Study tips for biology!

[CaptainAwesom1311]

So i got my first two sacs mark and I got 9/16 and 8/18... I have no idea what im doing! I keep studying incredibly hard and i get no results and far below anything ive ever gotten. What   really sucks is that i was really hoping for a 40+ but unfortunately i obviously won't be able to get it so now I just want to get 30.
I've also been doing checkpoints and I actually get nearly all the questions right....?
I don't know where im going wrong espicially since in my other subjects ive been doing pretty well (ie been getting over 90s in the rests of my sacs for subjects that are notorious for having super hard SACS that in the past get scaled up dramatically)
any advice on how to approach biology and the questions? or even recommendations of how to more effectively study for this subject?
thank you for your help! 

[MightyCookie]

First of all, you need to remember that you can always improve in your exams, and regarding that the exam is actually 60% towards the study score, that's a whole chunk. So, I'm just saying, you still can get close to your goal! YOUGOTTABELIEEEEVE

Anyways, what I've been doing for SACs is checkpoints, and creating summary sheets (cheat sheets) whatever you call them, and also look around for any good resources and learn the ways other people approach answering questions. -Chuck all these different pointers into a plastic pocket- And always make sure you know where you need to improve in your SACs, otherwise you'll just keep on making the same mistakes.

That's all i can think of now, Good luck for the next sacs... (you know...only 8 to go..i think.  )

[MrsStark]

If your teacher lets you take the Sac home, take advantage of it and practise writing the questions and google anything you dont get. Look at the criteria/ rubrix thingy and understand what knowledge you need to show to get the most marks. Or talk to your teacher one on one about what you are doing wrong. And if you know what your sac is on, spend some time exploring, researching and revising that section

[CaptainAwesom1311]

i talked to the teacher about my sacs and she couldn't tell me exactly what i needed to do better
she kind of waffled on and didn't give a direct answer! it was so unhelpful! would you recommend just giving up and getting a tutor?

[nerdmmb]

NEVER EVER GIVE UP! EVER!

So what you scored that in your first sac? You shouldn't become so pessimistic over what's happened- use this disappointment to pick yourself up form the game and keep going.

You don't need a bio tutor to do well- self study is what compensates for what you've being taught but didn't quite grasp.

Try to expose yourself to as many resources/questions as possible and always read at least a chapter ahead before class to familiarise yourself with the content so that when the teacher repeats it, you will have a firm grasp of the content.

Good luck!

[MrsStark]

i talked to the teacher about my sacs and she couldn't tell me exactly what i needed to do better
she kind of waffled on and didn't give a direct answer! it was so unhelpful! would you recommend just giving up and getting a tutor?

look, don't give up. unless you actually start to dislike the content of the course. But if you dont mind it then dont give up. The way I see it is that learning the content is one thing, then applying it and doing sac questions is another.
If you are doing unit 3/4 then your sacs get crossed marked by 2 or more teachers. go and find out about these teachers and ask them if yours doesn't help. or just be straight up with your teacher and ask direct questions and if they don't answer proply then say that you still dont have an answer to your question..nicely?lol... after all its your vce. If you are finding the structure of sacs hard or the content then yes you could get a tutor that will specificly help you with what YOU NEED HELP in. Seems to me its just the sac structure.. and also you can ask for practise sacs, like activity questions relating to the sac topic.

[gossipglamgirl]

So i got my first two sacs mark and I got 9/16 and 8/18... I have no idea what im doing! I keep studying incredibly hard and i get no results and far below anything ive ever gotten. What   really sucks is that i was really hoping for a 40+ but unfortunately i obviously won't be able to get it so now I just want to get 30.
I've also been doing checkpoints and I actually get nearly all the questions right....?
I don't know where im going wrong espicially since in my other subjects ive been doing pretty well (ie been getting over 90s in the rests of my sacs for subjects that are notorious for having super hard SACS that in the past get scaled up dramatically)
any advice on how to approach biology and the questions? or even recommendations of how to more effectively study for this subject?
thank you for your help! 

I'm in the same position as you
We got our results for the ENZYME SAC and I got 17/25 (68%), I asked my teacher to go through the SAC with me and tell me where I went wrong.
And guess what? As we were going through the SAC he gave me 2 marks for 2 of the questions because he realised that my answers were correct and that made a big difference in the percentage.
So my number 1 tip is to make your bio teacher, go through every question thoroughly and ask for help even if you're slightly confused. it's better to have clear understanding of the things you're struggling with.
Another tip this I would say is draw as many diagrams as you can relating to the topic you're struggling with, for example, labelling the fluid mosaic model . Trust me diagrams are a lifesaver!!
One more important point is to identify your weaknesses, for example, for me time management is a big issue usually i'm writing till the last second of the sac duration or it could with improvement in the language you use, for example, if there's an question on enzyme know the keywords associated with enzymes such as active site, desaturation, enzyme inhibition, substrates, etc....
Last tip and I think the most important one is to have a positive mind set, trust me, i feel like a character from Shakespeare's play when I see the tragic results but at the end of the day I would rather worry about improving my SAC results then the study score. For the time being, forget about the end result and focus on the present situation and how you can improve.
Hope that helps! xx
 

[walkec]

Make checklists for what you need to study for each SAC. I then write out what I need to know under these titles on my checklist, and I try to do so without looking at my notes. Draw lots of concept maps and diagrams and even try getting your hands on a copy of A+ Biol notes, I've found they've really helped me so far.

[Rishi97]

Look at the examiner reports on the VCAA site and make a list of the common mistakes. Speaking of common mistakes, I might make a new thread