ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => Topic started by: acciodraco on September 16, 2013, 01:04:45 am
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Just wondering whether any past students have some advice on what worked for them, what they would have changed, recommendations?
Revising over work and notes, or digging straight into practice exams?
Also, current students, what are you intending to do?
Thanks! :P
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Just wondering whether any past students have some advice on what worked for them, what they would have changed, recommendations?
Revising over work and notes, or digging straight into practice exams?
Also, current students, what are you intending to do?
Thanks! :P
Chillaxing for a couples of days then I'm gonna just smash out practice exams.
But remember, the quality of each practice exam you do (make sure you understand every question, make yourself redo questions if need be) not the quantity.
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Tip #1: For chem/bio, correct your exam the day after you do it. You're less likely to try and "fit" your answer to the one given in the solutions :)
Tip #2: Get 8+ hours sleep per day, errday. No need to restrict sleep, leave that for uni.
Tip #3: Go outside every day. Even if it's just for 15mins around the block. Your body will thank you for it.
Tip #4: Do other things too, study isn't the most exciting thing in the world all the time. Don't feel guilty about watching an episode of Legend of Korra or Suits, feel guilty if it's Home and Away or something like that though :P
Tip #5: Write an essay every second or thrid day, wish I wrote more during the holidays. Don't write the next one until you have feedback on the previous one, and also don't write so much you end up hating life.
:)
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Great advice from previous two posters. I save practise exams for Switvac because I like to try and get the best handle on all the material first before attempting an exam. But that's just me. Do previous tute sheets, any workbook questions, textbook questions, write sample essays (for biol, or any subject that will have an essay component in the exam). Follow up every hint in the lectures 'there might be an exam question on this'.
Umatpi had the best advice: make sure you catch up on sleep and get some exercise/fresh air at least. It is not a myth, or dependant on the person, that you think better after you get the blood flowing and get some air.
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If you haven't finished the course already, then finish it.
Once you've finished the course (and feel as if you have a sufficient grasp on everything, if not go back and revise) then start doing practise exams. You don't have to do ALL of them timed. I did all the commercial papers with all the time I had, and only did the VCAA past exams with timed conditions.
I used to correct my exams and write down all my errors in the logbook immediately after I finished with the exam. That way, I could remember my line of thinking and could explain why it was incorrect. Makes it easier to see why you made the mistake and what gaps you have in your knowledge.
You can also begin writing English practise essays. I think I started writing some on the last week of the September holidays. Make sure you get constructive feedback on all of them though.
Don't dedicate yourself to studying alllll day though (that can wait until SWOTVAC), go and chillax and watch Suits or something
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Someone please explain to me what is SWOTVAC. I must be the only one around here who has not heard that term
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SWOTVAC=Study Without Teaching VACation (I think)
It refers to the no-classes period right before exams
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Ahhh...
So it is not a fun time.
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sleep in
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Ahhh...
So it is not a fun time.
That's subjective, I thoroughly enjoy SWOTVAC.
Studying for 10 hours+ for days on end builds one's character.
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Swot is actually a slang term for studying, people put the acronym into it.
I <3 it. You merely adopted SWOTVAC. I was born in it. Moulded by it. I didn't know results day til I was nearly a man.
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That's subjective, I thoroughly enjoy SWOTVAC.
Studying for 10 hours+ for days on end builds one's character.
+10 to intelligence
-5 to life
Bonus : If "Black Rimmed Glasses" are equipped, enemies are stunned and fear your intelligence level twice as much
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Holy moly that time of the year...I still don't know how the hell I spent 10 hours a day for English
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Swot is actually a slang term for studying, people put the acronym into it.
I <3 it. You merely adopted SWOTVAC. I was born in it. Moulded by it. I didn't know results day til I was nearly a man.
SWOTVAC = Study WithOut Teaching VACation
commonly known as "time to catch up on Suits"
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SWOTVAC = Study WithOut Teaching VACation
I never knew that...
I don't even SWOTVAC :(
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When in doubt, Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swotvac
"Swot" (or less commonly swat) is a dialectic word (Scottish) originally meaning "to sweat", which found use as a slang word describing a student paying careful attention to his work. Swot as a verb suggests acting like a swot, studying for one's exams.
The use of the uncommon and outmoded word 'swot' has led to the backronym Study Week Or Take VACation or Study WithOut Teaching VACation. There are many other different backronyms that can be derived, and the term stuvac (STUdent VACation) is also found.
I remember first hearing the term and thinking it sounded like some kind of vacuum cleaner.
