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HSC Prep (2 Viewers)

Yusra366

Active Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
128
Gender
Female
HSC
2021
Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get insight on how to be preparing for HSC from here on out? Like this week I have been getting my trial marks back, and I am happy with most but my maths and biology marks were the lowest so I have just been down about that. SOR 2 and English were the only two subjects where I got in 90s and then business was in 80s. So I know I have certain areas to improve on each area but most is with biology and maths. I am just confused on how to organise everything now, like the fact that I have to memorise my content again is demotivating me, as well as, being unsure on how to fit everything in my timetable accordingly and to make it seem doable for each day. My plan is to first memorise content but I am not sure when to start and end, and then after that I aim to practice doing questions that target the weak areas of each subject and then doing full past papers under timed conditions. So organising this all is where I am confused at and receiving my trial marks has also made me feel a bit down too 😕
P.S Would anyone also have a smarter and better technique as well of going through content rather than memorising it?
 

Life'sHard

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 24, 2021
Messages
1,102
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
Uni Grad
2025
Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get insight on how to be preparing for HSC from here on out? Like this week I have been getting my trial marks back, and I am happy with most but my maths and biology marks were the lowest so I have just been down about that. SOR 2 and English were the only two subjects where I got in 90s and then business was in 80s. So I know I have certain areas to improve on each area but most is with biology and maths. I am just confused on how to organise everything now, like the fact that I have to memorise my content again is demotivating me, as well as, being unsure on how to fit everything in my timetable accordingly and to make it seem doable for each day. My plan is to first memorise content but I am not sure when to start and end, and then after that I aim to practice doing questions that target the weak areas of each subject and then doing full past papers under timed conditions. So organising this all is where I am confused at and receiving my trial marks has also made me feel a bit down too 😕
P.S Would anyone also have a smarter and better technique as well of going through content rather than memorising it?
General study prep. Eat, shit, study, sleep, rinse and repeat. As for memorising, I just write and write and write. I've finished like half an A4 notepad just rewriting the essay. I normally start per paragraph and keep adding on until I've memorised the whole thing. Note this is only for english, might be more difficult cause you're doing other englishy subjects.
 

Epicman69

Active Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
213
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
I'm only doing my MX1 and 2u Maths hsc this year, but I'd recommend attempting a past paper and identify any weaknesses or gaps that you might have, and really focus on fixing those up. Then after that, I'd start to just grind past papers and focus a lot on the more challenging questions, for example, Q13 - 14 for MX1. Really after that my plan is to just prepare for the actual test day and making sure my mind is ready for the test. In terms of organisation, I'd recommend dedicating more time to maths and biology. In regards to the amount you should study a day, that is really up to you as everyone is different, i.e some people might be able to study for 8 hours straight, whilst others can only do like an hour before needing a short break.
 

jimmysmith560

Le Phénix Trilingue
Moderator
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
4,574
Location
Krak des Chevaliers
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
Uni Grad
2022
First of all, congratulations on your marks in English Standard and Studies of Religion II. I hope you are also happy with your performance in Business Studies.

Going forward, it is important to determine what exactly you need to study in preparation for your HSC exams, as this can assist in allocating the appropriate amount of time towards each of your subjects in an effective and efficient manner. Doing so (for both Mathematics Standard and Biology) involves determining a starting point. A good way to start preparing is by revisiting the syllabus document for both of these subjects. By taking a look at what each module/topic is and entails, you will improve your ability to manage your time as you draw from your own experience with each of those modules/topics, including specific concepts, i.e. which ones you found easy and which ones you found difficult. For example, if you found that the Critical Path Analysis subtopic of the Networks HSC topic was rather easy, you may allocate 2-3 days to revisit this topic, including consolidating your understanding of this topic which would involve completing relevant practice questions. Similarly, if, for instance, you found that The Normal Distribution subtopic of the Statistical Analysis HSC topic was rather difficult, you may wish to allocate more time to master this topic. In my opinion, one week would probably be enough. Of course, how much time you end up allocating is a decision you should make because only you are fully and truly aware of your capabilities.

