Want advice from those who just finished HSC/ done the course prior (1 Viewer)

[Dzeeshr]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

 

[C2H6O]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

hmm maybe i'd start getting to know exam style questions sooner like straight after you've learnt a whole topic cause they're a big jump from textbook questions

 

[yourlocaliga]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

dont fall behind on exercises vro

but also know when u should probs stop doing textbook questions and start doing exam questions coz u dont have to do every single question in the textbook

 

[Dzeeshr]

hmm maybe i'd start getting to know exam style questions sooner like straight after you've learnt a whole topic cause they're a big jump from textbook questions

Where did you source your exam style questions?

 

[C2H6O]

Where did you source your exam style questions?

thsc assessment tasks are good cause they seem to be topic by topic
i dont really have any topic by topic exam drives but im sure ppl here or on the internet do

 

[v.tex]

Basically u gotta do the questions consistently. First, master the textbook questions, then shift to exam style questions. I would recommend you in the summer holidays studying ahead for content atleast a whole topic or two so you have a plethora of time to do past papers. Also, don't get stuck up on random textbook questions and each nuance of the topic. Realistically they can only test you on 3 hours of content so do as many past papers as you can and master them.

 

[Dzeeshr]

Basically u gotta do the questions consistently. First, master the textbook questions, then shift to exam style questions. I would recommend you in the summer holidays studying ahead for content atleast a whole topic or two so you have a plethora of time to do past papers. Also, don't get stuck up on random textbook questions and each nuance of the topic. Realistically they can only test you on 3 hours of content so do as many past papers as you can and master them.

So just have a really solid understanding of the topics

 

[v.tex]

So just have a really solid understanding of the topics

Yeah pretty much

 

[v.tex]

Also Id like to add. DO some prac papers in FULL exam conditions. Thats what really stuffed me up in this years HSC. I stuffed up because I crumbled under exam stress.

 

[Dzeeshr]

Also Id like to add. DO some prac papers in FULL exam conditions. Thats what really stuffed me up in this years HSC. I stuffed up because I crumbled under exam stress.

What is the timing like for the exams, do you normally have time to spare in the 3 hours?

 

[C2H6O]

What is the timing like for the exams, do you normally have time to spare in the 3 hours?

Ideally you want minimum 20 minutes left in mx2, but it’s not always possible. This also includes a lot of unanswered/skipped questions you need to go back over

 

[C_master]

Also Id like to add. DO some prac papers in FULL exam conditions. Thats what really stuffed me up in this years HSC. I stuffed up because I crumbled under exam stress.

Yeah I second this
In fact Im pretty sure I never ever sat a maths paper under exam conditions ever
I just usually cherry picked the difficult questions before an exam
I dont think it really affected me but its individualistic i guess
Same for Chem phy

 

[C_master]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

Yeah they are fearmongering you
I personally don't believe the spending '60 percent of your time on maths' BS
Just get all the basics down (from 4U) as soon as possible and your set
spam spam questions and you will realise that most of the questions that come in your exam are just repeated
I wasted time and delayed practicing questions cause I thought my theory understanding was weak
Who cares. Just get to spamming questions and you will learn everything anyways by doing that

 

[C_master]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

Don't even bother touching those challenging Cambridge questions if your goal is to just b6
Cause you can do so without that
But if your someone who wants that high b6/Sr then go for it (not like its really useful either anyways)
but like whats the point in SRs anyways. A good b6 is enough personally

 

[C_master]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

In summary
4u is overrated
Its only hard coz u havent practiced enough
so get to work lad

 

[v.tex]

Yeah if u only want to e4 who cares for cambridge enrichment

 

[Dzeeshr]

In summary
4u is overrated
Its only hard coz u havent practiced enough
so get to work lad

Appreciate the advice!! I’m glad you’ve said it how it really is, I know I’ll be fine. But yeah, just practice practice practice. Fortunately I enjoy maths so it takes up most of my time anyway. And I don’t really know much about band 6’s and that but i simply always am aiming for 100% in maths. It’s definitely possible or at least in the 90’s after a year of constant, dedicated, sincere work . So yeah, back to work ay, there’s always something to be done

 

[Isit_actually?]

I've just started the Extension 2 course and wanted some advice on how I can ace this course. What did you wish you did differently? What thought processes/ study habits did you cultivate/ wish you cultivated? What would you say to yourself a year ago regarding the course?

The teachers at school are making it out to be the hardest thing ever, even saying it's a 'beast' of a course. I don't know if they are scaremongering me so I'd appreciate your takeaways on the course and any help/advice you can give.

Thank you

Extension 2 is definitely tough. It demands a lot more time and focus than most other subjects. If you’re good at managing your time and staying consistent, then 100% go for it. It can be really rewarding if you stay on top of things. But if you struggle to balance workloads (like I did), it can get overwhelming fast. I did Ext 2 for two terms before realising how much time it was draining from my other subjects, so I dropped it and focused on them instead - honestly one of the best decisions I made and it paid off.

 

[Joey07111]

I was totally the same. I'm no math genius but I definitely enjoyed doing extension 2 over any of my other subjects, but I got to a point where I was like the only thing another 200 hours of study is going to get me is 1 extra atar contribution point (eg. last year a 57 raw scaled to a 80 which was a 97.5 atar contribution). Which I might add a 57 is not that hard especially if you are already good at math. You can get 50+ with just knowing the basics from each topic and having sound knowledge of different question types. So my story is I cut my math study time in half and spent way more time on English and it has been a game changer as I went from a 88 predicted atar to a 95+.

It really depends on your goal. If you want a top atar then you will need to completely ace every subject, but if you are already good at math use that to your advantage as you wont need to put as much work in it to get a great atar contribution. Then invest your time into your weakest subject or those that do not scale as well.