ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Biology => Topic started by: homeworkisapotato on August 23, 2020, 04:34:08 pm
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Hi AN!
I'm planning to start exam revision next week but I'm not sure what method to follow. I'm planning to do:
1. Quick revision of content learnt over the year by completing chapter questions
2. Take 2019 exam under timed conditions. Mark it, find where I lost the marks, work on those weaknesses
I know it sounds kinda dumb but I don't know what to do after that... can you please help me?
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Not an expert since I haven't started preparing for Bio exam yet either but I'm planning to make some Quizlets to remember the basic content, do some Biozone worksheets that are relevant, Checkpoints and ATARNotes Topic Tests. Then I'm gonna start hitting the Practice exams.
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Hey Homeworkisapotato,
I think that is a wonderful plan. However, if you have finished all (or most of) the content, try completing an exam do identify your strong and weak points. This will help with focusing on things you might be a bit iffy about. But also....
study, test and REPEAT
would be the best way to approach relearning or revising the content. Also makes sure you do some exam styled questions to understand what VCAA is asking for in the exam.
Hope this helps :)
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Revise the content and make summaries for each topic. You can also draw some diagrams to help you understand concepts. Do lots of practice exams or other exam style questions or atar notes topic tests and do some under exam conditions and highlight what you got wrong and also go back over the questions you get wrong.
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Hi AN!
I'm planning to start exam revision next week but I'm not sure what method to follow. I'm planning to do:
1. Quick revision of content learnt over the year by completing chapter questions
2. Take 2019 exam under timed conditions. Mark it, find where I lost the marks, work on those weaknesses
I know it sounds kinda dumb but I don't know what to do after that... can you please help me?
Hey homeworkisapotato! :D
Great question!
What you have listed there is a good solid start of your revision.
Definitely focus on what your weaknesses are in Biology, but don't neglect the other parts of the course as well. I would recommend completing as many past questions as you can, as this exposure to different ways the examiners could ask questions will expand your perception on how to answer certain types of questions, for the real thing. Moreover, when you are writing answers to these questions, it is most likely to stay in your head longer (because you are using different parts of the brain to process what you are writing).
I don't know when your exam is, but if it is in a few weeks, you can take advantage of your long term memory retention. This process is known as the Ebbinghaus-Forgetting Curve and basically means to review content regularly at certain intervals over time to retain as much information in your head as possible. This is illustrated below:
(https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-0/p280x280/69465871_732832040496572_8771075464774025216_n.png?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=ae9488&_nc_ohc=JS6dcflaHmQAX_jjxs9&_nc_ht=scontent-syd2-1.xx&oh=778b559d0fa1f82733d095b5f52e408e&oe=5F68B2C3)
Biology is all about key terminology, so in addition to what you have suggested you will do for revision, I would advise that you have a list of all of the relevant key terms of the modules. Also, you can practice using these words in practice responses, making your answer more "sophisticated".
Lastly, the repetition of concepts is key for a greater understanding
I hope this helps and good luck with your study!
Coolmate 8)
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Hey Hey!
Just gonna give my brief 2cents.
1. document the study design dot points that correspond to the questions you are getting wrong
2. correct them and then get someone else to correct them. also BE HARSH in your marking.
3. use the examiner's report - you'll find some good hints on how to answer certain questions
4. use the Leitner system or spaced repitition
Review material, test yourself and correct and revise.
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Hi AN!
I'm planning to start exam revision next week but I'm not sure what method to follow. I'm planning to do:
1. Quick revision of content learnt over the year by completing chapter questions
2. Take 2019 exam under timed conditions. Mark it, find where I lost the marks, work on those weaknesses
I know it sounds kinda dumb but I don't know what to do after that... can you please help me?
Practice exams. Whilst quantity is important it is also important that you are learning from each exam so once you have completed the exam if there is any questions you didn't know how to do go back to those topics and study that. If you want you can also take note of the types of questions you don't know how to do and see if there is a particular topic that keeps coming up or type of question you are not good at answering.
Why do you want to do the 2019 exam so early? I would be saving it until closer to the exam and you have had a lot more practice with other exams.
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Thank you so much guys! Seriously, I have a much better understanding of what to do!
Why do you want to do the 2019 exam so early? I would be saving it until closer to the exam and you have had a lot more practice with other exams.
I wanted to use it as a self diagnostic but your idea makes more sense. What do you think my order for practice exams should be?
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I wanted to use it as a self diagnostic but your idea makes more sense. What do you think my order for practice exams should be?