Once you have applied this to all topics (which should result in you becoming much more comfortable and confident in your ability to effectively manipulate different mathematical concepts), your focus should shift to completing past HSC exam papers as this will allow you to ensure you are able to apply the knowledge you have gained and developed to actual exam questions. While you're doing so, you should also be monitoring your performance in those papers, including determining and addressing areas of improvement (if applicable). Being able to constantly do this across different papers, while simultaneously being able to complete multiple papers constitutes a substantial boost to your preparations, and will hopefully allow you to ensure optimal performance in your HSC exam.

I didn't take Biology, but generally, as with content-rich subjects, being organised is essential for effective preparation. This must be reflected in your notes in addition to material used to supplement your notes. This brings me to another important point, which is to not limit yourself to your own set of notes. Instead, ensure you obtain and make use of other sets of notes that might express particular concepts in a way that is clearer and easier to understand than how they are expressed within your own notes.

Here is a very good set of Biology notes covering all HSC content:


I hope this helps! 😄
 

Yusra366

Active Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
128
Gender
Female
HSC
2021
General study prep. Eat, shit, study, sleep, rinse and repeat. As for memorising, I just write and write and write. I've finished like half an A4 notepad just rewriting the essay. I normally start per paragraph and keep adding on until I've memorised the whole thing. Note this is only for english, might be more difficult cause you're doing other englishy subjects.
😂😂 Haha yes that's true indeed. Yeah I have tried that same technique for english but i guess with other subjects I would just have to memorise it. Thank you for your help
 

Yusra366

Active Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
128
Gender
Female
HSC
2021
I'm only doing my MX1 and 2u Maths hsc this year, but I'd recommend attempting a past paper and identify any weaknesses or gaps that you might have, and really focus on fixing those up. Then after that, I'd start to just grind past papers and focus a lot on the more challenging questions, for example, Q13 - 14 for MX1. Really after that my plan is to just prepare for the actual test day and making sure my mind is ready for the test. In terms of organisation, I'd recommend dedicating more time to maths and biology. In regards to the amount you should study a day, that is really up to you as everyone is different, i.e some people might be able to study for 8 hours straight, whilst others can only do like an hour before needing a short break.
Sounds like a great plan which is simple and not complex. Real helpful! Thank you
 

Yusra366

Active Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
128
Gender
Female
HSC
2021
First of all, congratulations on your marks in English Standard and Studies of Religion II. I hope you are also happy with your performance in Business Studies.

Going forward, it is important to determine what exactly you need to study in preparation for your HSC exams, as this can assist in allocating the appropriate amount of time towards each of your subjects in an effective and efficient manner. Doing so (for both Mathematics Standard and Biology) involves determining a starting point. A good way to start preparing is by revisiting the syllabus document for both of these subjects. By taking a look at what each module/topic is and entails, you will improve your ability to manage your time as you draw from your own experience with each of those modules/topics, including specific concepts, i.e. which ones you found easy and which ones you found difficult. For example, if you found that the Critical Path Analysis subtopic of the Networks HSC topic was rather easy, you may allocate 2-3 days to revisit this topic, including consolidating your understanding of this topic which would involve completing relevant practice questions. Similarly, if, for instance, you found that The Normal Distribution subtopic of the Statistical Analysis HSC topic was rather difficult, you may wish to allocate more time to master this topic. In my opinion, one week would probably be enough. Of course, how much time you end up allocating is a decision you should make because only you are fully and truly aware of your capabilities.

Once you have applied this to all topics (which should result in you becoming much more comfortable and confident in your ability to effectively manipulate different mathematical concepts), your focus should shift to completing past HSC exam papers as this will allow you to ensure you are able to apply the knowledge you have gained and developed to actual exam questions. While you're doing so, you should also be monitoring your performance in those papers, including determining and addressing areas of improvement (if applicable). Being able to constantly do this across different papers, while simultaneously being able to complete multiple papers constitutes a substantial boost to your preparations, and will hopefully allow you to ensure optimal performance in your HSC exam.

