Some study tips I've picked up. Feel free to add any other tips or comments.
When studying
* Work hard, but not too hard. Stressful workloads will actually
cause you to do worse off. Successful time management is the
answer to this problem
* Follow the syllabus closely. Most of the time, questions will be
directly from the syllabus with minimal modification. It is
essential to correlate the information you have with the
corresponding dot points
* Get plenty of sleep. A tired brain will not be able to remember
or concentrate as much, seriously affecting mental capacity
* The key is to understand rather than simply memorise. A
question may be asked which requires synthesis of information
from a range of dot points. Simply memorising the information
will not work in such a situation
* Revise the Board-approved definitions for key words. This is
essential to get full marks with questions such as those
involving an evaluation or assessment, in which a judgement is
required based on the criteria and without which, full marks
may not be awarded
* Remember all practical work. High change of related questions
being asked
* Enjoy regular breaks, such as five to ten minutes for every two
hours of study. This ensures minimum stress and hence better
ability to concentrate and remember what you have studied.
When doing the test
* Believe it or not, reading time is very important and you must
use it to your best advantage. This is a time in which you
should essentially decide how best to manage your time by
looking over questions which you will need more time for and
those for which you will not need as much time, and breaking
down the test in such a way.
* Always give calculations to the appropriate number of
significant figures based on the least number of significant
figures given in the values in the question. Marks will be lost for
failing to do this.
* Give detail (Teachers and HSC Markers will always find a way in
which they can distinguish between, say a band 6 student and
a band 5 student by the need of precise information such as for
example, stating the use of concentrated sulphuric acid rather
than simply sulphuric acid)
* Think about the answer which the teacher will be looking for
and also how to make your answer better than the answers of
other students so you may get the higher band.
* Pick out key words from the question and define them in your
head to understand what the question is really asking you to
do. You will have enough time to quickly jot down some main
ideas before starting on a longer answer evaluation or
assessment question.
* Identify the main sections of the question. A question may in
fact actually be divided into two subquestions. You should
always pick out the individual questions and answer them
separately depending on the nature of the question.
* Try to finish the paper as quickly as possible without
compromising on accuracy. Ensure that you have time left over
to read over your answers and correct and mistakes or details
you may have left out. Always ensure that all questions have
been answered and that you have not failed to see a question
whilst doing the test.
When studying
* Work hard, but not too hard. Stressful workloads will actually
cause you to do worse off. Successful time management is the
answer to this problem
* Follow the syllabus closely. Most of the time, questions will be
directly from the syllabus with minimal modification. It is
essential to correlate the information you have with the
corresponding dot points
* Get plenty of sleep. A tired brain will not be able to remember
or concentrate as much, seriously affecting mental capacity
* The key is to understand rather than simply memorise. A
question may be asked which requires synthesis of information
from a range of dot points. Simply memorising the information
will not work in such a situation
* Revise the Board-approved definitions for key words. This is
essential to get full marks with questions such as those
involving an evaluation or assessment, in which a judgement is
required based on the criteria and without which, full marks
may not be awarded
* Remember all practical work. High change of related questions
being asked
* Enjoy regular breaks, such as five to ten minutes for every two
hours of study. This ensures minimum stress and hence better
ability to concentrate and remember what you have studied.
When doing the test
* Believe it or not, reading time is very important and you must
use it to your best advantage. This is a time in which you
should essentially decide how best to manage your time by
looking over questions which you will need more time for and
those for which you will not need as much time, and breaking
down the test in such a way.
* Always give calculations to the appropriate number of
significant figures based on the least number of significant
figures given in the values in the question. Marks will be lost for
failing to do this.
* Give detail (Teachers and HSC Markers will always find a way in
which they can distinguish between, say a band 6 student and
a band 5 student by the need of precise information such as for
example, stating the use of concentrated sulphuric acid rather
than simply sulphuric acid)
* Think about the answer which the teacher will be looking for
and also how to make your answer better than the answers of
other students so you may get the higher band.
* Pick out key words from the question and define them in your
head to understand what the question is really asking you to
do. You will have enough time to quickly jot down some main
ideas before starting on a longer answer evaluation or
assessment question.
* Identify the main sections of the question. A question may in
fact actually be divided into two subquestions. You should
always pick out the individual questions and answer them
separately depending on the nature of the question.
* Try to finish the paper as quickly as possible without
compromising on accuracy. Ensure that you have time left over
to read over your answers and correct and mistakes or details
you may have left out. Always ensure that all questions have
been answered and that you have not failed to see a question
whilst doing the test.