I agree with Sine, best to save the 2017, 2018 and 2019 VCAA exams for a bit closer to the exam date. I'd recommend doing them once you've done the bulk of your study and other exam prep (maybe about 3/2 weeks until the exam depending on how ready you are? Obviously this is personal preference, but considering it's your only 3/4 you only need to worry about one subject). Try and do these 3 VCAA ones under full timed conditions and pretend that they are the actual exam (so only AFTER you've done heaps of other study and practice exams). This way the actual exam won't feel as daunting.
Personally I started with the company exams I had available and the 2013-2016 VCAA exams. I know other people have different preferences, but if you are planning on doing a heap of exams you don't have to do them all under full exam conditions (as this is not always possible) just make sure you are doing the last three VCAA ones and some of the better company exams under time. As Sine said, really make sure you look at the mistakes you are making and what type of questions you are losing marks on (I'd suggest creating a document to file all the key mistakes you are seeing across your practice exams).
Marking your practice exams is really important (just as important as actually doing the practice exam) but don't feel the need to mark straight away. In fact, I'd suggest correcting it a day or two after you've completed it as this will allow you to better see the mistakes you are making. When marking, highlight the KEY information that is getting you the mark (eg. on the VCAA exam report it might have three dot points that will get you the three marks. Even if you got these 3 marks in your response, highlight these key words/phrases so that you know what you are getting marks for when you come back to review the exams). Hope that makes sense :)
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Thank you Choco!! Studying for the exams seems a lot less daunting now!
What external company exams did you use? I have the NEAP full exams (about 12) and a lot of topic tests sent by my teacher. Do you suggest I buy more?
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Thank you Choco!! Studying for the exams seems a lot less daunting now!
What external company exams did you use? I have the NEAP full exams (about 12) and a lot of topic tests sent by my teacher. Do you suggest I buy more?
Personally I liked NEAP, Insight and Aced (I did some other ones too but they weren’t as good). Honestly, 12 external plus VCAA 2013-19 is probably enough to get you started. My school actually purchased commercial exams for our use so you could check if your school has done the same?
Good luck with the studying!
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Thank you so much! Good luck with the rest of your subjects!
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Thank you Choco!! Studying for the exams seems a lot less daunting now!
What external company exams did you use? I have the NEAP full exams (about 12) and a lot of topic tests sent by my teacher. Do you suggest I buy more?
NEAP are probably the best or STAV but they are a bit harder than VCAA ones. I don't reckon you need to buy more cause you've got the neap ones but also VCAA ones and NHT ones :)
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hey !! just to reiterate what others have said, and from my own experience, I would probably start with doing topic summaries, and then go into doing practice exams. Everyone is different, but I personally found it easier to make sure that I had a really thorough and solid understand of ALL the content first, before I started doing exams. I'd save the exams that are most recent (2019, 2018 etc...) towards closer to your exam date though. Although people say its quality or over quantity, I fully believe that it was doing all those practice exams that pulled me through in the end (my hand was literally crippled by exam week.) Goodluck !! <33
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Thank you so much emonerd!
Do you recommend doing the 2013-2016 exams as the first exams or closer to the exam date?
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Hey everyone
So I've got a few resources here such as ATARNotes Topic Tests, Checkpoints, Decode(Basically Exampro) and Practice exams.
Which ones are the ''better'' ones given the limited time frame (Just over 2 months) to prepare as well as 4 other 3/4 Subjects?
Also past bio kids, how many prac exams did you do in total roughly?
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Hi!
I was sooo bad at bio, but I managed to do surprisingly well, here are my tips.
1. Lisachem and TSSM, STAV are harder papers, tackle obscure topics. I found these useful for refining small details in the course.
2. NEAP is on the easier side, good to start with as it ensures your basics are covered.
3. VCAA papers should definitely be done closer to the exam, however, don't forget to do the sample Qs! (it isn't an exam but a very useful resource)
4. Create a document/ book with all your bio mistakes. Try to review this daily. You will find there are patterns in your errors and it'll help you get a grasp of the smaller nitty-gritty information.
5. NOTE: company paper solutions are dodgy, always consult your teacher if you are confused.
6. It is not too late! Now is the perfect time to pump out the bio papers. Try to review a chapter a day or two in the lead up to the exam to ensure the content is constantly fresh in your head.
Hope this helped
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Hi!
I was sooo bad at bio, but I managed to do surprisingly well, here are my tips.
1. Lisachem and TSSM, STAV are harder papers, tackle obscure topics. I found these useful for refining small details in the course.
