Advice for a future HSC student? (1 Viewer)

[zhertec]

I'm currently nearing the end of my preliminary years, and I want to establish a better study routine for y12 (not so organised in year 11 >.< ). So I'm just asking for some advice on how to achieve an ATAR >99, I know obviously that there is no guarantee even if I study like 24/7 etc, but like what would I have to do to increase the chances of obtaining my desired atar?

Preferably what were the hardships/errors that you encountered during your hsc year, and assuming you could go back time, what would you have done differently? (personal anecdotes would be nice :3).


Bonus-ish question: Lets say you have 11 units in total, and like your atar is determined by your best 10 units, assuming that you do bad in a 2 unit subject, but good in an extension (1 unit), what does the board of studies do in that case? Do they like take half the 2 units into consideration? or are they obliged to take the 2 unit subject (crappier) mark to fulfil those 10 units?

Thanks
Zhertec

 

[astroman]

HSC is not a test about who's the smartest, but who's the most organised

 

[Intrinsic]

If I could go back in time I'd definitely do alot more past papers, and also learn how to structure your response in both short answers and extended response across all your subjects. Along with that, learn how to study and identify the best methods to memorise for YOU.

 

[Speed6]

Be organised, committed and have consistency those are your key to success and will ultimately lead you to your goal of what it may be. Mindset is really important as well btw and I might sound blunt but get some sleep, it will make your recent knowledge active whilst you rest and let your body re-energise for the next day (Don't burn out).

I hope this helps [emoji4]

 

[faisalabdul16]

Don't bludge or procrastinate. Study consistently throughout the HSC period. Do not cram before exams.
Every single exam counts, even one mark can make a massive difference in regards to ranks. Always push yourself to achieve the highest possible mark in all your examinations

 

[dinomyte]

Stuff like don't procrastinate, be consistent, sleep more, etc, must sound really repetitive at this point and you've probably heard the same things all the time. But those are also the most important. Ideally you need to be committed throughout the whole year, but to be honest everyone procrastinates. So yeah, give yourself downtime sometimes but keep a committed attitude. And I would really really recommend really knowing your syllabus requirements, and reading up on lots of exemplar essays and stuff and know what a band 6 looks like, so you can reproduce the same, if not better stuff. I collected a lot of notes and exemplars this year and they really helped me - filled in a lot of gaps in my own notes.

Also it's really important to maintain emotional health in exams and particularly during trials when it can get really stressful. During trials I was so stressed that I would skip dinner sometimes or only eat half as much as I would usually eat because I just didn't have the appetite! LOL And it turned out that I actually did better in tests that I stressed less about.

Do not feel down if you screw up one of your assessments. You can still salvage your rank, so you can "afford" to screw up one of your assessments. Try not to get emotional, but really just focus on your weaknesses so you can do better for next time. I found that this was the best attitude to have during the whole year - trying to work hard and outperform yourself every time. After the half year assessments I was pretty bummed because I was ranking near the bottom for english extension and I really considered dropping it. But after trials I jumped around 90 ranks so I'm really glad I kept with the subject.

I wish I submitted more essays for my English and History teachers to mark. Teachers' feedback is always invaluable especially for essay subjects and they let you know where your gaps are. I should've written practice essays earlier and not a few days before the exam so I would actually have time to hand it in and get feedback for it before the exam actually started. But the times when I did write essays early and got feedback for it, it actually helped me so much and I ended up performing the best in those.

Peer marking is good, but be careful because criticism may or may not be helpful. Get it peer marked by a smart person because their opinion is probably more trustworthy LOL

Good luck for HSC!

 

[kalstar]

All about your ability to get your shit together before your tests.

 

[nerdasdasd]

Mental mental mental

Emotional emotional emotional

Makes sure you keep your mental and end emotional health in control ... Not just grades

 

[BLIT2014]

I'd hit the past papers earlier... (through open book, and work/concentrate on structure)
Especially for short answers

Ensure you start working on essay writing early on for your essay writing subjects

Remember to have fun too!

 

[BLIT2014]

Remember to get enough sleep and excercise!

 

[Lollipop212]

Thanks guys this was actual pretty helpful. Although I know some of it your minders are really something for me to think about when I go into year twelve next term. Thank you

 

[failedtrials]

Have a long term goal ie: what course you will do at uni. This one is ABSOLUTELY crucial for motivation. Do not aim for the atar, instead aim for the course you will do. At least, that's what i would do if i went back in time.

 

[strawberrye]

Have a read through my senior study guide if you haven't, it might be helpful http://community.boredofstudies.org...how-excel-senior-year-studies-yr-11-12-a.html

 

[zhertec]

Yes I have read your guide strawberrye ,very informative :3, btw thanks guys for the advice! And um just another question, how do you maintain motivation throughout the year? I mean there are some times where I'm so pumped to do well cause of horrid marks, but then the next few days, this motivation dies away and in the end barely anything has changed.

P.S. anyone have knowledge of the Bonus-ish question yet? xD

 

[jdennis]

Have a real holiday at the end of this term. Meaning, don't think about study or school and go and enjoy yourself. That way you'll be rested and mentally prepared when you start Year 12 next term.

One thing I've found that has helped me throughout the year is to set a list of milestones that you want to achieve. So for me that was things like ends of terms, finishing an exam block, or once I knew the date of my final exam, how many days or months to go. It may not work for others but I found that being able to say "In two/three/four weeks term 1/mid course exams/trials will be over" made the year (so far anyway) seem manageable as it divided it up into smaller chunks. Coincidentally today was one such milestone, I've got 50 days to go until I've finished school forever.

Remember that no matter what ATAR you get, the sun will come up the next day. There are so many ways to get into uni or whatever you want to do that your ATAR really isn't as important as people will tell you. That's not to say you can slack off and do no work, but if things go badly for you at any point, it's not the end of the world.

The HSC is a marathon, not a sprint. Take some time off every so often (for me, this is one day a week, usually Sunday, and to achieve this I work Friday nights). Make sure you keep up your social and sporting commitments. And sometimes you won't feel like working or you won't have a very productive day. That's ok! One day in the year is not going to make or break your HSC. Keep things in perspective and just do your best! Think about walking out of your last exam and being able to say "I'm done, and I have no regrets."