Post by: jamonwindeyer on June 19, 2015, 02:12:16 pm
This is the reality for, you can realistically guess, not an insignificant number of HSC students every October. And you can’t blame them. Two years of consistent work is really difficult, especially for 17-18 year olds. But there are a lot of things that can make it easier, even in this final stretch.
I’ve had a few people come up to me after hearing about my 99.80 ATAR and a score of 96 in both 2 Unit and Extension 1, and call me superhuman. Unnaturally intelligent. Lots of people assumed I woke up at 5am, studied until 12pm, then slept while listening to Band 6 English Essays. Completely untrue. While I consider myself an intelligent person and a hard worker, I don’t think I did anything that anyone else couldn’t do, given the right drive and motivation.
Mathematics was one of my most loved subjects. It made sense. None of this wondering how my creative writing would be interpreted by a marker rubbish. There is a right answer. If you memorise the methods, you can always get that answer. Here are a few of the pieces of advice I give to friends, students I teach, or even just the curious, on how to memorise the methods to the madness and apply it successfully in the HSC.
1. Study Notes
This is probably more for the Year 11’s. One of the biggest questions I get asked, study notes or no? I have a very strong opinion on this one; I say no and this is why.
For content intensive subjects, study notes are a beautiful thing. They summarise key ideas and help memorise facts and figures. Mathematics is not one of those subjects. It is a skill based subject, and as such, time spent towards it should be spent honing your skills! I personally did not keep Mathematics study notes, instead I created formula sheets. Closer to Trials and HSC I turned them into posters and stuck them anywhere blu tac would stick. Trust me, if you have Simpson’s Rule staring at you in the face while getting dressed in the morning, it will stick. Formula sheets like this will jog your memory of old topics quickly, and of course, it is essential you know your formulae, at one count, there were over 120 of them for Extension 1 students.
2. Studying Throughout The Year
Studying throughout the year is much more effective than any lump sessions at the end. It is more effective at creating neural pathways and muscle memories, and is guaranteed to make your July-October much easier the year of your HSC. Aim to do all the questions set by your teacher every week, plus a few extra if you are having trouble with a subject. Do practice exams in the lead up to class tests. Keep it all fresh by continuing to USE the skill.
3. Trials
My biggest piece of advice, do NOT stress about your mark for HSC Trials if it isn’t what you expect. And this goes for any test, really.
My half yearly exam for Extension 1 in Year 12 was a doozy. I remember coming out and feeling the absolute worst I ever had after an exam. My result reflected this, but rather than angering/stressing me, it woke me up. Sometimes, a bad result is the kick you need to shift into high gear, and ride the momentum through HSC. And yes, I believe momentum is a thing. And this is what the benefit of Trials is. If you do well, awesome, ride the momentum, build on that confidence and you’ll be in an awesome spot for HSC. If not, it doesn’t matter, because you have a whole 2 months to build that momentum back again! Trials are your measuring stick, don’t be stressed by them, learn from them.
4. Studying for HSC
Right, let’s get to the good stuff. How do you study for HSC? There is a single way I recommend. Practice. Practice. Practice.
My personal study plan for Mathematics and Extension 1 was to do as many past papers as possible. I bought myself one of the Success One Exam Booklets (they are absolutely fantastic, but every exam is online as well) and started doing a paper every morning. Under exam conditions, timed, the whole shebang. At first it killed me, but you get into a routine, and by the HSC, I had completed every past HSC paper for both 2 unit and extension.
This is like, over 50 papers, and something tremendously difficult to do, and I was blessed with a timetable which allowed me plenty of time to do this. Not everyone is so lucky, but there is a way to cover all the past papers in a very short amount of time:
5. Two Techniques for Efficient, Awesome Studiousness!
The first technique is designed for speed, to expose yourself to as much practice as possible while preventing wasted time. The method is simple. Set yourself up with a past paper, exam conditions, no timer. You are going to flip through the book, but not do the questions. That’s right. Give yourself 15 seconds maximum to look at each question, don’t spend more than 10 minutes reading the whole thing. As you look at a question, think to yourself, do I know how to do that? Have I seen something similar? Do I know the formulae? Be honest with yourself. If the answer is yes, move on. If not, mark it. Then you complete only the marked questions.
This technique relies on being your own harshest critic, and is suited for people wanting to challenge themselves as much as possible. It’s also awesome practice for reading time.
