I've been getting mixed signals, between people who think that spending more time on really learning the content rather than doing past papers is better. And people who think that I should kill 2 birds with one stone and learn the content through trial papers - write down my mistakes etc. I see flaws in both sides, so I have no idea how to approach this.
-
Looking for HSC notes and resources? Check out our Notes & Resources page
Past papers or devote time to content for Trials? (1 Viewer)
Learn by doing past papers. It is the single best way to study
pikachu975
Premium Member
Yea as someone else said in this thread it depends on how yourself and your skills. For me learning content was more important since I felt like I could answer any new question due to having pretty good exam technique and in-depth knowledge of the syllabus, whereas if I did past papers only, I'd be screwed as soon as a new question came up.
It really depends on the subject. They won't ask the same essay question again twice...but practice on past HSC exam questions are a must to get some sort of structure going and to really drill in some key points and ideas into your head. For an exam based on short-answer, you want to know all your content inside out then attempt a past paper to really consolidate your study. In math for example, past papers are the way to go for sure and of course english, past papers all the way. Especially for the common module, the rubric is so important and it can really go a long way to understand the rubric and incorporate that into the comprehension short-answer questions in the common paper.
nourished.
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2021
- Messages
- 188
- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2017
Content first.
A solid understanding of concepts give you better chance at tackling difficult questions. Otherwise, you'd be fumbling for an answer, come exam time.
A solid understanding of concepts give you better chance at tackling difficult questions. Otherwise, you'd be fumbling for an answer, come exam time.
nourished.
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2021
- Messages
- 188
- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2017
Obviously, some combination of the two will be the most beneficial.
But, if you're pressed for time, it's almost always better to learn content. You'd have a better chance at answering most questions. Now, your ability to craft excellent responses might not be the greatest, but it sure won't be as bad as most make it. Learning the content gives structure to your understanding. And structure to your understanding will add structure to most of your responses.
A cool thing about the way we learn is also this - tasks that require some sort of prerequisite understanding that you don't have to perform that task takes a lot more brain power than you think. For instance, you'll come across a question and its suggested answer, and find it relatively more difficult to follow along than if you had studied some of the content first.
Again, a combination of the two will be the best. But if push comes to shove, content first (except maths).
But, if you're pressed for time, it's almost always better to learn content. You'd have a better chance at answering most questions. Now, your ability to craft excellent responses might not be the greatest, but it sure won't be as bad as most make it. Learning the content gives structure to your understanding. And structure to your understanding will add structure to most of your responses.
A cool thing about the way we learn is also this - tasks that require some sort of prerequisite understanding that you don't have to perform that task takes a lot more brain power than you think. For instance, you'll come across a question and its suggested answer, and find it relatively more difficult to follow along than if you had studied some of the content first.
Again, a combination of the two will be the best. But if push comes to shove, content first (except maths).
Last edited: