Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 12, 2016, 01:10:20 pm
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(http://i.imgur.com/9PkPHes.jpg)
Tomorrow is English Paper 1; everyone knows it, and everyone is super freaked. But there are a few thousand of us even more freaked, because our Music Exam is also tomorrow. Yep, there are few things as frightening as the prospect of doing two of your HSC Exams in one day. One exam is tough, and let’s just be frank: Two exams in one day is flat brutal.
I dealt with two of these double ups in my HSC; Music and English, and then SOR and Extension 1. We’ve got a few nasty double ups this year too; Music and English (do they dislike us Music students or something?), Hospitality and English, PE and Extension 1, Business and Society & Culture, and heaps of others. There are hundreds of students grappling with the concept of two exams in one day right now.
The thing is, it isn’t as bad as you may think. If you come in prepared, getting two of your exams done at once can even be beneficial! It certainly takes a lot of the pressure off all in one go. The key is having a game plan. Here are my best tips for dealing with two exams in one day.
1. Allocate your Study Cleverly
This first one might not be super helpful to those sitting Paper 1 and Music tomorrow, but it stands true in general. If you have two exams in one day, you need to really carefully plan out how you will use your time in the days leading up to those exams. On the day before, ideally, you only work on those two subjects.
Now this can be tricky, especially if you have an exam the day after your double (gross), so take this with a grain of salt. But there is nothing worse than getting to the day before your double up, and realising that you’ve spent all your time on the really difficult exam, and then nothing on the other. Plan your study and consider how much time you need to prepare for each exam.
By all means, you might not put the same effort into the two exams in one day. For me, I invested way more time in English and Extension 1 than I did in Music and SOR. This was for a few reasons; I found SOR and Music easier was the most important of those. They were also shorter exams. The day before Paper 1, I did English practice all day, and then Music practice in the evening. The day before SOR/Extension, I did some SOR essays in the morning, an Extension 1 paper in the afternoon, and then read over my notes for both at night.
The point being, allocate time to both exams the way that suits you. Don’t be left cramming because you forgot about the afternoon exam.
2. Look After Yourself
This much should be obvious for everyone, but it is especially relevant if you have two exams in one day.
If you do Business and Society and Culture, as an example, you will walk into your first exam just after 9am and not walk out of your last one until after 4pm. That’s a full day at work doing some serious intensive mental flexing. It doesn’t help that those two subjects target similar skills either.
You need to look after your brain so it can perform for you on the day.
There are a few things you must do here. Getting a good night sleep is absolutely vital; if you need to be switched on for 8 hours, you need to switch off for 8 hours the night before. Eat a good breakfast, try and stay relaxed, keep yourself in a good way. And that leads me to my next point…
3. Don’t Cram Between your Exams
This is really important. Exams are draining; mentally and physically. Two exams in one day doubles that effect. You come out of exams in a bit of a stupor, definitely not as fresh as when you came in. Do you want that dazed, exhausted and confused version of yourself responsible for getting a good mark in your exam? No, of course not.
You must rest between your exams.
I know it can be super tempting to cram in that 1 to 2-hour break between the two papers. Trust me, I get it. But the fact is that the little bit of extra content you may absorb isn’t worth the energy that you will lose between the two exams. Working too hard in the interim will suck all your energy away, and you run the risk of burning out in your second exam.
For this reason, I strongly recommend to everyone who has two exams in one day that you shouldn’t be doing practice papers in that gap. Grab lunch with some mates, let the stress of your first exam fall away. Recharge the batteries.
Now I’m not saying no study at all! By all means, read over your notes. Use palm cards. Even doodle some rough calculations. But you need to keep yourself chilled out. The key here is to get yourself out of exam mode, recharge, and then re-enter exam mode for your second paper.
It is practically impossible to stay completely switched on through the entirety of two exams. You can try, but you’ll never be as fresh in that last hour of the last exam, when your hand is sore and your head is throbbing, as you would have been if you let yourself rest.
So, take a load off when you have two exams in one day. An hour and a half is heaps of time to run and get lunch. Then, just come back and chill out with your mates and read over your notes. Be optimistic in this gap! Relax! Give your brain the rest that it needs.
Should I Stay at School If I Have Two Exams in One Day?
Some people may even choose to head home in the gap! I lived pretty far, so not an option for me, but I love this idea. The key to the break is, again, getting yourself out of exam mode. Heading home and having some lunch and a break is perhaps the best way to do this! If you have the option, go for it, but don’t be stressing about traffic and getting back in time. Only do it if you are close, and don’t head home just to study.
I’ll say it again; get yourself out of exam mode. Relax, do some light study, but chill out. It’s the best thing for you mentally, and it will make sure you’ve got the energy to smash that second exam.