2. NEAP is on the easier side, good to start with as it ensures your basics are covered.
3. VCAA papers should definitely be done closer to the exam, however, don't forget to do the sample Qs! (it isn't an exam but a very useful resource)
4. Create a document/ book with all your bio mistakes. Try to review this daily. You will find there are patterns in your errors and it'll help you get a grasp of the smaller nitty-gritty information.
5. NOTE: company paper solutions are dodgy, always consult your teacher if you are confused.
6. It is not too late! Now is the perfect time to pump out the bio papers. Try to review a chapter a day or two in the lead up to the exam to ensure the content is constantly fresh in your head.
Hope this helped
Ah okay thanks! Would doing things like Checkpoints and ATARNotes Topic Tests be useless at this point in time and how many prac exams did you do?
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Ah okay thanks! Would doing things like Checkpoints and ATARNotes Topic Tests be useless at this point in time and how many prac exams did you do?
Hey there ThunderDragon,
ATARNotes Topic tests and Checkpoints can still be quite beneficial at this time. With checkpoints especially, they reuse VCAA questions which can help you understand how questions are asked in the exam as well as solidify content. Personally, I just received my first ATARNotes Topic Tests book (for psych though), but they seem pretty good for practising how to structure short answer questions as well as helping to revise information.
Hope this helps :)
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Hey ThunderDragon,
Ah okay thanks! Would doing things like Checkpoints and ATARNotes Topic Tests be useless at this point in time and how many prac exams did you do?
Just going to jump in here. I would suggest using them to refine certain topics that you struggle with or if you are doing a study session on a certain area. Since Checkpoints is just a repeat of the VCAA Qs you will probably see in the practice exams you do, I wouldn't use them unless you wanted to specifically work on a topic and do Qs tailed to that area (just my opinion though, different things work for different people ;D). I haven't used ATAR topic tests before so I'm not too sure what they're like but ultimately, no revision is useless! Just make sure you are doing enough VCAA and company practice exams (and thoroughly marking such exams) as a priority in your revision.
I managed around 20 practice exams, although quality over quantity (you still have plenty of time to revise content and refine answers so I wouldn't stress out too much yet)
All the best :) CM
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I didn't have access to ATAR notes or checkpoints, but my school provided me exam qs (from the 90s) of each topic in bio in booklets so I did them instead. However, I do think ATAR notes/checkpoints are similar.
I did around 40ish practice exams, but don't let this number daunt you. I think its definitely quality over quantity.
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I managed around 20 practice exams, although quality over quantity (you still have plenty of time to revise content and refine answers so I wouldn't stress out too much yet)
All the best :) CM
I did around 40ish practice exams, but don't let this number daunt you. I think its definitely quality over quantity.
100% agree. You'd rather do 15 practice exams but do them mindfully (as in marking and logging your mistakes, figuring out why you got them wrong, figuring out gaps in your knowledge, figuring out what you can do better in terms of answers etc) than doing 40+ just for the sake of doing them. I know friends who've done the latter for biology and did HEAPS of practice exams like you wouldn't believe and end up with high 30s. Albeit, not in any way a bad score, but the number of practice exams does not correlate to high study scores.
All the best :)
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Thanks for all the really helpful advice everyone!
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Hey everyone
So I've got a few resources here such as ATARNotes Topic Tests, Checkpoints, Decode(Basically Exampro) and Practice exams.
Which ones are the ''better'' ones given the limited time frame (Just over 2 months) to prepare as well as 4 other 3/4 Subjects?
Also past bio kids, how many prac exams did you do in total roughly?
last year i did like 1 paper and no checkpoints and got a 27
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Ah okay thanks! Would doing things like Checkpoints and ATARNotes Topic Tests be useless at this point in time and how many prac exams did you do?
Do as many practice exams as you can whilst also keeping in mind you need to be learning from every single practice exam. It would be useful to have some sort of routine you go through with for each exam. E.g. complete the exam -> mark the exam -> note down what gaps of knowledge you have or what sort of "silly" mistakes you make -> revise any gaps.
The number of practice exams probably does have some sort of mild correlation with one's study score. Obviously not a perfect correlation, there will be outliers where people do 50+ exams and get an average score whilst others do 0-1 and pull a 50.
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Thank you so much emonerd!
Do you recommend doing the 2013-2016 exams as the first exams or closer to the exam date?
