Doing badly in a Year 11 3/4

[Vermilliona]

Ok, this is a bit stupid, but...

Basically, I want to ask whether anyone's had the experience of working really hard in a 3/4 that they did in Year 11 and subsequently doing much worse than expected, but above all, how did you deal with it and not let it affect your self-confidence for next year?

I did GlobalPol as my 3/4, put a shitload of work into it throughout the year (like, the most work I am physically able to put into a subject) and have come out of the exam feeling shattered, I just think I did really badly (finished everything, blah, but I feel like my answers weren't eloquent enough and blah). So now my leniently marked 100% SACs (teacher hasn't been able to help with any type of improvement over the year, doesn't know the subject well) will become like Bs and I'll be lucky to get 35, let alone the 47 I was aiming for.

The main point to this is, if I do get like 32 this year, I don't know how I'll be able to muster the motivation to study next year, knowing that I put this massive amount of work into Global but did badly anyway, so how can I do well in 4 3/4s? Has anyone had this experience and been able to turn it around and make it motivate them in Year 12? I've been aiming for a high ATAR, but I have a nagging feeling that if I do indeed tank Global, my belief that I can do well in my subjects next year will go down the drain. I know this is hypothetical, and stupid, and post-exam stress, but please advise :/ Thanks in advance

[M_BONG]

Ok, this is a bit stupid, but...

Basically, I want to ask whether anyone's had the experience of working really hard in a 3/4 that they did in Year 11 and subsequently doing much worse than expected, but above all, how did you deal with it and not let it affect your self-confidence for next year?

I did GlobalPol as my 3/4, put a shitload of work into it throughout the year (like, the most work I am physically able to put into a subject) and have come out of the exam feeling shattered, I just think I did really badly (finished everything, blah, but I feel like my answers weren't eloquent enough and blah). So now my leniently marked 100% SACs (teacher hasn't been able to help with any type of improvement over the year, doesn't know the subject well) will become like Bs and I'll be lucky to get 35, let alone the 47 I was aiming for.

The main point to this is, if I do get like 32 this year, I don't know how I'll be able to muster the motivation to study next year, knowing that I put this massive amount of work into Global but did badly anyway, so how can I do well in 4 3/4s? Has anyone had this experience and been able to turn it around and make it motivate them in Year 12? I've been aiming for a high ATAR, but I have a nagging feeling that if I do indeed tank Global, my belief that I can do well in my subjects next year will go down the drain. I know this is hypothetical, and stupid, and post-exam stress, but please advise :/ Thanks in advance

I feel exactly the same way as you. I did Legal Studies 3/4  this year as a year 11,  ignored most of my 1/2 subjects to prepare for my 3/4 exam(I am failing one of my 1/2 subject at the moment (sitting on an N for Unit 2) , as I disregarded the subject , having got straight A+s on that subject in sem1) . Did tons of prac questions, skipped a bit of school to study beforehand etc.
Nek minnit, VCAA decides to make the exam really easy. They decided to remove the complicated topics in Legal (mind you, there is not many) and basically reduced it so that even people who didn't prepare well could do well. I actually feel ripped off for all my efforts, to be honest.

I spent the week after the 3/4 exam checking AN every day, complaining etc. I also asked my teacher. if my answers were right etc. etc. But the best thing to do is actually move on, to be honest. You can actually dwell on it, ask everyone about how they did etc. but it won't change anything. Unless you leave an answer blank, you will always have the chance to get the marks. After all, you're only in Year 11, you're still getting prepared for Year 12. I highly doubt you will go into Year 12 still feeling bruised from one of your subject study score - conssidering you already attained that 50 from Ukranian.

Best of luck!

[brenden]

Yeah I got a 35 in Year 12 Legal Studies in 2011 (after already failing Year 12 psych I the same year). I had that logic too "I worked so hard for Legal, how could I so it for four subjects?!"
Well, when I started doing the four subjects I realised I did shit all work for Legal lol. Anyway, your self-confidence is a choice. I had no reason to believe in myself but it's just a matter of deciding to believe you can do it. Why think about a 32 when you can think about how you already got a 50? See, you can go both ways. So many people bomb their Year 12 subject and then ace Year 12. It's  a learning experience and it shows you what you're in for.

