3 weeks and already failing

[asdfdsa]

I just got my further math formative assessment back and I got below 40%, really daunting because I thought I had that topic in the bag. I feel like its going to speak for the rest of my y12 year which is really bad for me because i want to get a high study score/atar (80-90+) to get into biomed.. I feel awful and I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have a tutor but I want to get him replaced, I work through course work slowly and I feel like my main drawbacks are meth and chem.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey! Welcome to the forums!

I just want to say that you shouldn't give up, and you shouldn't let that one task set the tone for the year. In my HSC, my first big exam (half yearly), I just barely passed and my rank slipped to 2nd last in the class. I felt like absolute shit, because like you, I thought I had it nailed!

But the important thing is that I didn't give up, but instead, I vowed that I would work harder than I'd ever worked before, because I never wanted to feel like that after an exam ever again. I pushed so hard, and it worked! By the end of the year I was back up to top of the class (ranks are the big thing in HSC, don't think that's the same in VCE, but anyway...)

Just keep going. I know it is tough, but you are doing the right things. You are figuring out what went wrong, you are getting new tutors and setting yourself up to make a comeback. I'll leave some VCE students to suggest some specific things you can do to attack the next exam better, but from me, just stay motivated. Put your test behind you, channel your disappointment, and work hard enough that you never feel that way again - It is never too late to pull things around!

[Shadowxo]

Great post by jamonwindeyer.

Use it a motivation to study harder. Although it might seem like you're going to do badly, if you work hard you will improve. Your Unit 3 SACs are only worth 20%, and your SAC is worth 15 out of the 60 marks for Unit 3. This means that the particular SAC you did is only worth 5% of your mark (using information from the study design, so may not be 100% correct).

Couple of stories from me:

I know it's not quite the same, but in year 11 spesh I was struggling. I was getting mostly Cs and some Bs, which was a shock for me as I was used to getting A+ all the year before. I used it to work hard, and the end of year exam I got A/A+, and in year 12 I got B/A/A for my SACs, moderated to A overall, and I might have been second in the class (not sure, as we weren't told and I got 38 while only one person in my class got 40+, so I was probably 2/3 in the class)

For my end of year exam, the methods 3/4 second exam I found tough. I left a few blank spaces (which I didn't have to do for any other exam) and it stressed me out, because methods was pretty much my best subject, and I had 2 exams the next day, specialist exam 1 and literature, two of my hardest subjects. I spent an hour or two feeling stressed and not doing anything, then I decided I had to move past it and work on my other exams, as there was nothing I could do except do the best I could for the rest of my exam period. It was really stressful for me as I had 7 exams and methods was my first subject, and first 2 exams, and I had the next 4 consecutive working days with 5 exams. It ended up alright though, I got A+/A+/A (only got an A in exam 2) and equal first in my school

One score won't determine your entire ATAR, it plays a small role and use it to work as much as you can to reach your full potential. Use it as motivation. Don't stress over it, there's nothing you can do to  change it, but you CAN use it to do better and make a comeback

My specialties were methods and chem (more so methods now, bit rusty on chem) but if you have ANY questions feel free to post them here, or pm me
Good luck and don't stress 

[asdfdsa]

First off, thank you both for the effort in your posts. Its really encouraging to know that i'm not alone  If i have the motivation to do the work/study, what should I be doing? Class work is obvious, but what can I do to ensure good marks? So far I think practice tests and summarization could help, but it there anything else I can do? In addition to that there's somehow slotting all of that into a really packed timetable, which I haven't set up yet, or have any idea of how to do so (besides 3-4h a night, but that's very unregulated right now).

[Shadowxo]

First off, thank you both for the effort in your posts. Its really encouraging to know that i'm not alone  If i have the motivation to do the work/study, what should I be doing? Class work is obvious, but what can I do to ensure good marks? So far I think practice tests and summarization could help, but it there anything else I can do? In addition to that there's somehow slotting all of that into a really packed timetable, which I haven't set up yet, or have any idea of how to do so (besides 3-4h a night, but that's very unregulated right now).

