Half yearlies prep/stress/mistakes/other (1 Viewer)

eyeseeyou

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So I decided to make this thread about half yearlies really early (so then we could think about this at an earlier stage as opposed to the half yearlies exam period when everyone's studying) and hope that past HSC students could give some insight on their half yearlies

I was just wondering but for studying for half yearlies what should it consist of other than past papers, learning from mistakes, focusing on weaknesses, making notes when necessary etc

What would be necessary exam tips other than draw diagrams to help the marker visualise what your explaining, write clearly and concisely, show full working out when necessary, always answer the essay question and always talk in terms of discovery 'conceptually' as opposed to retelling, etc

What sort of silly mistakes would I need to avoid

And for past students, how stressful was half yearlies for you? How did you cope with the stress?
 
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eyeseeyou

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And how likely do you think it is for your teachers to use a past HSC question as part of half yearlies (apparently some schools used past HSC questions for trials)
 

aoc

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for math tests my school liked using pre 2000 hsc questions so if youre prepped try going through them and doing the relevant questions, so id say its quite likely your school will use some hsc questions or questions from your schools past papers. Id also recommend trying to finish content with 2 weeks until your half yearlies to get some past papers done. For my school our half yearly was really a test of how well we knew the syllabus (esp for chem) so ensure you know definitions and dont neglect things you feel are unimportant. For maths especially our top guys finished tests with around 30 mins to go (3u and 2u) and checked the easy questions again since making a small mistake is very likely. Keep doing past papers until you can get to that speed i guess.

A good tip i used for maths was that if i couldnt see a clear way of getting an answer within 30 seconds (like having 0 idea) skip it straight away and come back if you have time. I heard some people leave induction questions to the end since the mark to work ratio is high. For english creatives i alwayds did a small plan on my first page, even though it kind of sounds stupid i hoped it was like a mini rationale and teachers would read it first to understand what i was writing about but dont do a plan in hopes that people will read it haha. For comprehension in english do not waste time looking for unique techniques, just use the first thing you see and always expand on what the technique is doing, how it is used and the impact of it.

In regards to stress i guess i was a little stressed since i had some decent ranks from 1st term and knew i needed to maintain them but if you are confident with your theory and know the syllabus in depth the stress will be minimal.

This is what i remember for now hope it helps a bit
 
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chickencoop

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General preparation for half yearlies (based on what i did - i can neither confirm nor deny if this is effective and efficient studying):

Maths:

Asking previous year 12 students and looking back on Prelim and first term of Year 12 tests to see how the exams are usually structured. Some schools opt to put in previous HSC questions into their own internal examinations to prepare the students, but personally speaking, my school did not do this so it is best to find out if your school does. When taking the maths tests, during the 5 minutes reading time, i licked my finger and did as much of the MC questions as possible, marking the answer with a bit of saliva (disgusting.. i know) so you dont have to memorise the answer.

I was actually recommended by many maths teachers and tutors to utilise the reading time by completing as much as you can because maths is not one of those subjects where 'if you look at the questions early, some idea may pop into your head on how to solve them'. One of my problems during Mathematics x1 and x2 tests was time management. Rule of thumb: if it takes you more than 1.5-2 minutes to figure out a question thats a standard low marker ie. 1-2 marks - skip it and dont waste your time. Also, leave proofs and inductions for later on when you know you have achieved the maximum marks from the shorter questions.

English:

The number of times teachers have said to me NOT TO PRE-PREPARE AN ESSAY IS TOO DAMN HIGH! Regardless, i made up generic essays with strong body paragraphs and analysis before the exams, and simply adapted the memorised essay by writing a fresh thesis and closing statements on the spot. I have always had a lot of trouble with English and i knew the odds to achieving a good mark by going into the exam room unprepared was against me so i secured the guaranteed marks by making sure that i can at least get into the B to C+ range with my body paragraphs alone.

