ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => Topic started by: hazza92 on April 23, 2008, 10:00:32 pm

Title: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: hazza92 on April 23, 2008, 10:00:32 pm
for the people who have completed vce (mainly)

is it better to do a subject which has two exams (a mid year and an end of year) EG: Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Psychology

or a subject which has just one exam, and 50% of the other mark is based on SACs EG: Economics, a History, Legal Studies, Business Management


which methods do you prefer (esentially more influence on SACs or more influence on TWO EXAMS)
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: Nick on April 23, 2008, 10:26:54 pm
I loved the fact that I had a mid year exam for psych. It meant that I could really focus on the subject and concentrate on learning the content in a really thorough and systematic manner. It was also great from the point of view that you could simply forget half a year's work when the exam was complete. At the end of the year it was also comforting to know that exam 2 was only worth 33% of your study score.
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: Collin Li on April 24, 2008, 12:15:35 am
I'd say diversify: do some with mid-years and do some without. Learn from your mistakes in the mid-years. Perhaps those mistakes may be big mistakes that cost you that subject from ever making your top 4, or just minor mistakes that have still managed to earn you a good grade, but either way you can still use that experience to help out with your end of years.
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: brendan on April 24, 2008, 11:01:27 am
i like the subjects with a greater % of the marks allocated to external exams, because i have greater confidence in the objective marking of external exams than when it comes to SACs
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: daniel99 on April 24, 2008, 05:35:40 pm
I loved the fact that I had a mid year exam for psych. It meant that I could really focus on the subject and concentrate on learning the content in a really thorough and systematic manner. It was also great from the point of view that you could simply forget half a year's work when the exam was complete. At the end of the year it was also comforting to know that exam 2 was only worth 33% of your study score.

I agree with Nick..LOL the legal exam had no mid-year and it was so stressful to try and remember and 450 page book lol..
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: costargh on April 24, 2008, 06:14:07 pm
I agree with Nick..LOL the legal exam had no mid-year and it was so stressful to try and remember and 450 page book lol..
Yeh! Agreed. Talk about stress...
My room heading into the Legal exam
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/sxy_grk_star/partay001.jpg)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/sxy_grk_star/partay002.jpg)
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: gfb on April 24, 2008, 06:23:59 pm
lol Costargh :P..

You did all that and only got a 40 :P

jks.

I reckon having mid-years is fine. 1. It prepares you for exam conditions. 2. Less work load .
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: beezy4eva on April 24, 2008, 06:33:12 pm
If i didnt have a mid year for bio i think i would fail
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: Odette on April 24, 2008, 07:07:50 pm
I don't really like the idea of mid-year exams, although i can see the advantages of having mid-year exams...
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: RD on April 24, 2008, 07:34:15 pm
I don't mind mid-years. Atleast you get a chance to do alright, at the end of the year if you screw up your mid-years
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: dcc on April 24, 2008, 07:35:02 pm
I think mid-years are brilliant, you get some of the pressure taken off you.  Which would you prefer, two exams at the end of the year or one in the middle and one at the end?  Help heaps for studying (only have to study 1 subject) :P
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: droodles on April 24, 2008, 07:37:35 pm
i wish tehy had mid year for methods and english
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: Mao on April 24, 2008, 08:42:10 pm
i wish tehy had mid year for methods and english
i wish they didnt have english =(
(sorry, I'm continuing on being an arse)

Its kinda hard to split methods into a mid-year and an end-of year, the four areas of study dont have equal amounts of contents nor difficulty. algebra just leads to functions and graphs, but functions and graphs is incomplete until you do calculus, so if you want to test any of them, you'll have to know all these. and probability in methods relies a bit on calculus, so... =S

mid-year is better for some subjects than others, its really hard to fit all subject into that same bracket when their structures are oh-so-different.
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: AppleThief on April 25, 2008, 04:52:12 pm
Question to costargh: was that book in the top-left corner of your desk useful?

I'm quite happy to had mid-year exams. I only have one, and I like the idea that it only counts for 33% of my study score (though I'm preparing to get A+ in the exam, I prefer more frequent, smaller tasks, than one big task. Just in case)
Title: Re: Is it Better to have mid-years or just end of years
Post by: costargh on April 25, 2008, 11:33:14 pm
Question to costargh: was that book in the top-left corner of your desk useful?

I'm quite happy to had mid-year exams. I only have one, and I like the idea that it only counts for 33% of my study score (though I'm preparing to get A+ in the exam, I prefer more frequent, smaller tasks, than one big task. Just in case)

Yeh I liked it but I underused it. I had HEAPS of Legal resources so I took bits and pieces from various resources