HSC Stuff > New South Wales Education Discussion
Getting a 99+ ATAR: Tips from a 99.80 Student
ccarolineb:
--- Quote from: jamonwindeyer on March 06, 2016, 11:41:22 pm ---Hey lazydreamer! I can't say I've ever had the experience of a total mind blank, and I am fortunate in that way. What I will say is that my Year 12 Extension Math half yearly made me feel like absolute crap. I just saw questions I didn't know how to do, blanked on how to begin approaching them, got stressed and ended up not attempting quite a few questions in the paper. I never leave questions unattempted, so while my marks and rank ended up being pretty good for the exam anyway, it shook me up a little.
I actually think a little scare is a good thing, especially if it is in half yearly exams (not so fun if it happens in Trials). If you stuff up an exam, you get a weird combination of emotions. Depression (what the hell just happened), anxiety (what is going to happen now), confusion (I thought I was pretty ready), but perhaps most important of all... Determination. When I had this half yearly, that night I remember sitting down at my desk and thinking, "Right, I am never letting that happen again."
I studied like an absolute freak for Extension from that point on, and I ended up with a string of math tasks where I didn't lose a mark. The half yearly gave me a massive kick of momentum, it "woke me up" I suppose you could say.
So, my advice to not let this happen again is, pretty much, to capitalise on the fact that it did happen. Let it drive you forward, and make you say: "No, you know what, I'm not letting that happen again." The key is, don't stop working. Just stay focused, keep up with what is happening in class, and reflect on what went wrong and improve it for next time.
I know this post is very pseudo-inspirational pep-talk styled, rather than technical study advice, but I seriously think that momentum and mindset is so important for coming back from things like this. No amount of technical advice I give on "not stuffing up exams" (which I've written lots about for Math already and will write lots more about in the future) will matter if you aren't in the right frame of mind to use it :D
So, think about what went wrong this time, think about why you came out feeling the way you did, and make a promise to yourself that you will never feel that way again. Use your setback as a deterrent for future setbacks, and as a drive to push you to better performances in the future ;D
PS - If you did want some technical study advice, let me know which subjects you struggled in! I can give you some pointers (if I did the subject) or it may even have a guide on the way ;D
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any tips on how to study for english? especially the modules?
jamonwindeyer:
--- Quote from: ccarolineb on May 28, 2016, 12:03:33 pm ---any tips on how to study for english? especially the modules?
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Lots, and lots, and lots of practice ;D I always spent a decent amount of time selecting my quotes and organising them into nice study sheets that were easy to reference and remember, but primarily, practice makes perfect for English. Write lots and lots, and get feedback on absolutely everything that you can. You've been posting stuff in our marking threads already, this is perfect! Even just smash out a paragraph and get us to read it, get a teacher to read it, get a friend to read it, the more you write (and get feedback) the better you will get ;D
kimmie:
I use the pomodoro app too but mines like 30 minutes each study session
--- Quote from: jamonwindeyer on July 24, 2015, 03:02:51 pm ---Hey there! Sorry for the late reply, with all the guides around I sometimes forget to check one or two threads.
I'll start by saying that I only started doing past papers in full after Trials. I never had time before my Trials. I used other study methods, which did include practice questions, just never in a proper practice exam scenario.
By programs for timing applications, I assume you mean like iPhone apps and stuff? There are two that I like. First, the Pomodoro Technique . Search it on any app store or in google and something will pop up, basically it is just the idea that you do 50 minutes on, 10 minutes off, or some similar configuration. I loved having the break, and most apps will do this automatically for you, and even keep track of how many "pomodoros" (study sessions) you complete over the day. I would normally do 3 hour slots, with 50 minute Pomodoros/10 minute breaks, then 1-1.5 hour breaks in between. If I was doing a practice paper, I'd obviously not take the 10 minute breaks. All in all I ended up with about 9 hours study a day.
The second app I love is 30:30 , a nice little iOS app. It lets you make a list of stuff with time limits then work through it. It can repeat stuff, change times on the fly, it's a cool flexible timer. Not as structured as a Pomodoro, so it worked better for me in certain situations (setting myself time limits to do questions in chapters, then needing to add 5 minutes because I hit a hard question, etc).
Besides these, any old reminders app and a timer will do. However, these two are free, so why not I say.
Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by either of these apps, but if either company wants to sponsor me, I accept food donations.
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shailerpennell:
whoops 1 year late but god damn Atar notes is my life saver! This post was so so so helpful, thank you!!!
jamonwindeyer:
--- Quote from: shailerpennell on July 20, 2016, 07:23:46 pm ---whoops 1 year late but god damn Atar notes is my life saver! This post was so so so helpful, thank you!!!
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You are welcome! So happy it helped you!! ;D be sure to let me know if you need help finding stuff around the forums! ;D
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