The second technique is better suited to someone struggling with the content. Set yourself a set of past papers. It could be 10, 20, all of them, pick however many you think you’ll get done. Do them under exam conditions, one by one, on a set schedule. Mark them as you go, and jot down the question numbers you get wrong. After they are all done, look at the questions you mixed up. Is there a theme? Revise the areas of issue and now attempt only the marked questions. Is there an improvement?
This technique is awesome for practicing exam technique, and identifying where you need to do extra revision.
These may seem really simple and obvious to many, but it is surprising how many people simply do not know how to study for skill based subjects effectively! Practice makes perfect.
6. The Morning Of: To Read or Not To Read?
There are a variety of very different opinions on studying directly before an exam. It’s majorly a matter of preference, however, I wanted to share an experience I had at uni. I had my first big math exam, and I decided to read over my formula sheets. I noticed a weird little derivation in the bottom of one section. This same derivation proved a major part of a question which would have easily been worth almost 7-8 of my marks. Had I not peeked, they would have been out the window.
Put bluntly, I say read. Don’t practice questions, you’ll work yourself up and tire yourself out. But reading formula sheets is a great way to occupy your mind, boost your confidence, etc. Maths is one of the few subjects for which this works. Then of course there is the other stock standard advice, which I highly support as well. Eat a good breakfast (I had bacon). For the sake of your ATAR, go to the bathroom, you do not want to waste a second during the exam. Also, figure out the best way to relieve stress! I find it best to move around a lot, so I walked 20 minutes to my exams to burn off the excess adrenalin. Others prefer mediation. Find what works best to have you feeling confident. And finally, my biggest piece of advice, and one which normally raises an eyebrow or two… Strut into the room.
I’m not kidding. Walk in there like you have just gotten back from landing on Mars and finding a cure for cancer. You are the most important person in the world. Channel your inner Kardashian, all that stuff. The truth is, the confidence in your body language will translate to your brain, and produce all sorts of awesome hormones and stuff like that. It loosens you up, sort of like why boxers do their moves before a big fight. To stretch of course, but the showboating serves a mental role you’ll be surprised at. Seriously, try it.
7. Exam Tips
I could give countless tips as to how to succeed in a HSC Mathematics Exam. But here are my favourites:
- Relax. It’s just an exam like every other one you’ve sat.
- Get in the habit of reading the questions twice, even three times. 2 Unit Exams especially are actually designed to be done in 2.5 hours (by the Band 6 students), so you have time to carefully consider what you are reading.
- For graphing questions, make sure the graph is big enough for the examiner to read!
- Request extra booklets as soon as there is even the slightest possibility of needing them. You do not want to have to be sitting waiting for paper when the solution is on the tip of your pen.
- Handwriting in exams can be messy, pay special attention to things like z looking 2, i looking like 1, x looking like that multiplication symbol, etc. Don’t hold yourself up on this, but try to make it as easy for the marker as possible
- Speaking of the marker, it very well could be someone up at 10:30pm with screaming children in the background. They will not do any work for you. Make your work logical, clearly set out. It is almost always infinitely better to attempt all but one question and do it properly, than to rush through the questions to finish.
- Don’t skip steps. Yes, I know, you are Mr Confident, I am too, but swallow your pride just this once. Please?
- You are allowed to request an extra exam book to scribble stuff in, if you need it.
- When looking at questions in groups, remember that the first part is used in the second part 99.9999% of the time.
- Use your reading time effectively! There is a technique to reading time. Your brain, aware of it or not, thinks about questions you have looked at. Making connections, remembering formulas. Your aim is to see the entire paper, so you can identify hard stuff and let your mind stew on it while you tackle the easy stuff. This leads to my next suggestion:
- Do the multiple choice first! This goes back to that momentum thing I was talking about. If you attempt the hard stuff first, and get discouraged, you won’t do your best. MC’s are designed to be easy, and I do them first to give me some energy and get “into” the paper. If you are extremely worried about time, sure, leave them till the end. But otherwise, they are an awesome warmup for things to come. They jog your memory and wake you up.
- Check all your answers with my simple checklist, the SURD Checklist! Of course you should read through your working if you can, but this technique will at least let you make sure your answer has a few of the easy things. It will prevent the sillier mistakes
Units?
Rational Denominator?
Does It Make Sense?
And finally, I want to talk about mark maximisation. There is a MASSIVE difference between maximising correct answers, and maximising marks. Case in point, I have sat down with 2014's HSC Paper: If you just wrote the answer for every question, with no working, even with every answer correct, you would fail. Also, if you gave perfect working, but an incorrect answer, YOU WOULD PASS! . There are lots of things to do to maximise your marks. Show working for every question. In my Trials, I got a tricky induction question in my Ext 1 Exam that I just couldn't crack. I got marks for just writing out the steps and doing some rearranging! I did practically nothing of relevance, but still got half the marks! Golden!