From memory, I think it's fine if you want to do them now. At my school, they supplied us with trial exam booklets (like a huge book filled with assorted practice papers from commercial companies) so I think I tried to smash out all the NEAP, lisachem ones out first, then moved into doing VCAA. I consistently did checkpoint questions all throughout the year though, so I still had a feel for what kind of questions VCAA typically ask in the exam, and youll find that sometimes the questions in neap and other commercial companies are worded really badly, so just something to be weary about! So to answer your question, it wouldnt be a bad idea to start 2013-2016 now and leave the rest for the couple of weeks leading up to the exam, but it is really up to you. The most important thing is that you need to reflect and note your mistakes at the end of each exam, to ensure that you're improving and making the most out of your study time :)
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Wow homeworkisapotatoe your thread has really blown up and its so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi guys!! I need some bio related advice. In practise exams I extensivley review them but my mistakes are not from huge gaps in knowledge its more things like this.....so do I just do another exam? Because for example in chem during an exam I struggled with electrolysis and fuel cells so I went back to textbook, and checkpoints and made posters on these concept before doing another exam (which I still have yet to do] what do you do if you are at a level where you feel confident? I have also done a TSSM, NEAp and old (twenty 11] VCAA.
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Wow homeworkisapotatoe your thread has really blown up and its so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi guys!! I need some bio related advice. In practise exams I extensivley review them but my mistakes are not from huge gaps in knowledge its more things like this.....so do I just do another exam? Because for example in chem during an exam I struggled with electrolysis and fuel cells so I went back to textbook, and checkpoints and made posters on these concept before doing another exam (which I still have yet to do] what do you do if you are at a level where you feel confident? I have also done a TSSM, NEAp and old (twenty 11] VCAA.
just keep doing exams imo
Biology is not a subject in which you can learn everything and also marked quite harshly so whatever practice you get will allow you to learn some new things as well as make you better at expressing answers.
Also what types of mistakes were you referring to? and How many exams have you done so far?
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just keep doing exams imo
Biology is not a subject in which you can learn everything and also marked quite harshly so whatever practice you get will allow you to learn some new things as well as make you better at expressing answers.
Also what types of mistakes were you referring to? and How many exams have you done so far?
This is my third and I’d like to keep going but I’m wary of the “don’t spam exams it’s better to learn from mistakes”. Mistakes as in I know what it is I just haven’t written down EVERY single word I was thinking. It’s not like I didn’t know or am not comfortable with content. Also it’s like I’m not reading the questions Mistakes like that silly errors.
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This is my third and I’d like to keep going but I’m wary of the “don’t spam exams it’s better to learn from mistakes”. Mistakes as in I know what it is I just haven’t written down EVERY single word I was thinking. It’s not like I didn’t know or am not comfortable with content. Also it’s like I’m not reading the questions Mistakes like that silly errors.
I'd say that this is an indication that you should continue to do practice exams (since you thoroughly know the content it's now about refining expression in order to minimise lost marks as well as learn how to approach stranger questions within the time limits). I think the "don't spam practice exams" is important advice for students who think doing a tonne of low quality practice exams will automatically get them a good score. However, you seem to be reflecting on your mistakes well so continuing to do practice exams is probably the best way forward!
I'm sure you already are doing this but make sure you are keeping a document of your common mistakes. I sorted mine into different topics which was also really useful when I was returning to them for revision. That's another thing, continue reviewing your practice exams up until the exam. (I think about a week before my exam last year I reviewed all the practice exams I'd done as well as all the mistakes that I'd made in them).
Also, don't beat yourself up about small mistakes! Everyone makes dumb mistakes and it is possible to do really well in biology even if you make them in the actual exam. And no I'm not just saying that. Last year, I got the easiest question wrong on my bio exam. It literally asked for the inputs of photosynthesis and under the pressure (yes, let's blame it on the pressure), I wrote the outputs instead. I was furious with myself after that (pretty much the whole state got this question right) but because I knew all the other content really well and had good expression, the silly mark ended up not meaning much and I still got Premier's. Anyway, where I'm going with this is that don't let stupid mistakes ruin your confidence, but use them to make you motivated. If you make a mistake in practice, try to look at it as a glass half full as now you are a lot less likely to make it in the actual exam (eg. I think if I'd got the inputs of photosynthesis wrong before, I'd have been more careful in my exam. But because I'd never ever made this mistake before, I wasn't expecting it).
This is my third and I’d like to keep going but I’m wary of the “don’t spam exams it’s better to learn from mistakes”. Mistakes as in I know what it is I just haven’t written down EVERY single word I was thinking. It’s not like I didn’t know or am not comfortable with content. Also it’s like I’m not reading the questions Mistakes like that silly errors.
Biology expression will take a while to develop and you still have two whole months till the exam to refine it, so please don't worry too much! I think I wrote this on this thread already but just to emphasise, highlight all the key words that are getting you the marks when you correct your practice exams. I found that this was something that helped improve my expression.