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It's 1AM and thanks to this thread I'm about to start episode 5 of suits. (y)
EDIT: New Legend of Korra eps out too, should get to watching those
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episode 5
The force is weak on this one.
Just throwing it out there-- if you don't pull a ten hour day during SWOTVAC, you're either way too prepared or doing it wrong.
*6 essays in a day bby*
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The force is weak on this one.
I'll have you know I finished season 1 last night/this morning/is there even a difference?
Anyway, back on topic, 6 essays a day? Is that even helpful? (I can see that it may help with writing speed which is something I need to work on) Could you get feedback on that many/do you need feedback before you write another?
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Helpful in a different sense to what you're thinking.
I wrote two pieces per section (I sat two full exams), and it was at a stage in the game where feedback on every single essay wasn't helpful - some essays he wouldn't have much feedback other than "nice work". It was helpful in the sense that it gave me a greater of quantity of work, so a greater chance of doing something that he would offer criticism on.
It was also symbolically helpful, because I knew the real exam was going to be very simple after doing it twice in one day (ended up coming back to bite me, I didnt' get any adrenaline on the real exam which caused me to run out of time, hard). THAT being said, when I DID run out of time, I had one piece to write in thirty minutes, but I knew I was capable of it because I'd already tested myself and won. So it was like "whatever happens, I wrote six essays in a day. ."
Moreover, my teacher promised a 24 hour turn-around on all feedback, so it was like a mega-troll, because he had to mark all of mine and all of my friend's (we handed a lot of essays in at the same time).
ALSO - I had been procrastinating a lot, so in my mind, the large quantity made my lack of writitng okay and kicked me into gear to write more consistently.
+ fun for a challenge.
Edit: The Suits is strong in this one.
(Fun fact; my dp are those six essays)
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What do you think is better to do? Dedicate a day to a subject and follow that routine or allocate a an hour/a few hours to around 2-3 subjects per day?
Also, are you all/did you get straight into practice exams or did you spend some time on just revising unit 3/filling in any missing gaps? I'm not sure if I should just get straight into practice exams and just do the first few open book/with notes, or just spend some time going over content, particularly for content-heavy subjects like legal and HHD..
I was also planning on doing a timed essay every other day.. Do you think that's a good idea or should I just do detailed plans?
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What do you think is better to do? Dedicate a day to a subject and follow that routine or allocate a an hour/a few hours to around 2-3 subjects per day?
I just went with whatever I felt like doing on the day. Routines for study aren't really my thing.
Also, are you all/did you get straight into practice exams or did you spend some time on just revising unit 3/filling in any missing gaps?
I'd finish the course and then jump to exams. Fill in the gaps by doing some questions. Take it easy though.
I was also planning on doing a timed essay every other day.. Do you think that's a good idea or should I just do detailed plans?
Not a big fan of plans tbh, I'd just do essays. A detailed plan, for me, was largely an excuse to not write an essay. A "cop-out", if you will.
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I just went with whatever I felt like doing on the day. Routines for study aren't really my thing.
I'd finish the course and then jump to exams. Fill in the gaps by doing some questions. Take it easy though.
Not a big fan of plans tbh, I'd just do essays. A detailed plan, for me, was largely an excuse to not write an essay. A "cop-out", if you will.
Nah, I need routine haha :P otherwise nothing gets done!
We've already finished the course for all our subjects, so I'm considering it in that sense :)
Thanks! :)
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Rest, sleep, exercise, study; let mind and soul relax to emerge at the conclusion of holidays with the hunger to conquer exams my friend!
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Hey guiis, besides for english when you constantly write a couple of paragraphs per week leading up to the exam, what should i do for other subjects such as further maths, legal studies and business mgmt, just do couple of practice exams per day??, i really have tried this year and dont want to stuff it up right near the end..
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2 questions guys-
1: where can you get good practice exams for the current study designs for subjects? - eg with em for psych i cant find any that are for this years study design
2: for subjects like psych where you need to really know how the textbook defines something, should i re go back over all my notes, or jump straight into exams ?
cheers
WOOT PUMPED FIRST 3/4 EXAM
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I'll probably just make it up as I go along. But the main idea is: do a lot of practice exams and learn from my mistakes. I guess it's easier for me since I'm only doing 2 subjects, but there's still a lot of material to cover.
That and relax. Don't overwork yourself.