I didn't take Biology, but generally, as with content-rich subjects, being organised is essential for effective preparation. This must be reflected in your notes in addition to material used to supplement your notes. This brings me to another important point, which is to not limit yourself to your own set of notes. Instead, ensure you obtain and make use of other sets of notes that might express particular concepts in a way that is clearer and easier to understand than how they are expressed within your own notes.

Here is a very good set of Biology notes covering all HSC content:


I hope this helps! 😄
Thank you for the congrats 😊
This helps so much. It just makes it so much clearer on what I should be doing and how I should be organising my time so thanks a lot.
And as for those notes you posted, I have them already but thank you and your right when you mentioned to have other sets of notes because with these notes I have found that they help make me understand concepts better as my notes are a bit too wordy
 

jimmysmith560

Le Phénix Trilingue
Moderator
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
4,574
Location
Krak des Chevaliers
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
Uni Grad
2022
Thank you for the congrats 😊
This helps so much. It just makes it so much clearer on what I should be doing and how I should be organising my time so thanks a lot.
And as for those notes you posted, I have them already but thank you and your right when you mentioned to have other sets of notes because with these notes I have found that they help make me understand concepts better as my notes are a bit too wordy
No worries! I'm happy to help! Best of luck with your HSC! 😄
 

nourished.

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
188
Gender
Male
HSC
2017
Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get insight on how to be preparing for HSC from here on out?
P.S Would anyone also have a smarter and better technique as well of going through content rather than memorising it?
I can't add much more to the lovely advice given above. Though, this is the general advice I give to my students in a step-by-step format:
  1. Make cheat sheets for your subjects. A rule of thumb is 1 page, back-to-back, for each topic. The key thing here for you to remember is that it's totally okay not to have everything in it. The HSC will really just be comprised of 80% important concepts, and 20% fine details.
  2. Complement these cheat sheets with your notes that you have now. When you do practice tests and come across a fine detail, refer to these notes.
  3. Write out all your english essays everyday lol. And make that the first thing you study everyday. After 1-2 weeks, you'll feel like your hands just naturally write your essay for you. You'll be shocked at how ridiculously fast you can actually pump out these essays before the HSC.
  4. For maths, do as many past papers as you can. 80% of the stuff you already know how to do. So, that's good. For the other 20% that you come across when doing these practice papers, jot the questions and solutions down into a notebook. You'll attempt these questions again in the notebook the next day. And everyday after that lmao.
Well done on your marks, and hope this helps your studying leading up to the HSC.
 

Yusra366

Active Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
128
Gender
Female
HSC
2021
I can't add much more to the lovely advice given above. Though, this is the general advice I give to my students in a step-by-step format:
  1. Make cheat sheets for your subjects. A rule of thumb is 1 page, back-to-back, for each topic. The key thing here for you to remember is that it's totally okay not to have everything in it. The HSC will really just be comprised of 80% important concepts, and 20% fine details.
  2. Complement these cheat sheets with your notes that you have now. When you do practice tests and come across a fine detail, refer to these notes.
  3. Write out all your english essays everyday lol. And make that the first thing you study everyday. After 1-2 weeks, you'll feel like your hands just naturally write your essay for you. You'll be shocked at how ridiculously fast you can actually pump out these essays before the HSC.
  4. For maths, do as many past papers as you can. 80% of the stuff you already know how to do. So, that's good. For the other 20% that you come across when doing these practice papers, jot the questions and solutions down into a notebook. You'll attempt these questions again in the notebook the next day. And everyday after that lmao.
Well done on your marks, and hope this helps your studying leading up to the HSC.
Omg thank you so much, I am finding this helpful already. Really appreciate it
 

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