In summary, continue doing practice exams, revising the mistakes you make and if you do realise there are gaps in your knowledge, sit down and study it separately using the techniques that work best for you. Also, just wanted to add, the fact that you already feel confident in the content is absolutely fantastic and you should be proud of yourself for that 8)
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From memory, I think it's fine if you want to do them now. At my school, they supplied us with trial exam booklets (like a huge book filled with assorted practice papers from commercial companies) so I think I tried to smash out all the NEAP, lisachem ones out first, then moved into doing VCAA. I consistently did checkpoint questions all throughout the year though, so I still had a feel for what kind of questions VCAA typically ask in the exam, and youll find that sometimes the questions in neap and other commercial companies are worded really badly, so just something to be weary about! So to answer your question, it wouldnt be a bad idea to start 2013-2016 now and leave the rest for the couple of weeks leading up to the exam, but it is really up to you. The most important thing is that you need to reflect and note your mistakes at the end of each exam, to ensure that you're improving and making the most out of your study time :)
Thank you emonerd! I'll follow what you did and do the company papers first, so I can perfect my biology expression, and then expose myself to VCAA questions. I've made a document for all of my mistakes to which I'm adding the questions, the recommended answer, and then my incorrect answer so I can read it over every day and understand what to AND not to do. Does that sound like a good idea?
Wow homeworkisapotatoe your thread has really blown up and its so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BAHAHA I did not see this coming at all! I'm so happy that everyone is finding it useful!
Thank you so much everyone who has contributed to this thread, you guys have helped a lot of us Bio students <3333
I've finished revising Bio content and I did my first exam today (VCAA 2017 exam), marked it really harshly, and got 69% smh. Not to be a downer in such a positive thread but is it normal to do this bad in your first exam?
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I've finished revising Bio content and I did my first exam today (VCAA 2017 exam), marked it really harshly, and got 69% smh. Not to be a downer in such a positive thread but is it normal to do this bad in your first exam?
That's fine! On my first exam last year (not bio) I got low 70s. It's demotivating but just keep on going and you'll see improvements. There's no use doing exceptionally well on your first practice exams - the point is you do bad on them, learn from those mistakes and implement what you've learnt in subsequent practices.
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That's fine! On my first exam last year (not bio) I got low 70s. It's demotivating but just keep on going and you'll see improvements. There's no use doing exceptionally well on your first practice exams - the point is you do bad on them, learn from those mistakes and implement what you've learnt in subsequent practices.
That's so true! Thank you so much whys <33
I'm planning to do my prac exams in this order:
Engage (5)
Kilbaha (2)
QATs (2)
A+ Biol (12)
Access
TSFX
TSSM (2)
Lisachem
STAV
Insight (2)
Aced (3)
Neap (6)
VCAA (2013-2016)
NHT (1/2)
VCAA sample examination and any online questions
VCAA 2018 and 2019
Do you guys think I should change the order of my exams?
I'll use AN resources, NEAP question bank, and topic tests from external companies to fix any weaknesses. How many exams per week do you guys think I should average until Term 4?
Thank you so much!!
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That's so true! Thank you so much whys <33
I'm planning to do my prac exams in this order:
Engage (5)
Kilbaha (2)
QATs (2)
A+ Biol (12)
Access
TSFX
TSSM (2)
Lisachem
STAV
Insight (2)
Aced (3)
Neap (6)
VCAA (2013-2016)
VCAA sample examination and any online questions
VCAA 2018 and 2019
Do you guys think I should change the order of my exams?
I'll use AN resources, NEAP question bank, and topic tests from external companies to fix any weaknesses. How many exams per week do you guys think I should average until Term 4?
Thank you so much!!
From what I calculated that's like 44 Exams! Make sure you place your main focus on the VCAA exams as at the end of the day these are the official exams. Since, there is about 2 months make sure you plan your time so you get all VCAA exams done. Don't forget the NHT exams (2017 is from old study design, but 2018 from current study design). Quality>Quantity. I am doing Bio this year as well, so personally I started with VCAA exams.
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From what I calculated that's like 44 Exams! Make sure you place your main focus on the VCAA exams as at the end of the day these are the official exams. Since, there is about 2 months make sure you plan your time so you get all VCAA exams done. Don't forget the NHT exams (2017 is from old study design, but 2018 from current study design). Quality>Quantity. I am doing Bio this year as well, so personally I started with VCAA exams.