[zvezda]

Ok, this is a bit stupid, but...

Basically, I want to ask whether anyone's had the experience of working really hard in a 3/4 that they did in Year 11 and subsequently doing much worse than expected, but above all, how did you deal with it and not let it affect your self-confidence for next year?

I did GlobalPol as my 3/4, put a shitload of work into it throughout the year (like, the most work I am physically able to put into a subject) and have come out of the exam feeling shattered, I just think I did really badly (finished everything, blah, but I feel like my answers weren't eloquent enough and blah). So now my leniently marked 100% SACs (teacher hasn't been able to help with any type of improvement over the year, doesn't know the subject well) will become like Bs and I'll be lucky to get 35, let alone the 47 I was aiming for.

The main point to this is, if I do get like 32 this year, I don't know how I'll be able to muster the motivation to study next year, knowing that I put this massive amount of work into Global but did badly anyway, so how can I do well in 4 3/4s? Has anyone had this experience and been able to turn it around and make it motivate them in Year 12? I've been aiming for a high ATAR, but I have a nagging feeling that if I do indeed tank Global, my belief that I can do well in my subjects next year will go down the drain. I know this is hypothetical, and stupid, and post-exam stress, but please advise :/ Thanks in advance

Hey,
I can understand where youre coming from because this happened with me for psych last year. I thought i had screwed my exam and thought that id get a pretty crummy mark for the amount of work that i put in. In the end it turned out pretty well and i managed to get a nice score that i was happy with (you may be able to guess). Considering this, you may not have done as poorly as you think, because its totally natural to believe that you messed an exam up after its completed.

But in the case that you dont do as well as you would like, have you considered doing an extra subject next year? I know that youre motivation can falter after such an experience and that taking an extra subject may be a bummer because trust me, at one stage i was totally unmotivated having thought that i didnt do well on my psych exam. But you already have a 50 under your belt, so do you think  its worth even throwing that away by not studying as hard next year? These sorts of moments happen even to the best of people and i dont think it should bring you down, because it seems as if you have serious potential to do great next year and it would be a shame to lose even more than is necessary.

[Vermilliona]

In the end it turned out pretty well and i managed to get a nice score that i was happy with (you may be able to guess).

Stalked through your posts, well done on the 50! That does give me hope for global... I was mentally preparing myself for a 38 the night before results came last year, so I guess it's just a tendency of mine :/ Thanks for your replies everyone, they're all wonderfully rational and totally true, and I should just relax and drink some peppermint tea or something.

[chasej]

Ok, this is a bit stupid, but...

Basically, I want to ask whether anyone's had the experience of working really hard in a 3/4 that they did in Year 11 and subsequently doing much worse than expected, but above all, how did you deal with it and not let it affect your self-confidence for next year?

I did GlobalPol as my 3/4, put a shitload of work into it throughout the year (like, the most work I am physically able to put into a subject) and have come out of the exam feeling shattered, I just think I did really badly (finished everything, blah, but I feel like my answers weren't eloquent enough and blah). So now my leniently marked 100% SACs (teacher hasn't been able to help with any type of improvement over the year, doesn't know the subject well) will become like Bs and I'll be lucky to get 35, let alone the 47 I was aiming for.

The main point to this is, if I do get like 32 this year, I don't know how I'll be able to muster the motivation to study next year, knowing that I put this massive amount of work into Global but did badly anyway, so how can I do well in 4 3/4s? Has anyone had this experience and been able to turn it around and make it motivate them in Year 12? I've been aiming for a high ATAR, but I have a nagging feeling that if I do indeed tank Global, my belief that I can do well in my subjects next year will go down the drain. I know this is hypothetical, and stupid, and post-exam stress, but please advise :/ Thanks in advance

First of all it doesn't sound stupid at all, you're feeling is valid and many many people feel the way you're feeling after an exam. Personally after walking out from my economics exam a couple of weeks ago I felt like some of my answers were a bit erratic. I think you need to give this a bit of context, you did really well last year, did well in SACs and you haven't got you're exam results back, you answered all the questions and that's the best you can do really. There is nothing you can do now to rectify your exam performance (even though I'm sure you did fantastically) now, so what is the point in worrying about it now?