I'd recommend going over the content first, and seeing if you can understand the content. If you understand it, it'll be a lot easier to remember and apply it. Summarise and do questions and homework throughout the year, and do practice tests if available before SACs.
With your timetable, I found one of the most essential things for me was sleeping enough and eating well. Do not neglect sleep to do homework, as homework won't count towards your final mark and it'll destroy your next day. Prioritise health + wellbeing over completing homework (but don't neglect homework). Do your homework in blocks of time that work for you, between 30-60m, and after a block get up and walk around a bit, maybe get a snack and take a 5m break. If you're struggling with any concepts/questions, ask, either your teachers or on here.

[thenerdygangster]

Just to add my two cents here although I feel that jamonwindeyer and Shadowxo have said all that needs to be said.

I'm doing Biomedical Sciences this year at Monash Uni. Truth to be told, I didn't think I would get in. I did really badly in a couple of Chem sacs and that really affected my self-confidence as I really loved Chem and I thought that I did alright after handing in the sacs.

Use it a motivation to study harder.

Put your test behind you, channel your disappointment, and work hard enough that you never feel that way again

This is really relevant. After the first chem sac, I went home and after bawling my eyes out for a few hours, I resolved to work harder on the subject. And presto, my marks shot up by nearly 10% on the following sac and again with the third one. So yes, hard work does pay off 

While your sacs are important, I wouldn't be too disheartened by one or two bad results. Just keep plugging away and hopefully, the results will show when it matters at the end of the year. Trust me. While I didn't get the 98 ATAR I wanted, I also didn't get the 80-90 ATAR score I thought I would end up with. VCE is weird like that 

If i have the motivation to do the work/study, what should I be doing?

Regular revision and consolidation of content taught in class is what I would recommend. VCE is a marathon so don't over do it or you'll feel tired out at the end of the year. Don't forget: regular bed times and exercise and don't neglect your social life. Go to parties with friends (not to much though) or form a study group if it helps. Also, if you need help, ask questions. Your teachers, friends, and ATARNotes are here to help. I personally wished that I spent more time here last year...

Good luck 

Gee, that was the longest post I've ever made...

[Sine]

I just got my further math formative assessment back and I got below 40%, really daunting because I thought I had that topic in the bag. I feel like its going to speak for the rest of my y12 year which is really bad for me because i want to get a high study score/atar (80-90+) to get into biomed.. I feel awful and I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have a tutor but I want to get him replaced, I work through course work slowly and I feel like my main drawbacks are meth and chem.

Yeah doing meth would be a slight disadvantage 

Seriously now there is no need to overreact - you are already taking the correct steps in trying to rectify the situation without falling into the trap many students go into which is blaming others. (They blame their teacher/cohort etc)

I have noticed that with any student - be it strong or weak - one high score is the best motivation for continual success. Once you get that 1 great score everyone wants to keep that up.

For example one of my friends who was not a particularly strong student was averaging around 50-60% and was below average in the cohort. Studied really hard (ambiguous sorry I will expand later) and never dropped below 85% and went on to end up in the top 4 in a cohort of around 80 people. (this was for FM)

So this studying really hard what is it?  IMO it's not just completing all the set tasks nor completing every question. Its is knowing exactly what you are doing with each question.  It is not just completing the exercises and checking the answers, just because you get them correct doesn't really say whether you actually know the content.

Go through all the exercises at your own pace and have a solid understanding of the topic before you even go to answer the first question.

@Jamon Yes cohort rank is important in VCE (not sure if it's less/more important than HSC though)

[asdfdsa]

Thank you all very much, i'll try to take into account the info you've given for the year. I just hope i can keep it up

Edit: lol @sine, meth can't be bad for me if the school provides it for me!

[jamonwindeyer]

@Jamon Yes cohort rank is important in VCE (not sure if it's less/more important than HSC though)

Riiight, good to know! cheers Sine!