The point being, there will almost definitely be questions you can't do as well as you would hope. This is okay. Practice giving the best solution you can, and in the process, you might just get the answer anyway.
Be sure to register for an account and ask any questions you have below. I'd love to share any extra tips or strategies that I can, or answer anything you have to ask. I would also highly recommend checking out the notes and guides available on this site. I used to love the guides posted on the web, as well as notes, and the notes on this site are the best and most comprehensive I have ever seen. HSC is a collaborative thing!
Post by: hsceebz on June 19, 2015, 03:17:41 pm
Post by: lozil on September 19, 2016, 09:50:55 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 19, 2016, 10:58:28 pm
I didn't do that well in trials so I decided I'd do one paper every day till HSC, but there's literally so much to do for all the other subjects as well that I have no time for maths :-[
Try to keep a balance for all your subjects! You must work on all of them, and even do more for ones that need a boost. Could you squeeze in half a paper every morning maybe? Like, Questions 1-13 on one day, 14-17 on the next? ;D
Post by: HughMungus on September 20, 2016, 03:39:25 am
Post by: conic curve on September 20, 2016, 08:26:33 am
I wish I did HSC... I attempted the papers and they were much better than their VCE counterparts :P
I don't think you'd like HSC science though. There's a lot of "history of science" and "environmental/societal impacts"
Post by: lozil on September 20, 2016, 10:55:30 pm
Try to keep a balance for all your subjects! You must work on all of them, and even do more for ones that need a boost. Could you squeeze in half a paper every morning maybe? Like, Questions 1-13 on one day, 14-17 on the next? ;D
Yeah I suppose that would work!
Post by: fizzy.123 on September 21, 2016, 08:33:15 pm
Post by: RuiAce on September 21, 2016, 08:36:04 pm
there is a month left to go before the 2u HSC exam and i was wondering, how many papers should we get done before the exam? I feel as if completing a 3 hour paper everyday takes really long! Please Help!As many as you can. Because there's never enough; only you set your own constraints now. Because depending on how high you wanna aim, you may choose to do all the papers back to 2001.
3 hours does take ages. So try not to spend 3 whole hours on just a paper as well.
Post by: conic curve on September 21, 2016, 08:58:42 pm
there is a month left to go before the 2u HSC exam and i was wondering, how many papers should we get done before the exam? I feel as if completing a 3 hour paper everyday takes really long! Please Help!
As said, as many as possible. Ensure that you are studying on your weaknesses rather than your strengths
If you feel that an exam paper takes really long, then cut the time down i.e. from 3 hrs to 1.5 hrs since that you'll be working under time pressure in the actual HSC exam
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 21, 2016, 09:08:58 pm
there is a month left to go before the 2u HSC exam and i was wondering, how many papers should we get done before the exam? I feel as if completing a 3 hour paper everyday takes really long! Please Help!
Will ditto with the above, as many as you can, but I will add that doing a past paper in less than 3 hours might not be where you are at right now. Like, if you can awesome, but changes are you won't get to that level until you've done a few (I managed to get down to about 1 hour 50 minutes by the time my exam rolled around) :)
I did 21 past papers for Mathematics (and another 21 for Extension, plus a few extras that I picked apart for additional practice); I did one of them every morning for a solid month. It was tough, but the routine helped a heap with making sure I got it done! I was probably a tad excessive though: You could try doing half a paper every morning maybe!
Ensure that you actively look for what topics you are losing marks in, and do extra study on those, in addition to the practice papers. Hell, JUST do the questions you struggle with from a paper, the benefit from that is almost equivocal and takes less time :)
Post by: lozil on September 22, 2016, 09:22:26 pm
Will ditto with the above, as many as you can, but I will add that doing a past paper in less than 3 hours might not be where you are at right now. Like, if you can awesome, but changes are you won't get to that level until you've done a few (I managed to get down to about 1 hour 50 minutes by the time my exam rolled around) :)
I did 21 past papers for Mathematics (and another 21 for Extension, plus a few extras that I picked apart for additional practice); I did one of them every morning for a solid month. It was tough, but the routine helped a heap with making sure I got it done! I was probably a tad excessive though: You could try doing half a paper every morning maybe!