All general advice that I could give has already been said. But personally last year I tried really hard for VET Information Technology (in year 10) and was expecting >40 , come results day I got 33 raw, seemingly as my SACs, which were 2/3 of the SS, had been scaled down to a B (I was in a very weak cohort [all SACs aside from pracs were multiple choice and half the class failed them to give an idea], doing the subject at a TAFE), which is like top 40% of the cohort. And the kicker is that in VET the subject was scaled down from 33 to around 25. It really did kill my confidence...for about a day. Now I've pretty much forgot about it and realised as a 6th subject the score doesn't really make such a difference and my poor result in last years subject has turned into confidence and forced me to try harder harder this year in economics.

Last year's result was a positive experience with little negative effects as I know realise the type and quality or work that needs to be done to get a good SS, and the experience has forced me to work harder in order to assure to I do not feel the same feeling of disappointment again.

Really, you choose how you react to a score. One bad result out of 6 subjects has very little negative effects, but you can turn it into an experience with many positive effects if you try.

[Yacoubb]

This is completely normal. I think every VCE student is second-guessing their performance at some stage between the time you sit the exam, and the day you receive your results. I know that personally, I have. The important thing to convince yourself that its done! You've got other subjects to now focus on perfecting. Additionally, by shifting your focus to your 1+2 subjects, you're distracting yourself from becoming preoccupied about your score, or pondering over mistakes you could have made. If you don't get the mark you're hoping for, make up for it with your subjects next year.

Only time will tell! Hopefully all this worrying is for nothing! Best of luck

[HossRyams]

I've seen a lot of people get scores they were not satisfied with in Year 11 and then BAM BAM BAM they literally OWN THE HELL OUT OF Year 12. And don't worry about it yet - and with great SAC marks and what not, I'm sure you're just being harsh on yourself. Everyone's their own harshest/worst critic (some quote like that). Every day that passed after an English SAC, the worse I felt but in the end it wasn't that bad (at all). I also started dreading my psychology score in 2012 because people were like "hmm I think you'll get a low 40" and I was like WAIT WHAT I WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS, VCE IS INSANE! But it turned out alright IT WILL BE ALWAYS BE ALRIGHT!

And the truth is (in my opinion........ <_>) is if you put in a lot of work but not do well, it might mean you didn't work efficiently, or didn't do the right kind of work, I don't know. Like you put all your energies into the wrong thing - but you just learn from it. I mean last year I did all sorts of crazy stuff for psych and found half of it didn't really help me or contribute to my score. There are people who don't work as hard but know EXACTLY what to do the maximise their marks and in turn get great marks with less effort. But you've got year 12 and anything can happen. And like I said, don't worry about GLP just yet! Enjoy the little break first

[sjayne]

This just gave me a lot of hope I didn't do great in my 3/4's either but I think this has made me realise how much more effort  I need to put in next year

[M_BONG]

And the truth is (in my opinion........ <_>) is if you put in a lot of work but not do well, it might mean you didn't work efficiently, or didn't do the right kind of work, I don't know. Like you put all your energies into the wrong thing - but you just learn from it. I mean last year I did all sorts of crazy stuff for psych and found half of it didn't really help me or contribute to my score. There are people who don't work as hard but know EXACTLY what to do the maximise their marks and in turn get great marks with less effort. But you've got year 12 and anything can happen. And like I said, don't worry about GLP just yet! Enjoy the little break first

But to be fair, VCE is just as much a measure of your exam ability as your actual ability. I don't think it is all that far to judge how one person has worked - whether efficiently or not over the course of hundreds of hours in just two hours.

[Frozone]

Ok, this is a bit stupid, but...

Basically, I want to ask whether anyone's had the experience of working really hard in a 3/4 that they did in Year 11 and subsequently doing much worse than expected, but above all, how did you deal with it and not let it affect your self-confidence for next year?

