Jamon - Ask a State Ranker (Q+A Closed!)

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi Jamon, the day before every exam, what time did you go to bed? and how did you study the day before the exam?
Also, how did you manage your time for paper 2 of English?

Hey!! I was actually really good and always got to bed by like 10:30 the night before an exam, to wake up at 7:00 or so! I never get this much sleep before an exam anymore (probably why I never do as well, aha ), really crucial to be rested! I go through my approach to the day before an exam in this guide  - Basically, I do some last intensive practice in the morning, then in the evening just lighter stuff. Reading notes, jotting down random points, etc etc

For Paper 2, I spent 40 minutes on each essay strictly, spreading time evenly is vital. I started with the essay I was most confident with (Module A) and finished with my least confident (Module C) - This means I did the paper in order, but you should do it easiest to hardest. Get the 'easy' marks first!

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey! With Musicology, how did you make your viva voces go from decent to sophisticated band 6 presentations? Also, any major tips for compositions?

Hey! Welcome to the forums!

For the Viva, I think a decent one is one that covers the concepts of music with reference to excerpts. To be sophisticated:

- The focus question needs to be insightful and clever, not just "Let's look at the concepts of music." Mine was about how polystylism creates musical interest in progressive rock music, for example.
- Lots of practical examples - Sing melodies, drum rhythms, etc etc
- Being able to answer questions confidently and correctly, thus proving you have wholistic knowledge and aren't just regurgitating for your Viva

I wrote a guide on the Viva, you can read it here! The composition is tough because it depends on your topic and style - Understand what a composition in your chosen style sounds like, and what it looks like on paper, and make sure you match those stylistic conventions. Understand the limitations of your instrument (your composition should be playable). Beyond all, make it interesting! You should actually enjoy listening to your composition, it should sound cool!

Lastly, what is the best way to study for maths when you keep making little mistakes? Thanks

Practice! I wish I had fancier advice but it is literally down to doing a heap of problems, enough that those mistakes start to disappear (they will, I promise)

[jamonwindeyer]

Hello Jamon, for your legal studies essays, did you let the LCM drive your debate/thesis rather than let the concepts drive the specific argument you were trying to present? For example, if you had cases that specifically showed Law Reform as highly ineffective, you would structure your essays around the LCM rather than just talk about blanket concepts? I found this has worked for me quite well and want your thoughts.

Thanks!
Primallis.

Hey! I think I see what you are saying, and I've definitely done it in a few of my essays! It works really well! the only warning I'd have is to avoid letting it force you into long descriptions of laws and cases instead of analysis - Provided you avoid this, your structure will work fantastically!

[jamonwindeyer]

How important are the trials? Ive been told, by some teachers as well who have been teaching for a long time, that theyre meant for us to practice for a reason so they are not too big a deal. Ive read some threads online that are similar. But another side says theyre extremely important. Its concerning to have conflicted sides. Im wondering like, do trials impact your atar by a lot?

Thank you x

Hey! Welcome to the forums!

Rather than hearsay, I reckon you might like to judge for yourself. Here is a guide I wrote that explains everything you want to know about how your ATAR is calculated Trials are important, sure, because they make up a significant portion of your internal mark. So, if your half yearly was worth 20% and Trials 40%, these are twice as important as half yearlies. But really, long term, the HSC is WAYYYY more important!! So yes, they are important, but in perspective they are nowhere near as vital as that exam at the end of the year

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey Jamon, what's the best way to study for he HSC without burning out? I want to do as much as I can over the next 12 weeks so I feel very prepared, but I'm worried that I'm going to use all my energy now and not have any left when I get closer to my exams. Also, how did you plan you study, like how much did you do per week for each subjet? Thank you

Hey Claudia! My big bit of advice to avoid burning out before October is to take a huge break after Trials - A few weeks! Recharge the batteries, refresh the brain, and come back in late August ready to smash your last month and a half out of the park! Burning out is usually because you've worked too hard for too long, and rest is the best way to avoid that

I wrote a guide on writing a good study timetable you can read here in the lead up to the HSC, I did a Maths past paper every morning for like a month and a half. In hindsight, a bad call, but I was aiming for a state rank in 2U (didn't get it - lame ). The rest was spread fairly evenly amongst the rest of my subjects (Music got very little time because most assessment was done, only the Aural Exam left and I didn't prep for that as hard as my other exams). I put a bit more time into the subjects I struggled more with (mainly English). In the month before the HSC I usually did 9 hours study a day - 3 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon, 3 in the evening

Everyone will have a study schedule that works for them, your job is to figure out what yours is!