Ensure that you actively look for what topics you are losing marks in, and do extra study on those, in addition to the practice papers. Hell, JUST do the questions you struggle with from a paper, the benefit from that is almost equivocal and takes less time :)
Wooow that's dedicated! Well I'll try do as many as possible - I guess there's a lot more time in the day once stuvac starts (I graduate tmr)
Post by: RuiAce on September 22, 2016, 09:41:35 pm
Wooow that's dedicated! Well I'll try do as many as possible - I guess there's a lot more time in the day once stuvac starts (I graduate tmr)Tbh I wasn't gonna mention how I did like 15 for MX2 and probably 13 for accelerated 2U but then Jamon appeared...
Post by: fizzy.123 on September 22, 2016, 10:09:20 pm
Would focusing on doing just trial papers from really top school as revision for the HSC maths exam give me a better advantage over others who just complete all the past HSC maths papers? Or is it the same? because I'm confused with what I want to do...
Post by: RuiAce on September 22, 2016, 10:15:21 pm
Thank you all for your replies!They don't necessarily reflect the type of questions you get examined in the HSC if you ask me.
Would focusing on doing just trial papers from really top school as revision for the HSC maths exam give me a better advantage over others who just complete all the past HSC maths papers? Or is it the same? because I'm confused with what I want to do...
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 22, 2016, 11:15:23 pm
They don't necessarily reflect the type of questions you get examined in the HSC if you ask me.
I agree with this! I think you are better off doing questions direct from the source (aka, BOSTES), if you're after a bit more of a challenge then go and do some of the HSC Papers from the late 90's and even early 2000's, they were harder back then ;)
You could also set yourself challenges like doing a paper in 2 hours instead of 3, which is what I did towards the end ;D
But yeah, doing questions from HSC papers is the best indicator in my opinion ;D Trial papers have their place, but in my opinion they supplement the HSC papers (that's how I used them, for extra practice in certain areas) :)
Post by: fizzy.123 on September 23, 2016, 12:25:10 am
I agree with this! I think you are better off doing questions direct from the source (aka, BOSTES), if you're after a bit more of a challenge then go and do some of the HSC Papers from the late 90's and even early 2000's, they were harder back then ;)
You could also set yourself challenges like doing a paper in 2 hours instead of 3, which is what I did towards the end ;D
But yeah, doing questions from HSC papers is the best indicator in my opinion ;D Trial papers have their place, but in my opinion they supplement the HSC papers (that's how I used them, for extra practice in certain areas) :)
With the HSC papers, should i first do the older ones and gradually move onto the latest ones or the opposite?
Post by: RuiAce on September 23, 2016, 08:06:03 am
With the HSC papers, should i first do the older ones and gradually move onto the latest ones or the opposite?Up to you. These things are what you need to figure out yourself.
I did them in a randomised order.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 23, 2016, 09:10:13 am
With the HSC papers, should i first do the older ones and gradually move onto the latest ones or the opposite?
Up to you. These things are what you need to figure out yourself.
I did them in a randomised order.
And I personally did them in chronological order, but I don't think it matters much :)
Post by: jakesilove on September 23, 2016, 09:53:34 am
With the HSC papers, should i first do the older ones and gradually move onto the latest ones or the opposite?
I did an old one, then a new one, then an old one, then a new one, until I completely lost track and just did random ones I didn't think I'd done 18 times before.
Post by: sophiemacpherso on May 17, 2017, 09:37:18 pm
Post by: RuiAce on May 17, 2017, 09:43:43 pm
Hey!! My school has trials this term, and we're being tested on content we'll be learning right up until the week before... How would you go about doing past papers in this scenario?If your school has past papers then you should just be doing it.
There's going to be a need to learn and study simultaneously for the 3-4 weeks leading up to the exam. Start getting into past papers ASAP, ensuring that you can handle everything on content that's already been taught. But you're going to have to find a balance.
The problem: You most likely have to study and learn for not just that subject
The resolutions:
1. Everyone messes up with you, so moderation will save you all regardless in the final exam.
2. If maths is the ONLY subject where you're being taught content up to there then you have a bit more breathing room. There's a different benefit in that you should be able to retain information you learnt recently more easily.
Finding the balance between studying and learning new content is going to be a bit rough. Put a small amount of faith into the likelihood of retaining newly learnt content more easily, and make sure you have all the other stuff covered first. Past papers are easy to find (THSC), so just do every single question relevant to your trials (i.e. you will be examined on). If you see some questions that appear as though they may be taught in that one week before the trials, you can consider bookmarking them to go back to later.
The idea is, if you have all of the old stuff covered, you'll feel more at ease and ready to add the new stuff in as well.
