#macrobstudying

Hey there,

It usually depends on what the subject is as there are obviously many studying techniques that are more effective for some subjects and not so much others.

For maths:

COMPLETE CHAPTER REVIEW - sometimes it’s impractical to do ALL questions but it’s definitely good practice and even doing every second one is better than none at all

Practice tests! - usually you’ll be given a practice test before a test and this will often be the topic test for the previous year. Definitely don’t disregard it because it is quite useful and it’s testing the skills you should be able to apply in your upcoming test

Hey there!

FAM leader 1: I found the SACs to be quite okay, they weren’t overly hard, except for one. I reckon you should always keep time in the back of your mind, as bio sacs have quite a few questions and you need to answer them concisely and specifically, which takes up time. To be honest, I didn’t do much checkpoints, and I regret not doing it. I highly highly recommend doing checkpoints after each area of study and constantly and consistently keep revising the content. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say that the exam was quite unusual. Some topics that we studied extensively were not even on the exam. It is very scientific method oriented, so I suggest you brush up on this well. I wouldn’t say it was really hard, it was extremely time consuming, and required you to think very deeply and not really rely on the definitions memorised.

Hey,

FAM member 1: no i didn’t, i barely had the time/energy to do checkpoints for my 3/4s hahahah. But you feel like it’ll help you and then go right ahead!, there’s nothing wrong with more practice.

FAM member 2: Nope! I felt like the help I got from the teachers were enough and didn’t do any study outside of class and homework.

FAM member 3: I personally didn’t use them but I know a lot of my friends who did as it helped them with revision. The library has a lot of checkpoints available so feel free to just go and borrow them to see whether they are for you before you go purchase them.

Love,

Hey

This is a sucky situation that most of us seem to go through at least once in our schooling life. Being in a school environment like MacRob where you are surrounded by really smart people can make people become really competitive. I’m glad that you’re always willing to help her/others because although you are all competing against each other, it is also collaborative in a sense that if everyone does well, it will boost everyone’s score. I think your friend is probably feeling this way so I think you need to be honest with her by letting her know how you feel. If that will make you uncomfortable, maybe when it happens again, just sarcastically/ jokingly bring it up. Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of because if she isn’t willing to help you, honestly she doesn’t sound like that great of a friend. Also keep in mind that there are so many students at MacRob that are willinging to help you so don’t be afraid to also ask other people in your class.

Love,

Hey there,

I think the best way to know if you’re getting the most out of a tutor would be to ask yourself the following questions:

Is the tutor trying to constantly work ahead of class, in order to get ahead so that he/she can start on practise papers early?

Is it an environment where I can comfortably ask the questions I want to ask without feeling bad/embarrassed?

Does the tutor’s teaching style allow me to feel comfortable with the concepts being taught? Do I understand the content being taught to me?

Am I/will I be given enough resources (past papers, practise questions etc.)?

If you find yourself answering yes to most of the questions, then you’re probably on the right track with your tutor and your studies.

Hope this helps!

Love,

Hi there,

FAM member 1: Learning language for me is similar to learning music, when there are no shortcuts and you just keep practising until it becomes natural to you. A good way to practise is reading, even if you are only reading picture story books, reading will expand your vocabulary and solidify sentence structures and expressions as you come across them. Another thing is listening to audiobooks/podcasts/news if you are up to it. When you’re always listening to the language whether actively or passively, you’ll be able to pick up on things like mannerisms and pronunciation!

If it’s regarding vocab, just writing the word numerous times and saying it out loud is a good way to practise. Everyone has a unique sort of learning style that suits them. Some people love flash cards, some learn better by ear, some by writing, some by watching and some by reading. The best way to do well in a language is to identify which learning style suits you, and then doing heaps of practise: writing many essays, listening and speaking it when you can, and constantly revising vocabulary.

If there’s a particular part you find hard, eg. grammar, go over your notes again, and if it doesn’t help, ask your teacher or peers.

The process of learning a language isn’t easy to define since it all the small things that contribute to your learning. If you’re always doing something related to your language, that’ll help you improve, whether listening to music, reading vocab, making sentences in your head.

FAM member 2: I find that actually speaking with someone who is fluent in the language is so beneficial because you can work on your accent and well as getting speaking practise who can correct you straightaway. This is also helpful because I think being able to speak the language is so important because this is what will help you get jobs or just help if you decide to travel to the country. When I was studying for Chinese, I just made a conscious effort to try and speak as much Mandarin with my parents as possible and that helped me a lot. Since I wasn’t really interested in Chinese shows, I would actually go on Netflix under the subtitles/audio and search for English shows that offered Chinese audio to improve my listening skills. Netflix is good because they will always offer English subtitles as well. Netflix shows with a wide range of languages so give that a try if you want listening practise. In terms of studying I really liked to use Memrise or Duolingo to consolidate my learning

Love,

Hi There!

I’ve definitely had those feelings! I just want you to know, that for me those feelings never disappeared. I just learned to not let them get to me and affect how I see myself. Cause truly, as my friend often tell me before a SAC, ‘Marks don’t define who you are.’ So what’s the point in letting them dictate how you see yourself. Instead why not use them to motivate yourself to improve in the next SAC. Someone might get a higher mark than you, but there will still be many that get lower marks than you. Tha doesn’t mean you are better than them or the person who got higher than you is better than you. So don’t let that feeling get to you:)

Love,

Hey there!

Having studied Biology last year, I was also in the same situation as you. In fact, may I say in the exact same situation? I also didn’t do so well for my first SAC (~70% scaled I cri) and it was an incredibly upsetting way to start off the rest of the year. There’s nothing that can be done about right now (the only way to go is up!).

However, from then on I tried to improve my studying for exams and note-organising which is especially important for a content-heavy subject like Biology. Something that I think every student should abide by is that ‘studying smart is better than studying long’ - something along the lines of that. In the case of Biology, use your time wisely to understand vocab and definitions and how they fit into concepts - draw flow charts, teach others, write summaries, label diagrams. You have to be active in your study - reading the textbook or putting crash course in the background doesn’t count. You could even utilise travel time/ showering/ little breaks in between to memorise all the different vocab and definitions if you have trouble with that.

For future content, keep an up-to-date concepts book - whether written or online it’s up to you but personally I feel like I’m more engaged with my studying when it’s written. This is for when you move on to other topics - having and reading summaries of each topic (even brief ones) weekly/ fortnightly will help you remember past concepts for the final exam. I know someone who went as far as to summarise the entire textbook but uh, this really isn’t necessary unless you think it'd help.

I recommend doing topic tests/ checkpoints whenever you finish learning a topic. This is so then you can immediately apply your knowledge to questions, as well as to retain it better. Leave a few relevant questions (checkpoints, textbook) to do every week from each topic you’ve learnt.

Now, on SACs. The most essential part of taking SACs is not to freak out. Seriously, with so many things to remember, panicking is the last thing you’d want to do. Take a breath, focus your mind on the current page, and manage your time. I remember I lost 3 marks for something as small as “Through what methods do these substances pass through the membrane?” and I mixed up glucose, oxygen and CO2 for simple and facilitated (gosh, it still pains me). These small marks aren’t worth much but they add up a lot. So it’s not just about knowing your content but also not letting your mind go into disarray when the time starts.

Based on my experience,  your first SAC score does not affect the rest of your SACs or your study score! Just always revise what you’ve learnt, and keep your head clear for future SACs. If you succeed on your other SACs, your marks will hardly be affected. Most importantly, enjoy studying Biology! :D

Love,