Studying Techniques

[Lord Krunk]

I am currently undergoing Year 10 (Australia) at the moment, and there has never been a time in which I have ever needed to study in order to at least pass.

Not that I condone not studying, of course.

Anyway, I've come to a sudden realisation that my Higher School Certificate is coming up, and I am guaranteed that I will need to study for that.

However, as mentioned before, I am not very experienced with studying, and so I do not know the 'tricks of the trade,' if you may.

So, I pose this question to you:

What Studying Techniques work for you?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Fire Daemon]

I did the school certificate last year and are at the moment looking forward to the Year 11 prelim exams. To study go to the board of studies website http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ [Here] and do the past exams. Just nut down and do them, and go back and read through your books, then do another test. Read your books, do a test.

Just keep doing that and you'll do fine.

 

[shatnershaman]

Listening to music while studying.

 

[stompy]

Listening to music while studying.

This I actually do, and it's alright.

I'm in the same situation too, though the School Certificate is a much more immediate concern that the HSC, so I'm more worried about that. I usually read over notes, do practice tests, revise, the usual. Though, it ends up being around the last minute... so I'm probably not the best to get advice from.

 

[Death Magnetic]

Listening to music while studying.

Same. I need loud heavy metal. Silence annoys me and pesters me more so than not.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

Listening to music while studying.

That works as long as you have it playing not too loudly in the background, so you don't focus on it and it doesn't draw your attention away from studying.

 

[shatnershaman]

Listening to music while studying.

That works as long as you have it playing not too loudly in the background, so you don't focus on it and it doesn't draw your attention away from studying.

I solve that with headphones and music that I've heard a billion times (Halo music of course!)

 

[Cab00se206]

I never studied in school. I just winged everything, and I still graduated.

If you are an achiever, I'd not listen to what Anti-Santa has to say. basically, the School Cetificate is abreeze, and its only the HSC you have to work up to. I would recommend only studying the subjects you will do in Years 11 and 12, as Year 10 is easy as piss to get through. You are the one deciding what subjects you are doing next year, and the threat of being in a slightly lower class is rather moot when you realise that everyone in (say) Advanced English is given the same exam and taught the same things.

Anyway, on to my suggestion. If you are doing a subject that you desperately want to do but are not *that* good at it, get a tutor. There are agencies that can send qualified tutors for specialised study. Right now I have an English tutor to work on my essay writing skills and she condensed 6 months of lectures and 20 pages of half helpful notes into an hur and a page and a half, and I feel great for it.

 

[Brett Alex]

Well, I'll be honest and admit I didn't study for the school certificate. At all. Yet I still go band a band 4 in maths (which I am really terrible at, I got 22% for the non-state wide in-school test), band 5's in Science and History, a band 6 in Geography, a band 6 in English and the highest score for it in my school. So I guess you're already of that realization yourself, but just to re-enforce it, the school cert has been progressively dumbed down to the point where it makes everyone look good by being terribly easy, don't sweat over it.

In terms of tricks of the trade, well I have Year 11 yearlies on Monday and I have a few such tricks up my sleeve, hopefully they'll work. The main problem I find with studying is that its much harder compared to assignments or homework because there is no set structure or guidelines. This means I find myself procrastinating quite a lot, the fact I have a computer at my desk doesn't help.
To remedy this I plan to:

1. Only be on The Escapist (because it takes up so much of computer/procrastination time now) to check for updates in the RP I'm involved in and not comment on anything else. (ie. Threads like this lol) and:

2. Not use MSN after 9pm the night before exams, and not before I've completed at least one practice test that day.

In terms of actually studying Daemon's hit the nail right on the head. I will also mention your teachers though, it seems, at my school at least, they are thrilled if you ask them for past papers or advice/information on an exam and will happily mark aforementioned papers. As long as you put the effort in they're glad to help.

Most importantly, the next worst thing to not studying is too much study. Make sure you have a social life, for the obvious reasons, and that you get involved in extra curricular activities in school, because when you get a 95 UAI then finish Uni with excellent grades, prospective employers want something that will distinguish you from the 20 other applicants with 95 UAI and excellent grades.

 

[Lord Krunk]

Well, I'll be honest and admit I didn't study for the school certificate. At all. Yet I still go band a band 4 in maths (which I am really terrible at, I got 22% for the non-state wide in-school test), band 5's in Science and History, a band 6 in Geography, a band 6 in English and the highest score for it in my school. So I guess you're already of that realization yourself, but just to re-enforce it, the school cert has been progressively dumbed down to the point where it makes everyone look good by being terribly easy, don't sweat over it.

In terms of tricks of the trade, well I have Year 11 yearlies on Monday and I have a few such tricks up my sleeve, hopefully they'll work. The main problem I find with studying is that its much harder compared to assignments or homework because there is no set structure or guidelines. This means I find myself procrastinating quite a lot, the fact I have a computer at my desk doesn't help.
To remedy this I plan to:

1. Only be on The Escapist (because it takes up so much of computer/procrastination time now) to check for updates in the RP I'm involved in and not comment on anything else. (ie. Threads like this lol) and:

2. Not use MSN after 9pm the night before exams, and not before I've completed at least one practice test that day.

In terms of actually studying Daemon's hit the nail right on the head. I will also mention your teachers though, it seems, at my school at least, they are thrilled if you ask them for past papers or advice/information on an exam and will happily mark aforementioned papers. As long as you put the effort in they're glad to help.

Most importantly, the next worst thing to not studying is too much study. Make sure you have a social life, for the obvious reasons, and that you get involved in extra curricular activities in school, because when you get a 95 UAI then finish Uni with excellent grades, prospective employers want something that will distinguish you from the 20 other applicants with 95 UAI and excellent grades.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Altorin]

my studie techniques when I was in school were

"play video games"

I failed out of school.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

Wait two hours after waking up, take a shower then turn on some music and you'll be able to study and retain knowledge quite well.

 

[Fire Daemon]

An important less on is not to worry about it. If your tired, go to sleep, if your really bored, do something else, if your uncomfortable, go sit down some where else. Don't over exert yourself with study.