Post by: herb123 on June 16, 2017, 11:31:33 am
Post by: Crabstickz on July 12, 2017, 11:59:47 am
how long roughly did you have just to check over your answers and did you have any time goals for each section (e.g. 6 mins for multiple choice, 30 mins for q15)
currently q 11/12/13's are taking me anywhere between 7 to 20 minutes each and I'm not sure how much time i should be allocating for each ?
Post by: RuiAce on July 12, 2017, 12:58:42 pm
Hi, do you mind if I ask how you spread out your time in the exam. Specifically for 2u?You need to be aware of the fact that there is no concrete rule, or even range, that will simply work for anyone.
how long roughly did you have just to check over your answers and did you have any time goals for each section (e.g. 6 mins for multiple choice, 30 mins for q15)
currently q 11/12/13's are taking me anywhere between 7 to 20 minutes each and I'm not sure how much time i should be allocating for each ?
However, if you want my own experience, it's definitely pretty hard to draw memories from that long ago (I did 2U in Yr 10) but it was somewhere along the lines of:
- 10 min checking
- 5-10 min M/C
- Randomly assorted into whatever I felt like it. Sometimes I just suddenly stop doing working out and start checking and vice versa.
As the papers were 3 hours, from a high aimer's perspective I also tried to make sure I took no longer than 30min on Q11-13. Else, depends on what you get on the day.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 12, 2017, 07:22:44 pm
Hi, do you mind if I ask how you spread out your time in the exam. Specifically for 2u?
how long roughly did you have just to check over your answers and did you have any time goals for each section (e.g. 6 mins for multiple choice, 30 mins for q15)
currently q 11/12/13's are taking me anywhere between 7 to 20 minutes each and I'm not sure how much time i should be allocating for each ?
The only big timing advice I have is that you need to keep writing - Try not to stop writing for more than a minute or two at a time, at least until all the easier questions are done and you are down to the last few tricky ones! ;D
Post by: Crabstickz on July 12, 2017, 10:55:55 pm
Post by: Daniyahasan on July 21, 2017, 12:34:10 pm
do i make sense lol
Post by: RuiAce on July 21, 2017, 12:40:20 pm
see how usually questions have part i,ii,iii to them, that usually leading, requiring you to use the answer of the previous question , so iv heard that if you cant find out the answer to part i, you can just make up the answer and carry on doing iiYes. Of course you can do this - why not?
do i make sense lol
Post by: taylorlucy on October 18, 2017, 10:32:20 pm
Post by: RuiAce on October 18, 2017, 10:43:33 pm
Hi :) I know this is an old thread but I have a question regarding the advice about reading over notes the morning of the exam: given that this year's exam is a 2-5pm exam, what's the best way to prepare the morning before the exam? Because realistically there's plenty of time to revise or even do a practice paper then, but I'm concerned that my (somewhat limited :P) critical thinking skills will be dead and gone by about 2:30 if I'm applying myself all morning? Afternoon exams are such a hassle!Anything that does not involve physically writing down answers to past papers.
Because that is a huge trap. Doing past papers on the morning of an afternoon exam will most certainly wear you out.
Ordinarily, you should not be dealing with past papers altogether. If you insist on touching past papers, the furthest you should go for is just skimming over the easy questions and reading the solutions to the hard ones. If anything, it's better to focus on keeping calm, or if you'd rather be productive then just revising key formulas and methods/techniques to solving problems. Go over anything that doesn't involve questions (e,g, a list of silly mistakes to avoid in the exam) and do not waste brainpower.
Post by: taylorlucy on October 19, 2017, 09:44:16 am
Anything that does not involve physically writing down answers to past papers.
Because that is a huge trap. Doing past papers on the morning of an afternoon exam will most certainly wear you out.
Ordinarily, you should not be dealing with past papers altogether. If you insist on touching past papers, the furthest you should go for is just skimming over the easy questions and reading the solutions to the hard ones. If anything, it's better to focus on keeping calm, or if you'd rather be productive then just revising key formulas and methods/techniques to solving problems. Go over anything that doesn't involve questions (e,g, a list of silly mistakes to avoid in the exam) and do not waste brainpower.
Thank you!!
Post by: key to success on October 20, 2017, 08:36:10 pm
Post by: RuiAce on October 20, 2017, 08:43:54 pm
Hello, just generally, roughly what hsc exam mark would I need to get a band 6?Please consult with the raw marks database for data in the previous years.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 24, 2017, 05:48:41 pm
How do you factorise (8) - (x to the power of three)?
Difference of cubes!
