Biology Practice Exam Discussion

[Sine]

Hey,

What do you think 85% would be as a study score seeing this is meant to be a hard exam

Just curious did you get 85% on a particular exam?

If it was a hard exam probably a easy 40 considering your cohort and rank.

This is from a really early VCAA exam, Unit 3 2000.

Just to clarify questions on water balance specifically are not part of the current syllabus.

Anyone?

[cosine]

If it was a hard exam probably a easy 40 considering your cohort and rank.
Anyone?

Water balance is no longer on the study design

[Sine]

Water balance is no longer on the study design

Did you/can you have a look at the previously attached questions from Unit 3 2000. Thanks

[Biology24123]

If it was a hard exam probably a easy 40 considering your cohort and rank.
Anyone?

I've been getting around 85% for most practice exams bit i'm sure VCAA exams are much harder

[cosine]

Did you/can you have a look at the previously attached questions from Unit 3 2000. Thanks

Do you want me to answer them or? The new study design started in 2006, so anything before that in Unit 3, specifically including those questions, is not part of the study design.

[Sine]

Do you want me to answer them or? The new study design started in 2006, so anything before that in Unit 3, specifically including those questions, is not part of the study design.

Nah just verifying that knowledge for those specific questions are not required.

I've been getting around 85% for most practice exams bit i'm sure VCAA exams are much harder

VCAA are much easier IMO than company papers(others may think differently) in VCAA papers most of the marks are easily accessible but their may be a couple of questions that are quite difficult. From the top companies e.g NEAP,STAV,LisaChem there is always a few difficult questions usually near the back-end of the exam which require not only the knowledge but critical thinking.

Have a go at a few VCAA exams and tell us how you go to give you a more accurate prediction.

[Biology24123]

VCAA are much easier IMO than company papers(others may think differently) in VCAA papers most of the marks are easily accessible but their may be a couple of questions that are quite difficult. From the top companies e.g NEAP,STAV,LisaChem there is always a few difficult questions usually near the back-end of the exam which require not only the knowledge but critical thinking.

Have a go at a few VCAA exams and tell us how you go to give you a more accurate prediction.

If that's true then I am surprised. I found STAV and Lisachem to be the easiest companies

[Sine]

If that's true then I am surprised. I found STAV and Lisachem to be the easiest companies

Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.

Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?

Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.

Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
                       My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
                       As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?
Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)
                       I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.

[cosine]

Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.

Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?

Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.

Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
                       My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
                       As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?
Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)
                       I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.

If there was specific information previously given, then I don't see why what you said does not yield the mark. But, next time, don't say non-living, try to say they're non-cellular, has more of an impact on the examiner xD

For the decrease of body temperature, I am pretty sure, not 100% though, that it's not only skeletal muscles. For example, any muscles will contract which will cause friction, and hence increase the internal body temperature.

[Biology24123]

Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.

Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?

Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.

Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
                       My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
                       As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?
Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)
                       I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.

Yeah I somehow lost the word document with all my mistakes.

[Bruzzix]

So far, i've done U3/U4 2006, 2007 and 2008 exams in timed conditions (going forwards). In all honestly, I found 2006 to be the most difficult VCAA paper so far, considering the A+ cut-off was 54/75.

As for commercial papers, i've done none because i've got none (other than exampro). School isn't providing me with anything.

Are you kidding? I did this paper a few months back and aced the multiple choice and only dropped a few marks in the short answer section.

[Biology24123]

Are you kidding? I did this paper a few months back and aced the multiple choice and only dropped a few marks in the short answer section.

It's bloody hard compared to the later ones

[Bruzzix]

Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.

Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?

Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.

Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
                       My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
                       As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?

I wouldn't award you the mark for non-living because it isn't really a characteristic, it's more of a lack thereof. Also, referring to the protein coat as a capsid may show the examiner you have a better understanding than most other students.

Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)
                       I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.

I also wouldn't award the mark for muscles. The reason is because with one word marks, VCAA are usually very picky with their answers (think back to intact skin and beta pleated sheets)

[thushan]

"Non living" is fine I think, although I'd have said non cellular.

And "muscle" is fine too, unless they referred to skeletal and smooth muscle in the question. I wouldn't expect you to think about specifying "skeletal muscle" at this level. This is just my viewpoint though!

[Sine]

Does anyone know the A+ cut-offs for VCAA papers pre-2002. At the back end of the examiners reports there is a graph but no cut-offs.

I read in an extremely old thread that if the A+ cut-off was hypothetically speaking 60/75 thus top ~9-10% once you get to around 62/75 it takes out a huge amount of people moving to top 5-6% Anyone aware of anything like this.(It was for chemistry but it should be the same)

Is their a way to work out how many marks above the A+ cut-off you need to get various scores above 40 or is information from former students the best way to go?

Anyone have an extremely general rule(considering A+ cut-offs have ranged from 54-65/75 for exam score----->Study score for the exams that are out of 75marks

Thanks