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi again Jamon,

I already asked a question but just wanted to ask another

Through out Year 12 did you know that you would most likely be getting an ATAR of 99+? Were there times when you thought it would be impossible? How did you know what ATAR to expect and what kind of marks you would need to get/work you would need to put in to get it (as ATAR calculators aren't really accurate)?

Most of all, how did you overcome the barrier to having the mindset that you could achieve an ATAR that high?

Thank you

Hey again! Love that you asked another - These are cool questions

Did I know I was getting 99+? Not really. I knew I was getting 90+, I knew that was within my reach and as assessments went my way I got more confident. After I did well in Trials, I thought, "Wow, I might get 95 or above here!"

99+ may have crossed my mind, but I never actually considered it a possibility, mostly because only one other person at my school had ever gotten one while I was attending, I just didn't see it as viable. I remember going to careers expos and being told the same because I was from Western Sydney and "People out there don't get 99+." So I was lead to believe that it wasn't going to happen. I worked my butt off to stick it to those idiots at the careers expos who told me I couldn't, but even in doing so, I guess part of me just thought, "Nah." I think maybe I knew I could but I didn't want to get my hopes up?

Anyway, as I was doing my exams - I started feeling confident. By the time I was done I was really confident. Then I got my HSC marks, and I couldn't believe it, but at the time I didn't know a heap about how the ATAR was calculated. I was pretty blind as to what I was looking at. I put my marks into calculators and got 99+, but I thought "There is surely no way..." As you say, ATAR calculators are inaccurate, always been told to take them at face value

Then I got the ATAR the next morning, my girlfriend called me to wake me and ask what I'd gotten because I'd slept in, and I opened it and probably came close to crying. I saw a number that reflected the effort I'd put in, when for 12 months people had lead me to believe that wasn't going to happen because of the subjects I'd chosen or the area I lived in. The sense of relief was overwhelming!

Sorry, went on a tangent and didn't answer your questions directly, but I guess they aren't really applicable to me. I was always lead to believe 99+ was impossible (or at least highly unlikely) for me. I never knew what sort of ATAR to expect because, firstly I was grossly uneducated about the whole process and what a 99+ actually looked like in terms of marks, and secondly, because I didn't invest a lot of time thinking about it. My concern was only to do as well as I could, whatever that was. I was stumbling blind, and didn't really have a goal because I didn't know what my goal was supposed to be or what was realistic, aha

In terms of overcoming the mindset that "I couldn't," most of that came from external sources. If anything, those critics made me work harder, just to stick it to them

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi Jamon,

Just wanted to ask how you studied for legal, particularly with remembering legislation.
Also did you do advanced english?? If so what related texts did you use for discovery?? and also any tips on how to analyse them?? Thanks 

Hey! Welcome to the forums!

For Legal I made summary sheets like these for my legislation/cases and such, then had this as a reference while I wrote a heap of practice essays! I'm a big believer that the easiest way to memorise your content is to apply it, learn through using the knowledge. This could be practice essays, practice paragraphs, even teaching your peers - But using the knowledge will force it to sink in really quickly!

Sorry I can't help with your second question, I did do Advanced but I did the old study design! We do have a list of good ORT's you can read though, check it out here

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey Jamon!
I was wondering 2 things regarding Advanced English

Hey hey! Let's do it:

- Do you think it is likely to be asked for a specific poem to refer to (Eg. Donne) in a response? How do you prepare for this (I focus on 3 main poems to tie into my repsonses in prep)

They did it to a bunch of people last year, so can't count it out this year!! I had a similar issue for speeches, all I did was plan what speeches I'd link to each other if one was prescribed. So, if Speech A was prescribed, I'd link it to Speech C and Speech E, as an example. You unfortunately just need to have enough quotes/techniques memorised for every poem to be able to handle any poem if it is prescribed, no shortcuts there!

- In regards to a module B essay, I'm finding it harder to prep for as the questions can be super specific or broad. Thematicially? What if they ask to refer to a certain the characterisation of a certain character (seen in a past question), how would you plan to structure your paragraphs?
CSSA Trials!
Thanks so much!

Hey! That question was brutal, very glad I didn't have to deal with it. I'd still structure the essay thematically, but just explore the themes with respect to that character. Of course, that's the ideal response - You have to work with the evidence you have prepared on the day, definitely a brutal question indeed

This guide might also help: Guide to Module B Essays!

