help- doin 3 sciences (bio,chem,phy) (2 Viewers)

broly_29

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Messages
57
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
hey, i'm doin 2 adv english, 3 maths, 2 bio, 2 chem and 2 physics and a 1 unit subject. i was just wonderin if it will be hard coping with the work load especially da 3 sciences. does that mean da prelim exams for all da sciences will be on da same week? Any tips on how to effectively study 3 sciences with ext 1 maths and adv english?
thankx for ur time
 

Kujah

Moderator
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
4,736
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Just get your time management in time, stay on top of your homework, and study well and I'm sure you'll be fine with coping with the workload. Good luck :)
 

ianc

physics is phun!
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Messages
618
Location
on the train commuting to/from UNSW...
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
If you're maths oriented, which it looks like you are, physics will be a breeze and you won't need to do too much work at all.

I know chemistry's a lot of work and it's easy to fall behind, so try to stay on top of that one.

Bio's okay too - it's mainly rote learning. But it shouldn't be too bad - I think that history (and english if you want to get a good mark) are more demanding in terms of study time than the hsc sciences
 

Neurox

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2006
Messages
68
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
science is 1 of the easier subjects to study for. if u get the "big picture" youll do well, and its not hard to get that, just link your concepts together. also, u rarely get tested outside the syllabus so use it and answer the dot points, then youll easily get 90+.

edit: for maths just do alot of questions from the textbook. if u have 1 of those shitty textbooks, u might wanna get cambridge or something.
 
Last edited:

Triangulum

Dignitatis Contentio
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
2,084
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Neurox said:
science is 1 of the easier subjects to study for. if u get the "big picture" youll do well, and its not hard to get that, just link your concepts together. also, u rarely get tested outside the syllabus so use it and answer the dot points, then youll easily get 90+.
In fact, you aren't tested outside the syllabus at all, since the syllabus describes exactly what is in the course.

broly_29 said:
hey, i'm doin 2 adv english, 3 maths, 2 bio, 2 chem and 2 physics and a 1 unit subject. i was just wonderin if it will be hard coping with the work load especially da 3 sciences. does that mean da prelim exams for all da sciences will be on da same week? Any tips on how to effectively study 3 sciences with ext 1 maths and adv english?
I know a couple of people who did an arrangement very similar to yours, including those three sciences, and they coped fine. Workload doesn't really vary so much between people unless one is doing a lot of extensions or a major work, as far as I can see.

Preliminary exams are set by your school, so it's impossible to predict when the exams will be. I've never heard about schools grouping similar subjects together in exams, but I suppose it might happen. Doesn't happen in the HSC itself, however.
 
Last edited:

broly_29

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Messages
57
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
thanx for all our replies, very helpful. so which text books do u recommend for prelim bio, chem and phy? And also are the practical assessments difficult for da sciences (just wonderin)?
 

Kujah

Moderator
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
4,736
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Chemistry: Conquering Chemistry, Chemsitry Contexts, Chem Pathways, Spotlight Chemistry, Excel

Physics: Jacaranda, Excel, Physics Context?

Biology: Heinemann, Jacaranda, Biology in Spectrum
 

toadstooltown

1337 }{4><
Joined
May 1, 2005
Messages
137
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
I used spotlight chemistry and it was fine. Seriously, just read the textbook and then check back to the syllabus and then to an exam paper. If you think the textbook was a bit skimpy on info then go to another one. I used Spotlight, the Surfing chemistry books and as a last resort excel. Also, by all means ask the teacher for help, any good teacher will not enjoy explaining it to you personally :)
 

neva~endn~story

New Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Messages
5
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2006
hey i just recently completed the hsc and i wanted to participate in 3 sciences and pdhpe unfortunatley my skol had some subs on the same line as each other, so i got a chance to do phys, chem, ext 1 maths , mathematics, advanced english and ancient history, my advice to u would be to ask urself some questions like how willing are u to participate in the subjects, is this subject going to assist me in university, how well am i doing in this subject and do u truly understand what u are being taught. as a former yr 12 student i know how hard is was coping with the work load that i was provided with especially with ext maths as we only did ext once a week for a 2 hour period meanwhile we had to complete so much work in that time including homework afterwards. however by the time it came to the hsc we didnt finish the course fo ancient history, ext maths or mathematics so to make my life harder i had to teach myself and study for the hsc at the same time so my suggestion is to try the subjects out for a few more months and find out were u are coming another thing my skool never informed us about, and by the end of lets say 2 months if u are doing well at the subject gud for u continue it but if u are not drop the subject that is holding u down the most... so personally its up to u, if it helps u in anything and ur doing well at it keep it.. trust urself to provide the answer are u really coping with the pressure of these subjects... gudluck
:wave:
 
G

gaoOO

Guest
Kujah said:
Chemistry: Conquering Chemistry, Chemsitry Contexts, Chem Pathways, Spotlight Chemistry, Excel

Physics: Jacaranda, Excel, Physics Context?