Need help with your English Exam tomorrow? Register for a FREE account and ask your question HERE.
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Need help with your Music Exam tomorrow? Register for a FREE account and ask your question HERE.
Post by: student123456 on October 12, 2016, 05:18:46 pm
Post by: Musa on October 13, 2016, 07:32:26 am
Post by: Blissfulmelodii on October 13, 2016, 05:39:48 pm
But all in all I think the music 1 exam wasn't too bad to be completely honest. It was certainly a relief after English paper 1 ::)
Post by: WLalex on October 13, 2016, 06:44:38 pm
DO you suggest studying for SOR that night (I finish ext at 4) and if so, what should I do?
Thaaanks
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 13, 2016, 09:12:58 pm
Wish I had actually read this yesterday lol
But all in all I think the music 1 exam wasn't too bad to be completely honest. It was certainly a relief after English paper 1 ::)
Oh I'll start up a thread to have a chat about this!! ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 13, 2016, 09:14:10 pm
Ah, I think I could handle having PDHPE and extension maths on the same day BUT then I have SOR II the next morning!!
DO you suggest studying for SOR that night (I finish ext at 4) and if so, what should I do?
Thaaanks
Hey Lalex! I'd recommend doing most of your study for SOR before your Extension Exam, and then spending the night just doing light revision. Read your notes, some MC sections, maybe some essay plans, but definitely nothing huge!! A third exam in the space of a day and a bit is nasty, keep yourself well rested! :)
Post by: kawther on October 14, 2016, 10:31:23 pm
Thanks for the awesome tips!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 14, 2016, 10:35:43 pm
My last HSC day is business and Society and Culture, thinking about it has me freaking out
Thanks for the awesome tips!
Nearly died when I saw that double, will affect quite a few students I reckon. No problem, good luck! ;D
Post by: wesadora on October 15, 2016, 08:32:13 pm
plz help. Tbh I'm just trying to study 3 hours of each subject per day but I don't even feel like that's enough.... :'( (plus 2 unit next friday, lol)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 16, 2016, 10:18:36 am
Geography on the 25th October, PDHPE and Ext Maths on the 26th.
plz help. Tbh I'm just trying to study 3 hours of each subject per day but I don't even feel like that's enough.... :'( (plus 2 unit next friday, lol)
OUCH! That's the worst arrangement I've heard this year! I feel for you :-[
I think that what you are doing already sounds perfect; you can only do so much, like 3x3=9 hours per day is insane! Just keep working (be sure not to neglect 2U), maybe focus entirely on 2U for Wednesday and Thursday then come back to the others over the weekend?
Post by: Dragomistress on October 25, 2016, 07:08:25 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 25, 2016, 09:05:36 am
Claim misadventure guys! Problem solved. :P
You need a bloody good excuse to claim it; just the sniffles doesn't cut it :P it's way less effort and hassle to just study for the exams, aha ;)
Post by: birdwing341 on October 25, 2016, 10:50:11 am
You need a bloody good excuse to claim it; just the sniffles doesn't cut it :P it's way less effort and hassle to just study for the exams, aha ;)
Honestly gotta agree with Jamon here :) It's just not worth the risk - who knows what could happen in the exam? Maybe everyone else didn't do very well but you had the potential to do great? And speaking from a little experience (I had illness misadventure for year 11 yearlies coz of a broken arm - not the same as HSC but...) it's really not that fun, you miss out on social stuff and you actually get a lot of hate from people in your grade.
Trust me - if it's genuine, it's not great, and if it's falsified it's not worth it :)
Post by: emarmma on October 29, 2016, 12:06:42 am
I have a broken arm and I have missed the business studies exam. I have applied for misadventure and illness but I don't know they are going to estimate the mark. Could you guys please help because i am freaking out.
thanks
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 29, 2016, 12:43:45 am
Hey guys,
I have a broken arm and I have missed the business studies exam. I have applied for misadventure and illness but I don't know they are going to estimate the mark. Could you guys please help because i am freaking out.
thanks
Hey emarmma!
Okay, so first of all, don't stress. If breaking your arm isn't grounds for misadventure, nothing is, so all will definitely be fine. You'll be approved; just keep in contact with the people involved while you wait! :)
Second, your mark will be estimated based on your assessment results. This isn't just an average, my understanding is that they consider your estimated result very carefully, look at how its changed over time, etc etc. I'm not sure of details unfortunately :P
This stuff happens; I had a friend who got really bad case of influenza the morning of the exam. She did some of it but couldn't finish. She applied for illness misadventure and had a mark estimated for the sections she didn't complete. Easy! Don't let it concern you, trust me, you'll be absolutely no worse off :) I hope your recovery is speedy!! :)
Post by: carolinewang206 on March 21, 2017, 09:45:23 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 21, 2017, 10:50:56 pm
2 exams in 1 day is rough! for my half yearlies, I had english and french on the first day, then economics and extension maths on the second day. We have a cafe down the road from our school, so i went and had lunch and a cup of tea there. I did some light reading over notes, did a few questions to warm me up but nothing too intense.