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I think plans are a brilliant method of revision used in conjunction with essay writing. Vas, for your goals, I'd write an essay every day. (Sorry, I should say, plans for text reaponse is great, plans for expos essay, maybe, I wouldn't know, but don't bother for LA)
Text response brainstorming is great. Should take longer than writing an essay. Hits the ideas and textual knowledge criteria pretty well if you do it right.
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Have a balance between study and relaxing. For example, I'm spending 10 days in Central Australia, where I will be completely switched off from all technology and everything so I can completely recharge and take in the beauty of the outback. And then ill come back and still have one week to revise for my 3/4 before term 4 starts :)
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Im just gonna finish off all the extra revision material I have and then just do practice exams.
Ill Try keep a good balance between study:anime:sleep. Considering making a daily achievement list, of everything I want to do that day. I think it will keep me motivated for the day.
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Considering making a daily achievement list, of everything I want to do that day.
I've been doing this the past few weekend days, and I rate my productiveness out of 10 at the end of the day. Not 10/10 for working non-stop all day but 10/10 for working when I say I'm going to work and not procrastinating when it's study time. Has been pretty good so far.
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I've been doing this the past few weekend days, and I rate my productiveness out of 10 at the end of the day. Not 10/10 for working non-stop all day but 10/10 for working when I say I'm going to work and not procrastinating when it's study time. Has been pretty good so far.
Rating productivity seems like a good way to evaluate yourself. I usually evaluate myself on how many hours I studied in the day less procastination in between.
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SWOTVAC = Study WithOut Teaching VACation
commonly known as "time to catch up on Suits"
There is two acronyms for SWOTVAC, the other one is study week or take vacation lololol
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GO CRAZY ON PRACTICE PAPERS! At our school, we basically completed all the the course, just a few sacs left (No more learning new stuff, WOOT!) Yeah, the more practice papers you do the better, make sure you correct your mistakes cause that's the only way your going to progress. I'm just gonna keep doing practice papers everyday for 2 weeks (My life is exciting -.-), and when school starts on October, I'll be more confident and prepared. And 3 more weeks of more practice exams until exam starts, and then FREEDOM!!! Make a timetable and stay organized for now
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do you think having a weekly gym membership for the holidays would be effective, or would it be better to just study , relax, study , relax, study , sleep?
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Weekly gym membership for 2 weeks?
I mean, if you want...
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a gym in my area bulleen, charges 9$ a week, pretty cheap and something to get away from exam prep, but idk if it may take too much time to catch a bus there and back.
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a gym in my area bulleen, charges 9$ a week, pretty cheap and something to get away from exam prep, but idk if it may take too much time to catch a bus there and back.
What the... That's way cheaper than most gyms lol, especially considering that you're only paying per week, not monthly/annually.
But a heap of my friends are still going to the gym, if you think about it, the time we use on Facebook/ATARnotes could be spent studying/doing so many other things, but it's my preferred way of 'relaxation' haha
I reckon you should unless it takes something ridiculous like an hour to get to.
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HAHAAHHA that is soo truee, i can honestly say this year ATARNOTES has become the new facebook for me.
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I go to gym three times a week minimum, (and I have stayed up to 6am to finish an assignment just so I didn't have to skip gym); I find it ridiculously helpful.
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LOLS brendo u getting ready for stereo or something??, btw didnt zyzz teach you to have 8 hours plus sleep a night?? DAT DERE HORMONE RELEASE
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Can we please keep this on-topic?
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Pi, im unsure if this was you, but did you say in a previous thread, you sat the exam thinking you were going to do one book, however saw the prompt and decided to do another book as the prompt sucked for that one?? im sorry if this was not you but,
im going to go over twelve angry men for the exam and not worry about interpreter of maladies, however if i go into the exam and see the prompt on twelve angry men is crap in other words too hard for me, am i going to start pulling out my hair or would that be impossible if i actually do alot of writing on a variety of prompts for 12AM
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Pi, im unsure if this was you, but did you say in a previous thread, you sat the exam thinking you were going to do one book, however saw the prompt and decided to do another book as the prompt sucked for that one?? im sorry if this was not you but,
im going to go over twelve angry men for the exam and not worry about interpreter of maladies, however if i go into the exam and see the prompt on twelve angry men is crap in other words too hard for me, am i going to start pulling out my hair or would that be impossible if i actually do alot of writing on a variety of prompts for 12AM
That was me! Personally I think it's good to have at least /some/ idea about the other book, enough to write a decent essay (for me that was a 7/10). Not too hard to cram 15-20 quotes (if that's how you want to learn them - not that I recommend learning quotes that way) and have a basic idea of themes and characters :)