Biology: Heinemann, Jacaranda, Biology in Spectrum
lol, listed all possible textbooks?


I suggest Chemistry contexts for (this is a no-brainer) Chemistry because it's set out by syllabus and it's colourful. Conquering chemistry is set out rather obscurely and it's not as colourful. :p

The physics textbooks are all pretty average- none of them have everything you need, at least from what i've found.

i wasn't stupid enough to pick 3 sciences :p but if it's what you like, it'll be ok. i've always found bio a bore.
 

bringbackshred

I AM ANGRY.
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
1,864
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
neva~endn~story said:
hey i just recently completed the hsc and i wanted to participate in 3 sciences and pdhpe unfortunatley my skol had some subs on the same line as each other, so i got a chance to do phys, chem, ext 1 maths , mathematics, advanced english and ancient history, my advice to u would be to ask urself some questions like how willing are u to participate in the subjects, is this subject going to assist me in university, how well am i doing in this subject and do u truly understand what u are being taught. as a former yr 12 student i know how hard is was coping with the work load that i was provided with especially with ext maths as we only did ext once a week for a 2 hour period meanwhile we had to complete so much work in that time including homework afterwards. however by the time it came to the hsc we didnt finish the course fo ancient history, ext maths or mathematics so to make my life harder i had to teach myself and study for the hsc at the same time so my suggestion is to try the subjects out for a few more months and find out were u are coming another thing my skool never informed us about, and by the end of lets say 2 months if u are doing well at the subject gud for u continue it but if u are not drop the subject that is holding u down the most... so personally its up to u, if it helps u in anything and ur doing well at it keep it.. trust urself to provide the answer are u really coping with the pressure of these subjects... gudluck
:wave:
Small, red Comic Sans MS = death for the eyes.

This is why myspace fails, people.
 

Jachie

it ain't easy being white
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
1,662
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Thanks for the advice, neva~endn~story :)
 

velvetorchid

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
59
Gender
Female
HSC
2006
I did the exact same subjects as you did Broly so I guess I can give you my 2cents on this. For me the sciences was just alot of regurgitation of what the textbooks said but it's easier to remember if you try to make sense of it all and as Neurox said, see the "big picture".

To me prelim chem is really basic so the theory should be quite easy to grasp, whereas prelim Bio and phys is a more accurate reflection of what hsc bio and phys will be like. Sooooo, prelim is a good year to jus see what you like and what you can cope with before you do the hsc. It is very possible to succeed in all 3 esp since the style of learning for each science can be very similar.

In terms of exams, they're not neccerarilly all together. It really depends on how your teacher timetable it. At my school, they spread it out really well.

A tip would be to try to understand the theory as it is taught in class so you can spendmore time on 3u maths and english at home. you really have to make time to practise if you wanna do well in maths, aaaaand i sucked at english so lol *shrugs* i cant really comment on doing well in that.

Good luck with stuff

P.S. what's your extra 1-unit subject? i did a VET course in retail, muahahahaha BLUDGE!
 

PrettyVacant

Active Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2004
Messages
1,003
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
=) I'm in the same boat Broly.

AND I LOVE IT, OR AT LEAST I PRETEND TO.

No actually, I love it. I really do enjoy it. I find the Cambridge Maths Textbook ANNOYING HEAVY though.
 

Evergreen

Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
157
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
chemistry- conquering chem
physics- jacaranda
bio- probably heinemen

science isnt hard. u just need to memorize concepts and it will all fit in, but if u dont get it then ull probably do shit.
 

bringbackshred

I AM ANGRY.
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
1,864
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Lucid Scintilla said:
With all due respect, sir, and not to elicit any offence from you, but here's the message you typed out without the font, color, and with syntax, capitalization, spelling, and grammar.


M'kay?:)
ILU.
 

bringbackshred

I AM ANGRY.
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
1,864
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Lucid Scintilla said:
Why the hell did you post that? Can we keep our relationship platonic here, and all that stuff to PM's, please?
ILU2, but this isn't the place.:wave:
OIC, i thought a science based discussion was the perfect launching pad for love...:confused:
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top