How did those half yearlies go Caroline? ;D
Post by: carolinewang206 on March 22, 2017, 02:06:57 pm
How did those half yearlies go Caroline? ;D
Quite well! Overall really happy :)
Post by: Aaron12038488 on March 26, 2017, 03:20:55 pm
Post by: carolinewang206 on March 28, 2017, 06:04:07 pm
any advice would be great...
There will ALWAYS be time to study if you need it, especially on the plane. Try to write out your notes before you go then revise the notes and do some practice questions while youre away. I had yearlies pretty soon after I went to peru and china for a month. Just spend the time you would be relaxing in the hotel or something with writing an essay, or wake up half an hour early. If you can do 30 minutes- an hour a day, thats 14 hours of study. Don't just study blindly though, have an agenda and prioritise the most important tasks
Post by: chloeannbarwick on April 24, 2017, 10:23:40 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on April 24, 2017, 12:23:58 pm
Two exams in one day - try having three :-\
Ouch, what are they? How is that even a thing?!?!
Post by: herb123 on June 02, 2017, 10:44:17 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on June 02, 2017, 07:51:51 pm
have two double exam days in my upcoming trials rip
Ouch! Don't worry, that's pretty common in Trials, everyone is in the same boat! ;D
Post by: Mary_a on June 03, 2017, 11:09:58 am
I really, really need help with this exam time table on a particular day. I have my final major draft for extension 2 due on the 20th of June. My Maths exam goes from 2:00-3:20, and my Legal Studies exam is from 3:30-4:45. So ext2, Maths and Legal are all on the same day.
There are only ten minutes between each exam! And because I have special provisions my exams actually finish ten minutes later, this means that I barely get a few minutes break until my next exam. I've tried everything in order to move it, but I can't do anything and the school won't budge.
How am I supposed to cope and deal with this?
Mary x
Post by: jamonwindeyer on June 03, 2017, 12:50:36 pm
Hey Guys,
I really, really need help with this exam time table on a particular day. I have my final major draft for extension 2 due on the 20th of June. My Maths exam goes from 2:00-3:20, and my Legal Studies exam is from 3:30-4:45. So ext2, Maths and Legal are all on the same day.
There are only ten minutes between each exam! And because I have special provisions my exams actually finish ten minutes later, this means that I barely get a few minutes break until my next exam. I've tried everything in order to move it, but I can't do anything and the school won't budge.
How am I supposed to cope and deal with this?
Mary x
Hey Mary! That's a rotten combo - I think the reason your school is refusing to move could be because you technically only have two exams on the day, and the other is a submission. Still absolutely unfair to me, but that's probably their reasoning.
I'd not give up on trying to get something moved. Have your parents call the school and make a fuss - You are obviously at a disadvantage to other students in your cohort if they aren't giving you adequate time to rest (who the heck puts exams ten minutes apart?). The nature of bureaucracy is that the loud people get listened to, so if you have your parents/guardians get involved, chances are that they will be more inclined to actually pay attention. Having the exam moved to the morning, or have you start ten minutes later so you can have a rest, or something is not a tough ask.
Don't count on something being moved to another day, but push them to give you some leeway. Doing two exams back to back with no break is absolutely absurd, especially when everyone else will get a rest!
Post by: Mary_a on June 04, 2017, 03:16:39 pm
Hey Mary! That's a rotten combo - I think the reason your school is refusing to move could be because you technically only have two exams on the day, and the other is a submission. Still absolutely unfair to me, but that's probably their reasoning.
I'd not give up on trying to get something moved. Have your parents call the school and make a fuss - You are obviously at a disadvantage to other students in your cohort if they aren't giving you adequate time to rest (who the heck puts exams ten minutes apart?). The nature of bureaucracy is that the loud people get listened to, so if you have your parents/guardians get involved, chances are that they will be more inclined to actually pay attention. Having the exam moved to the morning, or have you start ten minutes later so you can have a rest, or something is not a tough ask.
Don't count on something being moved to another day, but push them to give you some leeway. Doing two exams back to back with no break is absolutely absurd, especially when everyone else will get a rest!
