How did you do it?

[speakerphones]

I envy you and your 48 in business. I put in so much time in the last two weeks before the business exam, literally all day everyday for two weeks of studying and I came out with a 38 Did you enjoy it or did you just find it really easy and practice alot? For every SAC, I crammed on the day of it and scores very well, but at exam time I couldn't remember a thing and had to relearn all the content (which I could probably have done in 2-3 days, full consecutive days of study = delusion you're actually studying but in actual fact sitting there doing nothing) and I completed two practice exams, both in an hour an ten minutes when in the real exam I basically ran out of time.

I thought it was so easy though, fml. In all my SACS I literally didn't drop a realistic mark all year, but had several marks deducted just for the sake of realism and not cheating (teacher who got fired was retarded) and the exam was so EASY! I looked and it and was like 'wow, 100%!' Then I started being a spastic, writing like quadripple what I needed to because I was arrogant with time and wanted to perfect my answers for like 2 markers, so I ran out of time. Then I know that indicators of corporate culture question stuffed me up as well as the 'describe a social and ethical resp for op system,' as I thought they were two different things (why would you have two different definitions) despite consciously knowing how to answer it I thought it was a trick, so started identifying ONLY a social and ethical for each element. On any other day ... uhhh.

Don't know how you studied with music with business, was impossible. I'd have to sit there for ten minutes literally shouting a definition out into the streets after spending hours writing notes on a computer to being able to remember it for a minute, writing it down on a piece of paper like 20 times and then having a 25% chance of remembering it a week later. I had a realistic idea of what all these definitions meant but I didn't want to make them up on the spot as I was afraid of ambiguity. I literally woke up at 10AM, studied until might night straight without eating much food nor leaving my room, trying to study and it was torturous. I'm blaming this on my hate for business as I wasn't learning and it just sucked, but if that is any indication for what I am in for next year with my chosen subjects I'll probably sell my liver to some sketchy black marketarian fella and invest that money into bitcoins as a hapy medium for a means of life.

I guess it's just different for everyone to study for. Don't take this as me being very lazy or naturally smart, I actually did work very hard! I spent a lot of time doing practise SACs for business, a lot of time spent going over notes and asking questions after classes etc. I just meant that I have a very laissez-faire (LOL) work attitude. Being relaxed and not being too strict with a studying schedule allowed me to keep on top of my work and feel motivated enough to continue studying because I felt so ahead. I actually started my practise exams at the start of term 3, doing them gradually as initial revision. i ended up doing about 30 practise exams, which is a lot for a writing based subject. It's a good idea to get them marked, especially by a VCAA examiner (if one of the teachers at school is one!). This means that they can mark you harshly or equally as hardly as the real examiner, as well as give you tips and pointers on how you can improve your answers. My teacher was amazing at giving me constructive criticism that I would highlight and remember as points to put into the real thing.

I don't think it would be a good idea to keep timing yourself throughout your entire revision period, because you're basically pressuring yourself too much. I did them very VERY passively, sometimes one exam between 2 full days! It did allow me to keep motivated and not burn out, as well as take my time to formulate my answers and be articulate in the way I expressed my terminology. I actually only timed 3 exams - One at school for the practise trial exam and the other two on the weekend before the real exam. That was I was extremely comfortable with answering questions during timed conditions as I had trained myself to answer them calmly and passively, the only difference was toward the end I was much more confident and could formulate answers instantly in my head.

THAT being said, I'm glad I didn't time myself for all of them, because I was already feeling the pressure in reading time. I think it's natural to run out of time in a real exam, because your mind kind of gets to you and its difficult to be 100% calm. That's why I think its good to train yourself to be calm so you don't completely freak out all the time -- its more important to get comfortable with the questions and content than to get comfortable with timing.

AND LOL, i mean it basically comes down to your motivation to study for the subject. I LOVED business and i'm kinda sad its over, but its mostly just your attitude to the subject. I found the content really easy so it excited me to perfect it, but answering the questions is always difficult and has to be precise, that's why it annoys me when people say Busman is an easy subject because its not entirely, you have to know how to answer the question correctly!

[speakerphones]

what would you do over the holidays for your 3-4 subjects?

Not too much at all. Let yourself relax and just do the minimal homework/headstart set. You could go over the first unit before school starts very briefly, but you will really just learn it all in class. Just make sure you have a good break and get back to school ready to learn, because VCE seems really tough! I was able to laze around in classes sometimes but purely because I only had two of the subjects, but i know that with 2 more of them next year I won't be able to spare much class time! (Well I hope so)

[speakerphones]

I never forced myself to study; I've always done as much as I personally wanted. To be honest, I never burnt out until I finished my two year 12 subjects' exams. After that, I burnt out & couldn't study for year 11 exams. But that was just me telling myself that all I needed to do was pass the year 11 exams, and not so much worry about getting really high marks for them. I dunno, everyone is different I guess.