Feel free to ask any other questions here ;D
Post by: key to success on October 24, 2017, 08:50:46 pm
Post by: RuiAce on October 24, 2017, 09:06:05 pm
Hi guys, I did the HSC for acclerated Maths 2u yesterday but don't think I have done well enough to get myself a band 6 (loan repayments question, i screwed up and the last question). The obvious choice in my situation seems to be that I repeat it next year but with my other subjects- Physics, chemistry, economics, extension 1 maths, advanced english and studies of religion, I am not sure whether repeating to have a shot at a better mark would be worth while. By the way, I am aiming for an atar of 99+. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!You can always just sit the assessment tasks in case you do want to repeat, and make a more informed decision after you actually receive your final mark for your performance this year.
When it comes to acceleration, both repeating and not repeating have their own benefits. It depends on your situation as to which path you should take.
Post by: mxrylyn on November 03, 2017, 12:57:29 pm
Post by: RuiAce on November 03, 2017, 01:02:24 pm
My substitute teacher just told me that if I do 4 unit maths, then I don't have to do the 2 unit HSC. Is this true!You will still be taught the content.
But then it becomes assumed knowledge. So yes in that you won’t have to sit the actual assessment tasks.
Post by: mxrylyn on November 03, 2017, 01:35:02 pm
You will still be taught the content.
But then it becomes assumed knowledge. So yes in that you won’t have to sit the actual assessment tasks.
So do my marks get estimated? Can I still do them for fun if I wan to? Do I sit the 2 unit HSC?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on November 03, 2017, 02:32:26 pm
So do my marks get estimated? Can I still do them for fun if I wan to? Do I sit the 2 unit HSC?
Your marks for 2U don't exist anymore, instead:
- You get 2 units worth of your marks from 4U
- You get 2 units worth of your marks from 3U, instead of the typical one
You don't sit your 2U HSC Exam, because you aren't technically doing that course anymore. You graduate out of it. But, you still need the content to do 3U/4U ;D
But I'm sure your school would let you sit 2U assessment tasks for fun if you wanted to, or give you copies after the fact ;D
Post by: CyberScopes on November 03, 2017, 06:26:12 pm
So do my marks get estimated? Can I still do them for fun if I wan to? Do I sit the 2 unit HSC?
Trust me when I say when you reach the HSC, you won't want to do any extra exams for fun ;D
Post by: LochNess Monster on January 19, 2018, 08:56:21 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on January 20, 2018, 11:21:25 am
How did you balance studying for 2u Maths with other core-heavy subjects (eg. Legal)?
Hi! I was always pretty organised and made sure I put work towards all my subjects in a given week - This guide goes through how I set up my study timetable and how I used it to allocate time to different subjects. I think you need to find the right ratio for you - Normally I recommend people spend more time on the subjects they struggle with ;D
Post by: LochNess Monster on January 23, 2018, 09:43:03 pm
Thank you for the quick reply!
Haha...I guess I need to spend LOTS more time on maths then ;P
(So sad...was a past accelerate like key to success .... decided to repeat because didn't get Band 6)
second time round is actually much more relaxing and i'm having fun !
weird. guess the pressure in accelerate wasn't for me. I liked it but couldn't keep up enough cause i'm a slow learner. what a paradox
but super happy with where I am right now.
ONE YEAR LEFT omigoodness. help. let the year be over! now, please!?....
Post by: username2000 on February 26, 2018, 05:20:48 pm
Post by: finn.b14 on February 26, 2018, 06:19:21 pm
Post by: LaraC on March 13, 2018, 10:35:21 pm
I've always been stuck with study for maths as the only thing I can think of to help me is just practice #onrepeat! haha
Post by: BakerDad12 on October 21, 2019, 09:31:33 pm
Thanks for your time!
Post by: eifnweoif on May 20, 2022, 12:49:59 pm
It’s exam day. Two years of hard work and dedication have lead to this moment. Your study notes are crumbled in your pocket… Wait a minute, you didn’t write any. Okay all good, at least you studied… Right?
This is the reality for, you can realistically guess, not an insignificant number of HSC students every October. And you can’t blame them. Two years of consistent work is really difficult, especially for 17-18 year olds. But there are a lot of things that can make it easier, even in this final stretch.
I’ve had a few people come up to me after hearing about my 99.80 ATAR and a score of 96 in both 2 Unit and Extension 1, and call me superhuman. Unnaturally intelligent. Lots of people assumed I woke up at 5am, studied until 12pm, then slept while listening to Band 6 English Essays. Completely untrue. While I consider myself an intelligent person and a hard worker, I don’t think I did anything that anyone else couldn’t do, given the right drive and motivation.
