Since I was asked to make this thread, I'll try and be round to answer all your questions today and tomorrow - all the best for your exam!
I just want to let you know that I'm believing in your abilities to smash the rest of the HHD cohort hollow.... so here are some exam tips to help out! Believe in yourself, your memory, and your invention skills, and you'll kill this exam.
Answer the question. Yeah, I mean it.The most self-evident and most forgotten exam tip possible. Read the question, figure out exactly what it is trying to say, and answer it. If it asks you to describe Medicare, well, describe Medicare. Don't go off contrasting it with private health insurance or explaining its impact on health status, because if the question doesn't ask that, they're not going to give you any marks for saying it. Don't throw in irrelevant detail just to pad out the answer and make you look knowledgeable. Waffling only annoys those all-powerful examiners and hides your real, mark-scoring points.
Look at exactly what the question is asking you to do, and map out an answer with all the necessary information to fulfil the question's requirements.
That's my top tip for getting 50.
So I want you to walk into the exam with this in mind:
Answer the question, the whole question, and nothing but the question.Read questions VERY carefully; don’t jump to conclusions.Just because it’s LIKE another question you’ve done doesn’t mean it is the same. Check if it says, ‘other than’ or similar trick things. Make sure you're actually answering what the question's asking! Underline key words and read questions thoroughly twice.
When answering, don't cut corners.Better to overdo than underdo. No matter how tedious, follow through your formula to the very end. Write 3 marks' worth for a 2-mark question. Why? Because, why on earth would you risk a mark with inadequate explanation!?! Isn't it better to make the examiner 10000% sure that they can't take off a mark? Always give enough, no, more than enough details. (As long as you actually have something extra and fully relevant to say, and don't struggle too much with timing, of course.)
Easiest first!As you reach each question, make a snap decision on whether you can easily complete it or not. If easy: fill it in and use a highlighter to mark the 'a.' or 'b. i.' that you just finished. If hard: move on. When you get to the end, repeat, only looking at unhighlighted questions. This works because you get on a roll with easy questions and on't panic, and if you run out of time, you've got down all the stuff you know best. If you still have time at the end, skim your answers and add/change bits here and there.
Be inventive.Don’t stress if you can’t think of the answer.Don't stress if you can't think of the answer; often it's in there somewhere... it just takes a bit of time to dig out, so leave it till last. If you still can't answer, make it up. Don't panic - dredge up any information vaguely related from your head, note it down in the margin, and chew on it until you can come up with a semi-reasonable answer. Inventiveness is THE hugest skill of HHD.
e.g. imagine you got this question, and you'd never learnt anything like this:
Describe the role of VicHealth. Think, 'VicHealth. what do I know about that?' Hopefully you should be getting ideas about their mission and strategic priorities. Then you should be like 'well I guess their mission and priorities are kinda like what they're going to DO, so if I summarise those and how they're part of VicHealth's role, that should be pretty good.' So note down key details from these, and you should be able to make up a role!
e.g. from my exam: the differences between saturated and trans fats. I didn't know. But I was like 'saturated fats - what in the world do I know about them?' I finally listed down, among other things, 'raises levels of LDL cholesterol.' Then 'trans fats - what do I know about them?' I finally listed, 'raises levels of LDL cholesterol and lowers levels of HDL.' Voila. I had an answer - sat fats only raise LDL, while trans raise LDL
and lower HDL. Bingo.
Draw out EVERYTHING vaguely related, and try wild invention skills. You'll score impossible marks that way.
Answer everything and put down all you've gotEven if you (think you) have no clue... There's no point getting 0/3 when you could get 1/3.
Case in point: VCAA 2014, Q15c.
i. 'Describe an immunisation program that could be implemented that takes into account two elements of sustainability.' (4 marks)
ii. 'Explain how this program could improve human development.' (3 marks)
1 in 4 people, yes 1 in 4, got 0 marks for this.
Even if you feel clueless, check what relevant knowledge you have and list it; e.g. list 2 elements of sustainability even if you can’t link them in; even just say ‘an immunisation program could be implemented in schools to increase rates of immunisation of children in developing countries’! You never know when they'll give you a mark!
For cii., even if you haven’t created a program, you simply have to explain how increasing immunisation rates could promote HD. Part ci. isn’t essential for full marks on cii. Even just saying 'increasing immunisation could help people lead productive and creative lives blah blah blah', while it won't ever get you full marks as you haven't explained the link, may get you 1-2. Believe that NO QUESTION will ever be able to throw you enough that you can't get 1 marks' worth down, just something.Use reading time.Get a feel for the paper, identify 'hard' questions to leave till last, read through case studies and charts, start phrasing some of your answers in your head.
Be specific.Avoid anything vague or generalised: 'X would reduce mortality in the population', 'this program increases access to safe water'. Always give specific examples (like, 'X would reduce mortality from cholera and diarrhoea', or 'this program builds pumps and tippy taps near schools using local materials to...').
Picture yourself as the examiner.When you write an answer, think - if you were an examiner, would you give full marks? If not, why not? What parts have you missed or could you include? Have you highlighted key points so they stand out? Is a lot of it irrelevant waffle that doesn't deserve any marks at all? etc.
Always, I repeat always, refer to stimulus material provided in your answer.Quote data and case studies at every possible chance.
Highlight key points.Structure your answers, often under headings, with underlined key points, or by separating main points using colons and dashes. It saves time and shows the examiner clearly that you know your stuff.
e.g. Behavioural – tobacco smoking: rural and remote groups tend to have higher rates of smoking than... and thus...
e.g. Multilateral aid: where aid is... [definition]Write super-humanly fast. But try to be neat!
Get excited 
Cheesy but true. Think, 'Ooh, yay! Isn't that a bea-yoo-ti-ful sentence I wrote... I just killed that question and there's another mark the examiner just has to give me!' I promise it really truly works.
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