Oh yes, I forgot to put the NHT in that list! I'll edit that in now :)
Listening to your advice, I'll space two to three weeks before the exam just for VCAA exams to give them some love. You're very right about the main focus being VCAA exams and thanks for clarifying about the 2017 NHT being the old study design as I was confused about that! Thank you for your input ;D
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Are you planning on doing any of the VCAA exams pre-2013.
I've finished revising Bio content and I did my first exam today (VCAA 2017 exam), marked it really harshly, and got 69% smh. Not to be a downer in such a positive thread but is it normal to do this bad in your first exam?
As whys has suggested I don't expect anyone to do tremendously well on their first practice exam. Honestly, 69% is a very good score for a first exam. Remember that Biology is unlike most subjects where you can drop quite a few marks and still end up with a really high study score. You also have plenty of time to improve. Just keeping doing more exams and make sure you learn from each one.
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Do you guys think I should change the order of my exams?
I'll use AN resources, NEAP question bank, and topic tests from external companies to fix any weaknesses. How many exams per week do you guys think I should average until Term 4?
I'd recommend against doing ones from the same company all in a row. For example, rather than doing all the ACEDs ones and all the NEAP ones and then VCAA, do one NEAP, then a VCAA then an insight, etc - you get the point.
Also, I'd probably start with the VCAA 2013-16 mixed in with the company exams (so you start getting used to VCAA style earlier) but that's just my opinion. Keep the VCAA 2018-19 ones at the end though!
As Smartworker noted, that is quite a lot of exams (which is great if you have time to thoroughly mark them and go through your mistakes) but just be careful not to burn yourself out. Given there is about 8 weeks to the exams, to do 44 practice exams you'd have to do about 5-6 practice exams a week, which is probably a little too many. If each exam takes you 2.75 hrs + about an hour to mark and go through mistakes...then you see where I'm going, you might not have time to fix weaknesses or might get a little tired. I'm not saying don't aim high but just be careful because you do not want to run out of time to do the VCAA ones! Given that it is your only year 12 subject, I'd probably aim for about 3-4 a week, depending on how much you are doing with your other subjects, etc. Although different things work for everyone (if you have the time/energy to do more, go for it!). Towards the end (maybe about a week before the exam) I wouldn't do too many as there will reach a point where you'll plateau a little and it's best to save your energy for the actual exam (and just revise past mistakes/go over weaknesses).
Personally I didn't really like the A+ Bio exams (I did one but found it wasn't very useful and the questions were a little too basic, that being said it could have just been the one I did) and the TSFX ones were also not that useful so you could cut those ones out.
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When I am doing the VCAA exams I usually finish it in ~2 hours (this includes reading time), so my question is at what point did you aim to finish your exam and how long review time would you leave. I am asking this cause I am often too lazy :P to sit and review the practice exam until all of the ~3 hours runs out. Thank you :)
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When I am doing the VCAA exams I usually finish it in ~2 hours (this includes reading time), so my question is at what point did you aim to finish your exam and how long review time would you leave. I am asking this cause I am often too lazy :P to sit and review the practice exam until all of the ~3 hours runs out. Thank you :)
I admit for my first practice exams I was too lazy to go to the full 2 and a half hours if I finished earlier and tended not to spend time reviewing my answers and would just mark the exam. Although, this is good for saving time and at the start of practice, nearing the exam (when you start to do the later VCAA ones under full exam conditions) I would practice reviewing questions. I probably did in total about 7/8 practice exams (out of the 20 I did) under full time conditions where I went back and rechecked my answers at the end before marking.
Another really good habit to get into, regardless of whether you decide to review your responses, is to always star a multiple choice if you are unsure and quickly move on. It is very unlikely that you'll have time to check all your multiple choice (I certainly didn't) so I found having a few questions starred that I could easily double check at the end was handy.
Something else you should probably know is that the actual exam is likely to take longer than your practice exams. I remember that in my exam I really made sure I had good expression/was addressing question/had all key terms (in ER) and consequently I was quite a bit slower than I had planned to be. Just something to consider (then again, someone might go the other way too and work faster under pressure, although I'd advise against this as it is likely to create more errors). Just make sure a couple of weeks before the exam you have a timing plan and that you have at least practiced this plan a couple of times. Eg. I spent the first 20 seconds of writing time flipping through my exam and writing a time (after every 20 marks I think) for when I should be up to that part of the exam.
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Remember that Biology is unlike most subjects where you can drop quite a few marks and still end up with a really high study score.
Are you saying in bio you can drop heaps of marks and get a high ss or in other subjects you can do this but in bio you can’t?