I did GlobalPol as my 3/4, put a shitload of work into it throughout the year (like, the most work I am physically able to put into a subject) and have come out of the exam feeling shattered, I just think I did really badly (finished everything, blah, but I feel like my answers weren't eloquent enough and blah). So now my leniently marked 100% SACs (teacher hasn't been able to help with any type of improvement over the year, doesn't know the subject well) will become like Bs and I'll be lucky to get 35, let alone the 47 I was aiming for.

The main point to this is, if I do get like 32 this year, I don't know how I'll be able to muster the motivation to study next year, knowing that I put this massive amount of work into Global but did badly anyway, so how can I do well in 4 3/4s? Has anyone had this experience and been able to turn it around and make it motivate them in Year 12? I've been aiming for a high ATAR, but I have a nagging feeling that if I do indeed tank Global, my belief that I can do well in my subjects next year will go down the drain. I know this is hypothetical, and stupid, and post-exam stress, but please advise :/ Thanks in advance

This was actually the post I needed. I haven't been on atar notes since my business exam as I was and are too shattered to read through the exam discussion. I came into the exam expecting a 45-48 and came out hoping for a 40.
I think that my mark whether 40 or 48(impossible) will give me an added drive to work harder next year and the same should go for you. 

[HossRyams]

But to be fair, VCE is just as much a measure of your exam ability as your actual ability. I don't think it is all that far to judge how one person has worked - whether efficiently or not over the course of hundreds of hours in just two hours.

Of course it's not your "actual ability" but how on earth can anything measure it properly? VCE is nonetheless one of the fairest systems out there with all the scaling and SAC moderation and what not. Some countries just count on your final exam and that's it. No excuses, nothing. So we should be very grateful.

And I don't believe in making excuses anyway - I think every setback is a call to work harder, not just explain to yourself why it didn't turn out that way. deeeeep

Edit: typo

[walkec]

This thread is exactly what I needed. After sitting my 3/4 food tech exam on Friday, I'm beginning to think I'm not going to do as well as I hoped. But then again, it makes me more motivated to make up for it next year and to learn from where I went wrong.

Even though all year I'd been hoping for a 45 in food, if I don't get that I still don't have any regrets about picking the subject because its been the highlight of my week for the past two years. The other thing I keep reminding myself is that everything relating to food tech, or anyone else's 3/4 in year 11 or just 3/4s in general is that once the exam is done, there is nothing else you can do except wait.

[Vermilliona]

This thread is exactly what I needed. After sitting my 3/4 food tech exam on Friday, I'm beginning to think I'm not going to do as well as I hoped. But then again, it makes me more motivated to make up for it next year and to learn from where I went wrong.

Even though all year I'd been hoping for a 45 in food, if I don't get that I still don't have any regrets about picking the subject because its been the highlight of my week for the past two years. The other thing I keep reminding myself is that everything relating to food tech, or anyone else's 3/4 in year 11 or just 3/4s in general is that once the exam is done, there is nothing else you can do except wait.

This made me realise that no matter my SS, I'll have no regrets over global, because it's been a fascinating subject and has left me with a much deeper understanding of the world and current affairs, and not even VCAA can take that away from me, mwahaha. I picked it because I thought it was interesting, and indeed it was, and I enjoyed doing it immensely. So who cares what some caffeine-junkied assessor thinks of my assessment of China's use of trade when they're reading it at 2 am after having just corrected 50 other exams? The real value of a subject at the end of the year is what you've gotten out of it personally, and the mark you get can just be a bonus. Thanks for making me realise that

[DJA]

Suffice to say you are not alone Vermilliona!

I think everyone's replies here confirms that. 

I did methods 3/4 this year. Put all my efforts into it to the extents of neglecting my 1/2 subjects.
Did pretty well on all SACs and Exam 1 was easy. Then the Exam 2 hits and it's like im screwed for the last part of the question.
Went from planning for a 45 and above to hoping to get near 40 if I am lucky.

Life does that to you. All it has done is motivate me for next year. If I did really really well in methods this year, I think I'd probably become seriously complacent and just sit back and not really do much to prepare for next year.

All you can do now is forget! Move forward and don't think about the result of this year. Next year is the big one!

Gl!