Hi Jamon,
A rotten combo indeed. My parents have also called to complain, and the only solution is to start me fifteen minutes earlier. Now, this would be ideal, if I weren't entitled to special provisions, which allows me to take five minute breaks every half an hour to calm myself down. So, I will still finish at 3.20 and have the exam at 3.30. We've tried everything, including some concerned teachers. The school won't budge.
Do you have any tips on what to do in those ten minutes?
Thanks,
Mary
Post by: jamonwindeyer on June 04, 2017, 09:27:32 pm
You definitely shouldn't study in that ten minutes - Get it all done the night before. In that 10 minutes, have a drink, something to eat if you want it, and try to just clear your head. The closest I've come to being in that situation was dashing from a Maths class test to a music performance, and I just made sure to not think about either exam. Just completely rest, recuperate and recover, as best you can!
Post by: Mary_a on June 05, 2017, 10:22:01 am
That's disgustingly inconsiderate of your needs as a student - I'd still not give up on elevating the issue to someone higher if you are up to it. Really unfair, in my opinion at least :-[
You definitely shouldn't study in that ten minutes - Get it all done the night before. In that 10 minutes, have a drink, something to eat if you want it, and try to just clear your head. The closest I've come to being in that situation was dashing from a Maths class test to a music performance, and I just made sure to not think about either exam. Just completely rest, recuperate and recover, as best you can!
Thanks Jamon, I'll try to see if I can continue to push for a change but I doubt it.
Mary
Post by: Mary_a on June 11, 2017, 06:12:02 pm
Mary
Post by: jamonwindeyer on June 11, 2017, 06:30:58 pm
So glad it got sorted and that you are getting the break you need
Post by: Angela Karanikolas on June 16, 2017, 11:54:39 am
I have my Geography and English exams on the same day!!
For both, we were given the questions and then made to write two essays for each (to ensure we have something to write) and at random a question will be chosen (by each subject) that we then must write our 45 minute essay(s) on.
I am freaking out. I have no idea how i'm going to retain two essays in the time spam of 2 hours.
Any help or advice will be absolutely appreciated,
Thank you.
Post by: Wales on June 16, 2017, 01:12:27 pm
Hey guys,
I have my Geography and English exams on the same day!!
For both, we were given the questions and then made to write two essays for each (to ensure we have something to write) and at random a question will be chosen (by each subject) that we then must write our 45 minute essay(s) on.
I am freaking out. I have no idea how i'm going to retain two essays in the time spam of 2 hours.
Any help or advice will be absolutely appreciated,
Thank you.
Don't freak out ! 2 essays in 2 hours is completely doable. In fact that's pretty normal. The only way to prepare is learn the content properly and have essay scaffolds before the day.
If you freak out you'll only go in and panic then forget everything. Happened to me :(
Post by: Angela Karanikolas on June 16, 2017, 01:16:46 pm
Don't freak out ! 2 essays in 2 hours is completely doable. In fact that's pretty normal. The only way to prepare is learn the content properly and have essay scaffolds before the day.
If you freak out you'll only go in and panic then forget everything. Happened to me :(
Thank you Wales,
I am on the brink of finishing my scaffolds and fingers crossed I can retain the information and keep calm. Stress is quite literally taking over.
Thank you so much for your advice.
Post by: Wales on June 16, 2017, 01:20:04 pm
Thank you Wales,
I am on the brink of finishing my scaffolds and fingers crossed I can retain the information and keep calm. Stress is quite literally taking over.
Thank you so much for your advice.
The moment you cave into stress is when you crack and fall. Don't let it happen! Prepare now. Do your best. You know you can do it. 2 essays in 2 hours :P Pshh.
Smash it!!
Post by: Angela Karanikolas on June 16, 2017, 01:22:24 pm
The moment you cave into stress is when you crack and fall. Don't let it happen! Prepare now. Do your best. You know you can do it. 2 essays in 2 hours :P Pshh.
Smash it!!
Fingers crossed this goes down well, loads of quotes and evidence my brain is already mush. Thank you for the advice and confidence :D
Post by: Wales on June 16, 2017, 01:23:49 pm
Fingers crossed this goes down well, loads of quotes and evidence my brain is already mush. Thank you for the advice and confidence :D
I found writing out my quotes again and again and assigning them a certain word or two helped. It takes a few days to remember them effectively though. Everyones different so see what works for you :)
Post by: Angela Karanikolas on June 16, 2017, 01:37:39 pm
I found writing out my quotes again and again and assigning them a certain word or two helped. It takes a few days to remember them effectively though. Everyones different so see what works for you :)
I will definitely try that out. I have quite a few days before the tasks so i'm yet to find out what works for me in regards to retaining information. This sounds good though, thanks.