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Thank you emonerd! I'll follow what you did and do the company papers first, so I can perfect my biology expression, and then expose myself to VCAA questions. I've made a document for all of my mistakes to which I'm adding the questions, the recommended answer, and then my incorrect answer so I can read it over every day and understand what to AND not to do. Does that sound like a good idea?
BAHAHA I did not see this coming at all! I'm so happy that everyone is finding it useful!
Thank you so much everyone who has contributed to this thread, you guys have helped a lot of us Bio students <3333
I've finished revising Bio content and I did my first exam today (VCAA 2017 exam), marked it really harshly, and got 69% smh. Not to be a downer in such a positive thread but is it normal to do this bad in your first exam?
You're very welcome! It sounds like a good plan to me! and don't worry about getting 69% on your first couple of exams- thats totally fine, a good score actually! Have a look at the grading distributions for VCAA exams; I always thought that to get 45+ you had to get like 100% on the exam (not true lol) If i'm honest, the last couple of exams I did before the actual bio exam, I was scoring like 89% each time, so don't dwell too much on your overall mark, just make sure you're making the most out of each one in terms of knowing your weaknesses, your strengths etc..
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Are you saying in bio you can drop heaps of marks and get a high ss or in other subjects you can do this but in bio you can’t?
sorry for the confusion, in bio you CAN drop a few marks and get still a high ss.
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Are you planning on doing any of the VCAA exams pre-2013.
As whys has suggested I don't expect anyone to do tremendously well on their first practice exam. Honestly, 69% is a very good score for a first exam. Remember that Biology is unlike most subjects where you can drop quite a few marks and still end up with a really high study score. You also have plenty of time to improve. Just keeping doing more exams and make sure you learn from each one.
I was planning just to pepper them here and there because some of them are quite outdated. Thank you so much for the encouragement and input!!
As Smartworker noted, that is quite a lot of exams (which is great if you have time to thoroughly mark them and go through your mistakes) but just be careful not to burn yourself out. Given there is about 8 weeks to the exams, to do 44 practice exams you'd have to do about 5-6 practice exams a week, which is probably a little too many. If each exam takes you 2.75 hrs + about an hour to mark and go through mistakes...then you see where I'm going, you might not have time to fix weaknesses or might get a little tired. I'm not saying don't aim high but just be careful because you do not want to run out of time to do the VCAA ones! Given that it is your only year 12 subject, I'd probably aim for about 3-4 a week, depending on how much you are doing with your other subjects, etc. Although different things work for everyone (if you have the time/energy to do more, go for it!). Towards the end (maybe about a week before the exam) I wouldn't do too many as there will reach a point where you'll plateau a little and it's best to save your energy for the actual exam (and just revise past mistakes/go over weaknesses).
Thank you so much! Your advice about not stuffing too many exams in because it may take time away from honing weaknesses makes perfect sense. Do you think doing the NEAP question banks for practicing weaknesses is effective?
Personally I didn't really like the A+ Bio exams (I did one but found it wasn't very useful and the questions were a little too basic, that being said it could have just been the one I did) and the TSFX ones were also not that useful so you could cut those ones out.
Thank you for letting me know, I'll cut out TSFX. My dad had bought the A+ exams without checking their quality ahaha so I feel kind of obligated to do them. That being said, if the ones I have seem basic then I'll use them to perfect my Biology expression which is a bit wonky atm.
Just make sure a couple of weeks before the exam you have a timing plan and that you have at least practiced this plan a couple of times. Eg. I spent the first 20 seconds of writing time flipping through my exam and writing a time (after every 20 marks I think) for when I should be up to that part of the exam.
This is so smart! How many minutes did u spend for every 20 marks? Hats off for getting that 50, I've read your guide like one million times!
I'd recommend against doing ones from the same company all in a row.
Thank you! I've made some changes to my schedule following your advice. It would be amazing if you could please have a look and give some input!
You're very welcome! It sounds like a good plan to me! and don't worry about getting 69% on your first couple of exams- thats totally fine, a good score actually! Have a look at the grading distributions for VCAA exams; I always thought that to get 45+ you had to get like 100% on the exam (not true lol) If i'm honest, the last couple of exams I did before the actual bio exam, I was scoring like 89% each time, so don't dwell too much on your overall mark, just make sure you're making the most out of each one in terms of knowing your weaknesses, your strengths etc..
Thank you so much for your encouragement and tips! Means a lot ;D
I've attached my edited version of my plan until the exam, with week 1 being this week. Friday is blank because there will probably be one day where the zoom lessons are too hectic or I have a sac in the way where the schedule may move one day over. It would mean the world if you amazing people could please look over and offer input.