Mathematics was one of my most loved subjects. It made sense. None of this wondering how my creative writing would be interpreted by a marker rubbish. There is a right answer. If you memorise the methods, you can always get that answer. Here are a few of the pieces of advice I give to friends, students I teach, or even just the curious, on how to memorise the methods to the madness and apply it successfully in the HSC.
1. Study Notes
This is probably more for the Year 11’s. One of the biggest questions I get asked, study notes or no? I have a very strong opinion on this one; I say no and this is why.
For content intensive subjects, study notes are a beautiful thing. They summarise key ideas and help memorise facts and figures. Mathematics is not one of those subjects. It is a skill based subject, and as such, time spent towards it should be spent honing your skills! I personally did not keep Mathematics study notes, instead I created formula sheets. Closer to Trials and HSC I turned them into posters and stuck them anywhere blu tac would stick. Trust me, if you have Simpson’s Rule staring at you in the face while getting dressed in the morning, it will stick. Formula sheets like this will jog your memory of old topics quickly, and of course, it is essential you know your formulae, at one count, there were over 120 of them for Extension 1 students.
2. Studying Throughout The Year
Studying throughout the year is much more effective than any lump sessions at the end. It is more effective at creating neural pathways and muscle memories, and is guaranteed to make your July-October much easier the year of your HSC. Aim to do all the questions set by your teacher every week, plus a few extra if you are having trouble with a subject. Do practice exams in the lead up to class tests. Keep it all fresh by continuing to USE the skill.
3. Trials
My biggest piece of advice, do NOT stress about your mark for HSC Trials if it isn’t what you expect. And this goes for any test, really.
My half yearly exam for Extension 1 in Year 12 was a doozy. I remember coming out and feeling the absolute worst I ever had after an exam. My result reflected this, but rather than angering/stressing me, it woke me up. Sometimes, a bad result is the kick you need to shift into high gear, and ride the momentum through HSC. And yes, I believe momentum is a thing. And this is what the benefit of Trials is. If you do well, awesome, ride the momentum, build on that confidence and you’ll be in an awesome spot for HSC. If not, it doesn’t matter, because you have a whole 2 months to build that momentum back again! Trials are your measuring stick, don’t be stressed by them, learn from them.
4. Studying for HSC
Right, let’s get to the good stuff. How do you study for HSC? There is a single way I recommend. Practice. Practice. Practice.
My personal study plan for Mathematics and Extension 1 was to do as many past papers as possible. I bought myself one of the Success One Exam Booklets (they are absolutely fantastic, but every exam is online as well) and started doing a paper every morning. Under exam conditions, timed, the whole shebang. At first it killed me, but you get into a routine, and by the HSC, I had completed every past HSC paper for both 2 unit and extension.
This is like, over 50 papers, and something tremendously difficult to do, and I was blessed with a timetable which allowed me plenty of time to do this. Not everyone is so lucky, but there is a way to cover all the past papers in a very short amount of time:
5. Two Techniques for Efficient, Awesome Studiousness!
The first technique is designed for speed, to expose yourself to as much practice as possible while preventing wasted time. The method is simple. Set yourself up with a past paper, exam conditions, no timer. You are going to flip through the book, but not do the questions. That’s right. Give yourself 15 seconds maximum to look at each question, don’t spend more than 10 minutes reading the whole thing. As you look at a question, think to yourself, do I know how to do that? Have I seen something similar? Do I know the formulae? Be honest with yourself. If the answer is yes, move on. If not, mark it. Then you complete only the marked questions.
This technique relies on being your own harshest critic, and is suited for people wanting to challenge themselves as much as possible. It’s also awesome practice for reading time.
The second technique is better suited to someone struggling with the content. Set yourself a set of past papers. It could be 10, 20, all of them, pick however many you think you’ll get done. Do them under exam conditions, one by one, on a set schedule. Mark them as you go, and jot down the question numbers you get wrong. After they are all done, look at the questions you mixed up. Is there a theme? Revise the areas of issue and now attempt only the marked questions. Is there an improvement?
This technique is awesome for practicing exam technique, and identifying where you need to do extra revision.
These may seem really simple and obvious to many, but it is surprising how many people simply do not know how to study for skill based subjects effectively! Practice makes perfect.
6. The Morning Of: To Read or Not To Read?
There are a variety of very different opinions on studying directly before an exam. It’s majorly a matter of preference, however, I wanted to share an experience I had at uni. I had my first big math exam, and I decided to read over my formula sheets. I noticed a weird little derivation in the bottom of one section. This same derivation proved a major part of a question which would have easily been worth almost 7-8 of my marks. Had I not peeked, they would have been out the window.
