zsteve (99.95 ATAR): "Ask Me Anything!"

[zsteve]

ANother question..

1-Are university science exams hard? I'm assuming it would be because you need to know/remember lots of information. But if this is the case, wouldn't it be very hard to get a H1?

Hey uni science subjects are often hard, but it differs from subject to subject. You definitely need to remember heaps of information though! Getting a H1 definitely does require a significant amount of effort but from what I've seen it's generally an achievable goal.

2-what breadth subjects did you do/are you doing? Are these subjects easy or hard?

I've done Intro micro and inter micro (microeconomics). These subjects definitely weren't easy, but they weren't super hard either (wanna know what's hard? MAST30021 x_x)

[zsteve]

Hey Steve, I have a few questions
1. How early did you begin exam revision?

I started exam revision in around mid-late August, some subjects earlier (like Methods) but others a bit later (like Chemistry)

2. Did you work ahead in any of your subjects? If so how far ahead?

Yes, I did try to work ahead in some of my subjects. In general, I tried to work a few weeks ahead (I got time to do this during the summer holidays as well as time spent studying during term holidays). For some subjects like Methods, I was able to get quite far ahead because of the content being quite conceptual and mostly questions-oriented, whilst for subjects like English Language I wasn't ahead much at all.

2. Since you were going to the distance education centre, how did they distribute SACs for you?

It differed, some SACs like Chemistry or Physics pracs were done at the DECV centre (so I had to travel there to do it in their labs)

[zsteve]

Thanks for your reply.

When you mean 400-500 students enrolled in Biomed, are you including the whole number of students (i.e the students from first years, second and third)? If so, do you know how many are there ONLY in the third year's batch(i.e the ones which are graduating soon)?

Hey! This is for an individual year level People generally don't drop out so I don't think the number changes with year level.

[zsteve]

Is there still a chance I'll get a decent ATAR if I did 'eh' in semester one? 

Absolutely of course! You've got Unit 4 ahead of you and also exams (which are always at least 60%, probably more). If you can pull up your game now as much as you can, you'll at least be making some difference. Bottom line - doing something is ALWAYS at least better than doing nothing

[zsteve]

Hi
1. How much study you did each night and what it consisted of?
2. How many hours in a week of study?
3. How early did you start working on full practice exams?

I've answered identical questions earlier, so take a look through the (6 page  ) backlog!

4. What are your tips if i am failing chemistry right now but need to get a decent study score for my uni course?

Keep trying - you've got Unit 4 and the exam ahead of you! with Chemistry the scope of questions is really really broad so going through your textbook questions as well as other resources is really important because practice is in my opinion at least 50% of the necessary work behind mastering any topic. If you're really struggling with understanding chemistry concepts, a judiciously selected tutor may be of great help. I can't really give a more detailed response without more info about what you're struggling with though

[zsteve]

Hi Stephen, Thanks for doing this.
A few quick question:
1. What was the hardest part in Specialist Math

Circular functions for sure... my previous response was:

"Circular functions. Because. It. Is. Hell.
Yeah I just wasn't really into it unfortunately - circular functions were too loopy and made my head go round and round. Studying for it was pretty aimless - I'd end up just going in circles "

2. Bachelor of Biomed vs Bachelor of science, is there a lot of differences?
Thanks.

Yes there are - Biomed is focused on health sciences (so you don't have the option of doing majors like maths, chem, physics, ...) while science is really broad and you can pick and choose what you like. If you're into bio, though, the same majors are offered in biomed as well as science so the difference is minimal. The Biomed course is a bit more streamlined though (things are organised better and tailored just for bio related majors), albeit at the expense of flexibility.

[zsteve]

Hey zsteve , Thanks for doing this
   Um doing VCE in another 3 months, what tips can you give me for methods and chemistry?
THankyou

I've touched on relevant points in bits and pieces with reasonable detail in past responses, but in general:
- Focus on understanding concepts rather than simply doing questions. Try to get a really good understanding now rather than leaving it to end-of-year.
- Always ask if you're confused or unsure about something
- Write study notes as a learning tool
- Practice makes perfect!

[zsteve]

Hi! So I'm currently in year 11 and I really want to study biomed in uni however that requires at least a 25 in methods but I am finding it extremely difficult because maths is not my strongest subject. Do you have any tips or advice on how to pull at least a 25 so I can have the prereq??

Hey! Don't stress - you've got quite a bit of time. I think it's important to pin down exactly what you're struggling with, and then take some time over the next few months leading up to year 12 to patch up gaps in understanding. Getting a tutor might help if you/your parents deem it necessary. I'd say its a really good idea to start working on improving maths now instead of waiting to next year- a few months can make a big difference!