Edit: forgot to add TSSM but I have two, and I'll probably do them on Fridays. I will definitely incorporate normal revision and closing gaps in between exams as well.
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sorry for the confusion, in bio you CAN drop a few marks and get still a high ss.
Haha that’s good to hear!!
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1. Do you think doing the NEAP question banks for practicing weaknesses is effective?
2. How many minutes did u spend for every 20 marks? Hats off for getting that 50, I've read your guide like one million times!
3. Thank you! I've made some changes to my schedule following your advice. It would be amazing if you could please have a look and give some input!
1. I didn't use NEAP question banks and can't officially give feedback but generally NEAP does pretty good bio exams so sounds great ;D
2. I had forgotten and had to go check my notes but I did...25-30 minutes for multiple choice and then 15 minutes for every 12 marks in the ER (leaving about around 15 minutes to check). Eg. after the first twelve marks I'd write 10:00 and then after the next twelve marks 10:15 and so on. Try to find a way that works best for you and stick with that.
3. Looks great! Just do your best and if you are ever in the mindset for not doing a practice exam don't worry too much if you skip a day (as five a week is a lot so don't feel bad if you skip a few here and there. Imo there is no use doing a practice exam if you're not in the headspace to get anything out of it).
All the best!
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1. I didn't use NEAP question banks and can't officially give feedback but generally NEAP does pretty good bio exams so sounds great ;D
2. I had forgotten and had to go check my notes but I did...25-30 minutes for multiple choice and then 15 minutes for every 12 marks in the ER (leaving about around 15 minutes to check). Eg. after the first twelve marks I'd write 10:00 and then after the next twelve marks 10:15 and so on. Try to find a way that works best for you and stick with that.
3. Looks great! Just do your best and if you are ever in the mindset for not doing a practice exam don't worry too much if you skip a day (as five a week is a lot so don't feel bad if you skip a few here and there. Imo there is no use doing a practice exam if you're not in the headspace to get anything out of it).
All the best!
Thank you so much Choco!!
I asked my very strict Bio teacher to mark my exam and turns out I had taken out marks that I actually got right! I ended up getting 88/104 in the end (not out of 120 because some of the content got cut out) but I'm not sure if it's a good mark? I noticed that half of these marks were lost in the experimental design section and I'm feeling very scared because despite an entire year's work I've always lost marks in experimental design. Do you have any tips for revising experimental design?
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Thank you so much Choco!!
I asked my very strict Bio teacher to mark my exam and turns out I had taken out marks that I actually got right! I ended up getting 88/104 in the end (not out of 120 because some of the content got cut out) but I'm not sure if it's a good mark? I noticed that half of these marks were lost in the experimental design section and I'm feeling very scared because despite an entire year's work I've always lost marks in experimental design. Do you have any tips for revising experimental design?
The best way to improve is practice! I'm sorry that I don't have one quick trick to fix it but exposing yourself to as many experimental design questions as you can is really the best way forward. When doing these questions I'd suggest...
1. REFER TO DATA: Always refer to the SPECIFIC data given in the question. The examiners want to know you have considered all the information they've given you and used this to come to a conclusion. So support your conclusions with evidence given from the question!
2. REVISE COMMON QUESTIONS: Maybe put together a list of "common" experimental design questions and brainstorm/note down the suggested responses you have seen before. For example, often you'll be asked for a limitation of the experiment or about errors. If you've been exposed to these questions and strong answers to these questions before, it will be much easier to come up with something specific to the experiment you've been given in the actual exam.
3. REVISE TERMS: Revise all your experimental design terminology (check the study design to see what you have to know) including all the obvious things such as dependent, independent and controlled variables, different types of errors, reproducibility, repeatability, validity, etc. Also, you can check here on the VCAA website for good definitions of these terms VCAA measurement terms
4. TIMING: Leave enough time! There tends to be an experimental design question last on the exam and if you find such questions difficult, it's likely that it will take a bit longer. Make sure you are thoroughly reading the question too (especially in reading time).
5. SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS: For these questions I'd suggest closely looking at the suggested solutions and make sure you've exposed yourself to a number of strong, full-mark responses. I feel like this can really help you form your own conclusions when looking at a foreign experiment.
The good thing is, at least you are aware that it is a weak point (lots of students just like to ignore that experimental design is a thing) and now that you are aware of it, you can improve!
Also I just wanted to mention that I know you did the 2017 VCAA exam and the experimental design on that one was quite tricky from memory. So that is a brilliant score, especially for just starting out!