Put bluntly, I say read. Don’t practice questions, you’ll work yourself up and tire yourself out. But reading formula sheets is a great way to occupy your mind, boost your confidence, etc. Maths is one of the few subjects for which this works. Then of course there is the other stock standard advice, which I highly support as well. Eat a good breakfast (I had bacon). For the sake of your ATAR, go to the bathroom, you do not want to waste a second during the exam. Also, figure out the best way to relieve stress! I find it best to move around a lot, so I walked 20 minutes to my exams to burn off the excess adrenalin. Others prefer mediation. Find what works best to have you feeling confident. And finally, my biggest piece of advice, and one which normally raises an eyebrow or two… Strut into the room.
I’m not kidding. Walk in there like you have just gotten back from landing on Mars and finding a cure for cancer. You are the most important person in the world. Channel your inner Kardashian, all that stuff. The truth is, the confidence in your body language will translate to your brain, and produce all sorts of awesome hormones and stuff like that. It loosens you up, sort of like why boxers do their moves before a big fight. To stretch of course, but the showboating serves a mental role you’ll be surprised at. Seriously, try it.
7. Exam Tips
I could give countless tips as to how to succeed in a HSC Mathematics Exam. But here are my favourites:Simplest Form?
- Relax. It’s just an exam like every other one you’ve sat.
- Get in the habit of reading the questions twice, even three times. 2 Unit Exams especially are actually designed to be done in 2.5 hours (by the Band 6 students), so you have time to carefully consider what you are reading.
- For graphing questions, make sure the graph is big enough for the examiner to read!
- Request extra booklets as soon as there is even the slightest possibility of needing them. You do not want to have to be sitting waiting for paper when the solution is on the tip of your pen.
- Handwriting in exams can be messy, pay special attention to things like z looking 2, i looking like 1, x looking like that multiplication symbol, etc. Don’t hold yourself up on this, but try to make it as easy for the marker as possible
- Speaking of the marker, it very well could be someone up at 10:30pm with screaming children in the background. They will not do any work for you. Make your work logical, clearly set out. It is almost always infinitely better to attempt all but one question and do it properly, than to rush through the questions to finish.
- Don’t skip steps. Yes, I know, you are Mr Confident, I am too, but swallow your pride just this once. Please?
- You are allowed to request an extra exam book to scribble stuff in, if you need it.
- When looking at questions in groups, remember that the first part is used in the second part 99.9999% of the time.
- Use your reading time effectively! There is a technique to reading time. Your brain, aware of it or not, thinks about questions you have looked at. Making connections, remembering formulas. Your aim is to see the entire paper, so you can identify hard stuff and let your mind stew on it while you tackle the easy stuff. This leads to my next suggestion:
- Do the multiple choice first! This goes back to that momentum thing I was talking about. If you attempt the hard stuff first, and get discouraged, you won’t do your best. MC’s are designed to be easy, and I do them first to give me some energy and get “into” the paper. If you are extremely worried about time, sure, leave them till the end. But otherwise, they are an awesome warmup for things to come. They jog your memory and wake you up.
- Check all your answers with my simple checklist, the SURD Checklist! Of course you should read through your working if you can, but this technique will at least let you make sure your answer has a few of the easy things. It will prevent the sillier mistakes
Units?
Rational Denominator?
Does It Make Sense?
And finally, I want to talk about mark maximisation. There is a MASSIVE difference between maximising correct answers, and maximising marks. Case in point, I have sat down with 2014's HSC Paper: If you just wrote the answer for every question, with no working, even with every answer correct, you would fail. Also, if you gave perfect working, but an incorrect answer, YOU WOULD PASS! . There are lots of things to do to maximise your marks. Show working for every question. In my Trials, I got a tricky induction question in my Ext 1 Exam that I just couldn't crack. I got marks for just writing out the steps and doing some rearranging! I did practically nothing of relevance, but still got half the marks! Golden!
The point being, there will almost definitely be questions you can't do as well as you would hope. This is okay. Practice giving the best solution you can, and in the process, you might just get the answer anyway.
Be sure to register for an account and ask any questions you have below. I'd love to share any extra tips or strategies that I can, or answer anything you have to ask. I would also highly recommend checking out the notes and guides available on this site. I used to love the guides posted on the web, as well as notes, and the notes on this site are the best and most comprehensive I have ever seen. HSC is a collaborative thing!
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