I also used this same strategy for the external HSC and the trials (memorising 5000+ words, word for word). Also, find a way to remind yourself to write as big as possible and have as much spacing between each word as you can (without there being consequences). You should try to write 9+ pages per essay. Even though they say its "quality not quantity" etc etc, ive always thought this was a bit of baloney and something that men with tiny yoohoos would say. I applied nail paint on one of my fingers to remind me to write big, everytime i started to forget.

Physics:

Really just gotta know your content off by heart. Always start any question with the definition of all the terms mentioned in said question, and follow it up with a clear and sequential lead up of how you get to your answer. Also, use diagrams whenever necessary, and always label everything on your diagram or it will be ignored when marked. Also put in a title for your diagram. If you are running out of time, you can also utilise tables or table formats to answer questions; as well as using dot points. However, make sure to include all relevant information when writing in point-form. I would say that these techniques apply to biology too, but not so sure about chemistry.

Managing stress is something that differs for everyone. I found that going jogging for an hour every weekend was a way for me to gather my thoughts and relieve pressures from school. I also enjoyed making to do lists and crossing them out - not sure why but i found that incredibly satisfying and stress-relieving. I also had this routine (somewhat religious by the ways i devoted myself to it...) of eating 2 banana's + a few bars of chocolate before going into exams - maybe its a placebo effect, but ive always felt that it helped settle my nerves and how it can replenish energy+electrolytes needed for recalling content during examinations. But most importantly, you must know your content from top to bottom. There really is no other way of better preparing AND reducing stress than that.

Hope this helped and best of luck!
 

andrew12678

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I think in terms of stress levels of exams throughout the year Half-Yearlies exams aren't really too bad (Most to Least Stressful would be: Trials>Term 4 (Year11)>Term 2 assessments>Half Yearlies>HSC). In preparing for the HY Exams I think one of greatest mistakes people make is simply leaving English to the last minute-either as a result of indulging too heavily in maths or from poor time management-there's simply no way a last minute essay/creative will outperform another student's counterpart which has been written/finished earlier with multiple revisions (via marking/feedback from teachers/tutors) and has been practiced/adapted in exam conditions until making changes to answer all types of questions are second nature. For this reason, I've always insisted that English should be treated like vegetables and 'eating your veggies first' is ultimately the goal-particularly if your strengths lie in the maths/sciences so starting early and working consistently is key to your HY English Success. Aim for AoS Creative and Essays to be 95% completed (something you are happy with that only requires minor revisions throughout the term before HYs) before the end of the holidays and Mod A is dealt with throughout the term (preferably early eg. from Week 1)-I myself finished my first draft for Mod A by the end of Week 5 allowing me ample time to refine it and adapt it and then work on Maths/Science. For Maths-I would recommend doing maths work at school during the classroom (teachers usually finish the lesson and allow time for exercises to be completed and I would use this time to work on past HY exams from my school so I would not have to do this at home-exam conditions practice for maths is completely not essential and instead scanning the paper for 'good' questions to do is a much more efficient approach. For Sciences, making notes at home is recommended and then solid practice of past papers-especially HSC questions because schools are lazy at HY exams and like to steal HSC questions-should put you in a good stead.