In studying, I guess its also important to note a distinction between 'must-knows' and 'good-to-knows'. If you're really struggling with methods, make sure you have a grasp of the 'must-know' concepts. Don't worry too much about the good-to-know bits - as long as you have a functional understanding of the big ideas in methods, I think getting above the 25 minimum will be an achievable goal.

[zsteve]

Hello!!

I was just wondering, because I haven't stated any exam prep, How the heck do I start??? I just can't bring myself to doing it!!!

Thanks 

Hmm... don't start doing practice exams unless you've finished the course. Maybe start doing chapter reviews or summary tests? I'd work on progressively revising what you've done since the start of the year. Below is part of a previous response:

Hey the main piece of advice would be to focus on learning content well throughout the year and to revise regularly (i.e. say spend a full weekend every months revising subject content, rather than leaving it all to the end. Doing revision progressively will help you consolidate knowledge into long-term memory as well as relieving the stress at the end of the year!

[Joseph41]

Let's please give Stephen all of our gratitude by +1ing his posts.

And to save him, let's also set the cut-off for questions now. If you've asked a question, zsteve will get around to it - but otherwise, thank you very much, Stephen!

[zsteve]

Hey zsteve,

Just a few questions

1. Which company practice exams do recommend for specialist and methods (ie MAV, TSSM etc...)

VCAA is always the best. MAV and Neap were good as far as I remember, Heffernan is a bit on the easy side. TSSM was really hard, but I did like only one paper from them. Make sure you take company exams with a grain of salt-  the styles of questions they have are often not reflective of the actual VCAA exam, and at times they can even be wrong/broken.

2. Which topic did you struggle the most with in specialist and chemistry?

Specialist - circular functions (didn't like that stuff )
Chemistry - not sure, probably electrochemistry? That topic was definitely the one that caused the most confusion with concepts for me, some of which I only resolved this year actually (when teaching chemistry classes myself lol)

[zsteve]

Hi Steve,
 - How did you structure and make your notes, and how long did it take you to make them? How can you make notes faster from textbook content?

My notes generally followed the order of topics that I covered in the textbook, and they were pretty much dot-point summaries through which I explained content I learned back to myself. A lot of the time I wrote my notes simultaneously with reading the textbook, so I guess that's as efficient as it gets. It takes time, but it made sure that I really had a good understanding of the content.

- What did you do for the 3-4 months leading up to your exams in terms of revision? How many practise exams did you do?

See previous responses

- If you average low scores for one of your subjects in the first semester, is it possible to still get approx 40 raw score if you average 95 and above in your SACs and exam for that subject?

I'm not the most qualified to answer unfortunately - I'm not super familiar with the scoring system despite having done VCE. It depends on which subject/your cohort/a lot of things. Maybe ask around in the Study Score estimation thread here? https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=138501.0

- I also do a uni subject, and I wanted to know how that increment is calculated. Can I calculate my own increment if I have my Sem 1 and 2 overall grades? And if you don't mind me asking, what was your study score increment?

My increment was 5.0 (mark of 90+). Might depend on your particular subject/uni, but I think there is a table here:
https://atarnotes.com/uni-extension/

• The extension subject will count towards your ATAR as a 5th or 6th subject. This is done by way of an aggregate increment. Generally speaking:

                   90+ average = 5.0 aggregate contribution (equivalent to 50).

                   80+ average = 4.5 aggregate contribution (equivalent to 45).

                   70+ average = 4.0 aggregate contribution (equivalent to 40).

                   … and so on!

I don't have the prerequisite of Maths Methods, to pursue the Commerce degree I want at either Melbourne or Monash. My teacher has advised me to do an Arts degree at Melbourne and do subjects that will be the equivalent of methods, and then transfer into the Commerce degree in Sem 2. However, the advisor at a Melb uni open day told me that this may not be the safest plan because there may not be any spots opened in the commerce degree subjects in Sem 2, for me to transition into. So could you advise me as to whether or not this is the best way? and any other pathways that could help me overcome this prerequisite issue.
Sorry that was a lot but thank you so much!!!

Hmm... I'm not sure actually. I think the UniMelb advisors would be best qualified to respond as they are most familiar with the regulations. Try to book an appointment with a course advisor and talk it through with them. They'll be able to give you advice in more detail than the Open Day staff would be able to. Mid-year entry into Commerce is possible and I believe some measures are taken to make that feasible for students, but I think it may be quite competitive mid year due to shortage of places. This is just my intuition, but check with UoM staff

[heids]

How many trillion words have you written in this thread?!  Insane, man.

[zsteve]

How many trillion words have you written in this thread?!  Insane, man.

lel im dying halp

[zsteve]

Hi
I was wondering what marks did u need to average in order to get above 45 as ur study score?
 

Difficult to answer, because SAC marks differ between schools (due to difficulty of SACs, etc.) however, I think I was rank 1 for most of my subjects.