OMG I'm the exact same! Didn't force myself to study but I really wanted to..
AND I BURNT OUT AFTER EXAMS TOO! I literally spent 2 weeks in bed doing nothing as my cool down after exams and VCE, cos I really hadn't had any breaks throughout the year and my body finally allowed my brain to give up and turn into mush

[AsianNerd]

Tbh i decided to take it seriously at the start off the year and studying soon became a routine/hobby... I played tennis every friday as an outlet from studying. After my exams i felt really empty... Really bored and nothing to do, studying was something that i missed to somewhat of a degree.

[Only Cheating Yourself]

Tbh i decided to take it seriously at the start off the year and studying soon became a routine/hobby... I played tennis every friday as an outlet from studying. After my exams i felt really empty... Really bored and nothing to do, studying was something that i missed to somewhat of a degree.

how many hours a week did you spend on methods and did you do it nightly?  if so how long?

[nhmn0301]

Hi, do you guys think students from a not up to scratch school can obtain a 99.90+? Most people I know seem to think it's funny for me to think I can be a high achievers. And tbh, it's really discouraging....

[b^3]

Hi, do you guys think students from a not up to scratch school can obtain a 99.90+? Most people I know seem to think it's funny for me to think I can be a high achievers. And tbh, it's really discouraging....

It's not impossible, but it'll probably be a hell of a lot harder (...we're not turning this thread into a public vs private thread). A student from St Albans Secondary College got 99.95 a few years ago. You've just got not let others get you down, keep yourself motivated (this'll be the hard part when everyone around you is the complete opposite). Be reasonable with your estimates and such, but work towards your goal. Even if you don't quite get there, the motivation and effort that you put in will lift you higher than you would have originally.

[Stick]

Hi, do you guys think students from a not up to scratch school can obtain a 99.90+? Most people I know seem to think it's funny for me to think I can be a high achievers. And tbh, it's really discouraging....

I was in a similar circumstance, so I know exactly how you're feeling, but I can also tell you that it's definitely possible with hard work and diligent resourcefulness. Don't let anybody get you down.

[#J.Procrastinator]

It's not impossible, but it'll probably be a hell of a lot harder (...we're not turning this thread into a public vs private thread). A student from St Albans Secondary College got 99.95 a few years ago. You've just got not let others get you down, keep yourself motivated (this'll be the hard part when everyone around you is the complete opposite). Be reasonable with your estimates and such, but work towards your goal. Even if you don't quite get there, the motivation and effort that you put in will lift you higher than you would have originally.

Yeah that's true, AND she skipped a year level too.

Hi, do you guys think students from a not up to scratch school can obtain a 99.90+? Most people I know seem to think it's funny for me to think I can be a high achievers. And tbh, it's really discouraging....

It is absolutely possible. It doesn't matter what school you go to really; it's entirely up to you, your capabilities, motivation, determination etc.., that will determine whether you can obtain that atar or not. Just do your best and stuff what anyone else says. Good luck though!

[mishamigo]

Anyway, all you high achievers out there; how did you do it? Like really, how?
Did you slave your arse off and never see daylight? Did you balance work, leisure and play (if so, how?)

I put a lot of my ATAR down to my legal result, as my scores this year weren't amazing. I'm probably one of the few people here who didn't study endlessly, and even reading of the 4-8 hour study sessions makes me shudder! I spent maybe 1-2 hours studying a night, and definitely not everyday. Id say maybe 5 times a week. If I had a SAC, I'd add on another 2-3 hours the night before (I'm a crammer, sue me). Anyway, I didn't have a balance, nor did I work my arse off. I kinda just procrastinated... A lot. I procrastinated studying by studying, cleaning by exercising, and everything by playing pokemon.

Did you do a sport or part time job?

No sport, just walking. Part time job, yes. I worked 10-20 hours weekly. A lot of people criticise this, but I think it helped keep me sane. It was something to take my mind off studying for a few hours. Even through exams, I worked 5-10 hours a week.

Did you make endless amounts of notes and completed countless practice questions or spend hours each night studying?

I wrote up notes in class, never any more. When I studied, it was mostly reading, practice questions, or discussions with peers. From September onwards, I just smashed practice exams. For legal I did 22, but this year I only did maybe 5-10 for each subject (except lit, which I neglected, and wrote only 4 essays, oops). I learn through discussing, so a lot of my learning was just sitting down with my teachers or mates and talking about the content. As I already mentioned, I didn't study much at all.

Do you regret anything?

Yeah, but I'm slowly getting over it.
I regret doing further and methods both in one year. It made me hate Maths so much haha, and ultimately impacted my scores in both. I regret relying on natural ability in literature, it only gets you so far .


Overall, while our contributions may give you ideas, it really just depends on what works for you. Find a balance that gives good results and stick to it! However, I cannot express enough the importance of mental and social well being through the year.