85+ region can get repetitive, and also useless, so stop and actually practice whatever you're getting wrong in terms of single questions, rather than wasting the 3 hours of your life that you'll never be able to get back. Think about this; If you had 3 hours, and already are getting 89ish, then rather than wasting the 3 hours doing q's that you are already familiar with, use those 3 hours to practice those questions you're getting wrong. "Past paper counts" and the fearful "rush" that students partake in near the HSC often lead them to having a false sense of achievement, and often study the most ineffectively.
4. In terms of motivation, I feel like by having friends that push you to do your best (perhaps indirectly as well) are good as they motivate you to challenge yourself, and to finish off that last dot point of notes (for example), or that extra 30 mins of maths questions you knew you weren't gonna do when they weren't there. Personally, It would be a sin to say that we are all feeling 100% all the time, and to allow your friends to steer that "motivation wheel" for you actually drives you to make something of your life and time in your final year of schooling. Also, having your atar goal visible somewhere might help, or that uni degree you really wanted to get in since you were in year 9. Whatever it is, you should effectively use others as a tool for your motivations, rather than leaving the job to yourself.

I hope your studies go well!

 

[011235]

Just to add to that, on the other hand, if you're managing to get to a high band 6 range and you don't feel particularly weak in any content areas, then I've personally found it more beneficial to do whole papers - it helps with speed and silly mistakes, which are probably where you're losing marks at that point.

 

[indeed]

I think studying at a library also really helps since it puts you in a focused and quiet environment (it's helped for me, so I recommend giving it a go)

 

[thesadghost77~_~]

Favourable performance in English Advanced will require a thorough understanding of your prescribed text(s) for each module as this will enable you to make relevant connections (through elements such as quotes as well as themes raised in each text for instance) between your texts and questions requiring long responses. It is therefore important to ensure that you have a good understanding of each of your texts and, if needed, seek clarification regarding any aspects that you may not fully understand.

Additionally, you should emphasise your knowledge and ability to apply a range of literary and visual techniques as those will likely be incorporated into your written responses alongside relevant quotes in order to assist you in presenting your main points and ultimately develop a good quality response. Once both of these elements are addressed, you should seek feedback on your written responses and implement any suggestions that you may be given, so as to continually improve the quality of your writing.

In terms of Mathematics Advanced, it is important to regularly complete practice material in addition to ensuring that you understand the concepts well. Having a good understanding of each topic is of course essential, but you also need to ensure that you are able to apply your understanding to the various types of questions that you may be exposed to, which calls for the need to complete as much practice material (including textbook questions and past exam papers) as possible on a regular basis so that you familiarise yourself with different patterns and methods required to solve different questions to a large extent. The more you do this, the more likely you are to identify areas of improvement, giving you the opportunity to seek clarification with any concepts that you may not be fully confident with (which is something that you should do as soon as possible, if applicable).

It is definitely understandable that you may not be able to approach content memorisation in a more traditional way. The good news is, you can definitely still memorise content. You just need to determine a method that suits your specific needs, i.e. one that you feel you are comfortable with. An example that you may wish to consider is trying to create some sort of element that will allow for the creation or a pattern that you can easily retain. If you do this, you will be, in a way, memorising a particular pattern directly, but you will also be memorising the actual content (and recalling it more easily), allowing you to achieve your study goals. This could be anything from highlighting important words to rearranging your notes in an optimal order.

It is also important to note that a 95+ ATAR is not easy to achieve, meaning that, in addition to the above, you must stay determined and diligent in your approach to each of your subjects and throughout your HSC journey as a whole. Best of luck!

I hope this helps!

Noted, thank you so much for the help!

 

[thesadghost77~_~]

Considering the fact that I'm just like you, and trying to get through this year, here's my two cents on doing decent in Maths 2U (which I accelerated last year):

1. PAST PAPERS! - Literally this is the only way people actually do well in their exams, as it exposes you to those higher-order questions fairly quickly as opposed to learning the content from a textbook and mindlessly waiting for the exams to haunt you the month before. (my method was do a couple of textbook questions, and then head straight to past papers, preferably hard trial q's, where you can attempt to get the more demanding questions correct. Also it reduces pressure for the real exams!
2. Next I want to stress the importance of LEARNING CONTENT BEFORE YOUR CLASS COVERS IT! - This applies for most subjects, and could even involve you updating your notes the night before a lesson. I tried to never let myself slide into a lesson where I felt clueless, since that was probably the worst feeling that I ever experienced, given that I needed to understand it especially for the HSC!!!
3. Doing whole past papers, once you've hit that 85+ region can get repetitive, and also useless, so stop and actually practice whatever you're getting wrong in terms of single questions, rather than wasting the 3 hours of your life that you'll never be able to get back. Think about this; If you had 3 hours, and already are getting 89ish, then rather than wasting the 3 hours doing q's that you are already familiar with, use those 3 hours to practice those questions you're getting wrong. "Past paper counts" and the fearful "rush" that students partake in near the HSC often lead them to having a false sense of achievement, and often study the most ineffectively.
4. In terms of motivation, I feel like by having friends that push you to do your best (perhaps indirectly as well) are good as they motivate you to challenge yourself, and to finish off that last dot point of notes (for example), or that extra 30 mins of maths questions you knew you weren't gonna do when they weren't there. Personally, It would be a sin to say that we are all feeling 100% all the time, and to allow your friends to steer that "motivation wheel" for you actually drives you to make something of your life and time in your final year of schooling. Also, having your atar goal visible somewhere might help, or that uni degree you really wanted to get in since you were in year 9. Whatever it is, you should effectively use others as a tool for your motivations, rather than leaving the job to yourself.

I hope your studies go well!

Thank you so much! Will definitely try to implement this in my routine. And yeah, I definitely agree with your second point, I did that at the beginning of Yr 11 (i started slacking off after that -_-) and found it very helpful.

Good luck with your studies as well!

 

[thesadghost77~_~]

Just to add to that, on the other hand, if you're managing to get to a high band 6 range and you don't feel particularly weak in any content areas, then I've personally found it more beneficial to do whole papers - it helps with speed and silly mistakes, which are probably where you're losing marks at that point.

Yeah, I definitely agree with you, your silly mistakes can literally be the difference between an A and a B (its happened to many times :/ ) Anyhoo, thank you so much and all the best!

 

[thesadghost77~_~]

My advice for you is to break your study into manageable chunks. Make a plan for each day and stick to it. Use an app or a calendar to help you keep track of your tasks and deadlines. Take regular breaks so that you don't burn out and use a timer to keep yourself on track. When it comes to memorizing content, use a variety of study methods and practice recalling information over and over. Make flashcards and practice quizzing yourself with the material. Draw diagrams and mind maps to help you visualize what you're studying and use mnemonic devices to help you remember facts and figures. Finally, make sure to get enough rest and stay healthy. Eating well and exercising will help you stay focused and energized. Best of luck with your HSC!

Thank you!

 

[thesadghost77~_~]

I think studying at a library also really helps since it puts you in a focused and quiet environment (it's helped for me, so I recommend giving it a go)

Okay, thank you!