Hope this helps
 

eyeseeyou

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I think in terms of stress levels of exams throughout the year Half-Yearlies exams aren't really too bad (Most to Least Stressful would be: Trials>Term 4 (Year11)>Term 2 assessments>Half Yearlies>HSC). In preparing for the HY Exams I think one of greatest mistakes people make is simply leaving English to the last minute-either as a result of indulging too heavily in maths or from poor time management-there's simply no way a last minute essay/creative will outperform another student's counterpart which has been written/finished earlier with multiple revisions (via marking/feedback from teachers/tutors) and has been practiced/adapted in exam conditions until making changes to answer all types of questions are second nature. For this reason, I've always insisted that English should be treated like vegetables and 'eating your veggies first' is ultimately the goal-particularly if your strengths lie in the maths/sciences so starting early and working consistently is key to your HY English Success. Aim for AoS Creative and Essays to be 95% completed (something you are happy with that only requires minor revisions throughout the term before HYs) before the end of the holidays and Mod A is dealt with throughout the term (preferably early eg. from Week 1)-I myself finished my first draft for Mod A by the end of Week 5 allowing me ample time to refine it and adapt it and then work on Maths/Science. For Maths-I would recommend doing maths work at school during the classroom (teachers usually finish the lesson and allow time for exercises to be completed and I would use this time to work on past HY exams from my school so I would not have to do this at home-exam conditions practice for maths is completely not essential and instead scanning the paper for 'good' questions to do is a much more efficient approach. For Sciences, making notes at home is recommended and then solid practice of past papers-especially HSC questions because schools are lazy at HY exams and like to steal HSC questions-should put you in a good stead.

Hope this helps
Solid Advice buddy cheers
 

ALawrence

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So I decided to make this thread about half yearlies really early (so then we could think about this at an earlier stage as opposed to the half yearlies exam period when everyone's studying) and hope that past HSC students could give some insight on their half yearlies

I was just wondering but for studying for half yearlies what should it consist of other than past papers, learning from mistakes, focusing on weaknesses, making notes when necessary etc

What would be necessary exam tips other than draw diagrams to help the marker visualise what your explaining, write clearly and concisely, show full working out when necessary, always answer the essay question and always talk in terms of discovery 'conceptually' as opposed to retelling, etc

What sort of silly mistakes would I need to avoid

And for past students, how stressful was half yearlies for you? How did you cope with the stress?
firstly, i tried to treat the stress of all my exam blocks (half yearlies, trials, etc) the same so then i wouldn't get overwhelmed and would still just work my best. good job for starting prep early though! the HSC is about long-term preparation so the fact that you're starting your half-yearlies prep and questions now is good!

learning from past papers is handy but you'll be doing so many come trials and HSC so maybe ask your teachers for different questions similar to those that will be in the half-yearlies. ask your teacher for feedback - they're literally there to help you succeed and they want you to do well - so go up with practice essays and ask what to improve on. for English essays, take them to all the teachers in the department - each teacher looks for different things! one might be focused on an integrated thesis, another more on heaps of quotes and techniques, another on context, etc. etc....utilise the help that's there!

for English: make sure you've READ your core + related texts!!! if they're all read, annotated, and analysed by half yearlies, you'll fly through trials and the HSC exams.
good luck!!!
 
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Sxerks3

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I know a lot of schools are starting half yearlies now, and mine starts next week with English (Adv). For me, I usually spend 3 weeks at least prepping beforehand. All notes should be finished and finalised 3 weeks prior to the exams. 2 weeks before the exams were spent going through my notes and re-reading notes until I've understood and memorised it (of course, not to the extent that I just simply regurgitate my notes), and I'm just doing trials papers from schools ranked higher than mine (JRAHS, North Sydney Boys/Girls, Sydney Grammar, etc) until I'm confident.

Reason why I'm doing trial papers, rather than HSC past papers, is that internal exams tend to be a lot harder than HSC exams. It seemingly works for me, in the end
 

egal

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I just finished my half yearlies, they weren't too stressful, even though I had 6 exams in 4 days. But I had my creatives done and mostly refined in the holidays and did a gradual build up of study over about 5 weeks leading up to the exam to try and refine topics I wasn't too comfortable with. Just practice though, I think I did 6 practice papers for maths, plus all of the bionomial/induction/trig etc. questions in the past HSC exam book, for advanced English i did 2 practice essays, 2 sets of practice short answers and wrote out my creative once, extention 1, an essay and creative, French, some practice papers and for ecos mainly revising content and past HSC questions :)

But I also don't know my results yet (apart from full marks for ecos short answers and 17/20 for multis) so I'm not sure if this was enough ^^

Don't stress too much, it's not that bad
 

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