[jamonwindeyer]

Hello! For Legal Studies trials or even hsc, there's so much in the syllabuses and there is never enough time to write essays for completely every possible essay question, so how do you suggest being prepared enough for any question that could come besides memorizing?

Hey! Welcome to the forums!!

I definitely don't recommend memorising, instead I'd suggest preparing a broad set of evidence that can respond to pretty much any question. Make a summary of this evidence similar to this so it is easy to reference, and then using this to help you practice for as many questions as possible! Practice makes perfect, as they say

Beyond this, it is vital to know your syllabus! They'll never ask an essay question on the first part of Crime, for example, it is too narrow! Knowing your syllabus helps you narrow down your options and do less hard work as a result

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey Jamon, do you have any tips on how to structure Crime essays? I find it hard to adapt to the question sometimes and still maintain a coherent structure. Thanks!

Hey! Welcome to the forums!! I can't really recommend a one size fits all structure, because it definitely depends on the question! Something that will work for a lot of questions is a paragraph on rights of the offender, another on rights of the victim, another on rights of society - How the legal system protects and upholds rights for each of these three groups, filled with content to suit the question! This would work for pretty much any question except one on international crime (which was asked in 2015 anyway), or perhaps some other theme/challenge question (compliance/non compliance). But it is something to have in the back pocket!

Besides that, do as much practice as possible so you are used to adjusting your ideas to new questions, and get feedback on your structure as you go! Practice makes perfect after all

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi Jamon! Could you please give me any tips regarding legal MC? They can be pretty curly and they often pull things out that aren't found in textbooks How can I approach or prepare for these?

Hey! My biggest for these is that you should not be picking one correct answer. You should be picking three incorrect answers. Answering by elimination will prevent silly mistakes and force you to consider all options properly

Besides this, you are right, they test curly stuff. You just have to practice. Do as many practice multiple choice sections as you can possibly find (perhaps just blitz them all at once the day before the exam?) and try and identify common question types and common tricks! Practice makes perfect - Especially for something where the tiniest detail matters like in Legal MC

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi Jamon, so for my legal trial, I've just found out that because we havent reached our second elective topic, we have to write TWO essays on world order. I know that in world order essays, you talk about the legal and non-legal international instruments and mechanisms, but how do I differentiate the two essays? I've looked at past papers and the questions are usually pretty similar. Any help is much appreciated!

Hey! Bruuuutal, that is rough! Differentiating the two essays will be tough, because you are right, questions are similar. They'll probably make them as different as possible on purpose - Beyond responding to each question with a killer Thesis tailored to the question, I'd not stress about differentiating them! Who cares if they are a little similar - If one is 20/20, you'd want the other to be similar, right?

You could try a different structure too - Maybe one essay response by response, another case by case?

[jamonwindeyer]

How many words should I be aiming for crime and option essays for legal?

Hey! Quality over quantity, of course, but my Crime essays normally hovered around the 800-900 word mark, and my Option essays around the 1100 word mark!! It very much depends on style, and depends on how many paragraphs you want, all sorts of stuff. Rough guide - Get into your second booklet for your Crime essay at a minimum, and get as close to the end of your second booklet as possible for your Option essay, perhaps even into a third booklet (for average size handwriting at least)

Don't focus much on length though - Write as much as you can with the time you have, and focus on making those words as good as they can be

[jamonwindeyer]

Realistically, is it possible to get a 99+ atar with some low scaling subjects?

Hey!! Well I got one doing Music 1 (among the lowest scaling courses in the HSC) and Legal (not too bad, not that crash hot either). Emily got one without doing Extension Math, or Physics or Chem or Bio, all humanities and English. So, totally! If you are performing near the top in those lower scaling subjects, the poor scaling won't really impact you a whole lot anyway

Here is a guide on scaling if you are interested!

[jamonwindeyer]

Do you have any tips on balancing study for content heavy subjects (i.e. biology and legal) with ext1 maths? I find maths requires a lot of time because its just so bloody hard, but I do need a lot of time to memorise the concepts in my other subjects. . . finding it quite tricky to balance during my trials atm thanks for your help

Hey! It sounds like you could use a study timetable to help you prioritise your time properly! Ultimately you do want to achieve a pretty even balance between everything, perhaps slightly more on subjects you are struggling in, and a timetable can help with this

Check out this guide I wrote on study timetables!

What you should do is use those different subject "styles" to your advantage, alternate them so you aren't doing MX1 for too long, aren't doing content heavy things for too long - Keep it switched up! Easier for your brain to handle