Wow, new site and a new update to the journal. Its been 4 weeks and it feels like nothing, currently still enjoying all my subjects and just getting used to the use of all the new assessment types.
Specialist, methods and chemistry are my easiest I feel right now (as in I feel on top of the content)
but biology and physics, they aren't hard per say but biology has A LOT of content for such a small time span and physics isn't as "tough" as bio but I'm just having trouble grasping some of the concepts like I do in methods/specialist etc.
I hope to provide a more in depth update (about English and the actual content I'm studying) in the next fortnight but for now I'm out.
Journey of doing the "suicide six"
13 days later
and poof, just like that its been two weeks, I've received 4 assignments so far and I feel somewhat confident going into the quizzes we have every 2 weeks for chem and physics. Every time I walk into class I feel a lingering shadow is following me that keeps reminding me that I don't know what I'm doing in class and that I am going to fail all my subjects, I think this is due to my desperation of academic validation, I really need to work on it because it will destroy my mentality throughout year 11 and 12.
As you may know by my last journal on the old site, I am studying the for the UCAT, if anyone has sat or is studying to sit the UCAT, when did you start preparation? I don't know if starting in year 10 is a bit excessive but I've done it and do not know if its the right move for me.
Question
What are some good study strategies I can use for my subjects? I have made some flash cards and rewritten notes/summaries but I am having trouble with the sciences, we have quizzes in class every 2 weeks and the lowest grade I got was 60% and highest was 85%. I really need to be aiming for 90-95% ,so how do I do it?
I'm too early in the topics to do practice exams (I think), so I will make a list of things I do and hope someone edits it to best suit me by using better study strategies:
- flash cards (anki)
- write summaries
- reread notes
*watch YouTube videos to consolidate understanding
Rereading/rewriting notes isn't very worthwhile cuz creating flashcards from notes already solidifies it in a much more productive way with the spaced repetition mechanism. I don't recommend flashcards for calculation questions, they're better for memorising pedantic stock responses expected from you by VCAA. Don't push yourself with those quiz scores cuz they don't contribute to your SAC marks, just try to understand the concepts covered regardless of your results in them. One study strategy I used a lot in biomed + uni chem units is to teach the concepts I'm learning to my peers, either in group chats or on the unit forum. The ultimate goal is to explain this concept to a twelvie such that they understand it. If you can do this, you can certainly explain to the assessor that you know your sh*t on your actual SAC/exam. You can also try writing your own exam-styled questions after you have attempted a few past exams to reverse engineer how the marking scheme works
I failed the UMAT in my days with a 57th percentile so I doubt I'd be much help with the UCAT
Howdy Patty!
As Billzene said, flashcards are really good.
Another thing is making sure you "answer" the success criteria. If you could get a printout of this from your teacher, it would really help in determining what you need to study, and what to look for in your textbooks or YouTube videos.
Another recommendation would be brain dumps. After school, without looking at your notes, just write down everything you remembered from that one lesson. After writing as many things as you can in 5-10mins, re-read your notes and find gaps in your knowledge. I found this helped with senior Chem and Phys, as this really pin-pointed my weak areas.
I also keep a book, with every single mistake I've ever made from Year 11 Term 4 up until now. Its called a mistake log, and I write down the date, colour-coded by subject and the explanation underneath. I usually use it for maths.
Hope this helps,
-jinx_58
jinx_58 I can vouch for the error log. In VCE we have this very easy maths subject called Further Maths (dunno what it's called for you guys), every dumb mistake in this subject is penalised by a lot (-1 mark on exam = -1 study score) cuz everyone finds it so easy. Forcing yourself to record every mistake no matter how small kinda makes you subconsciously avoid dumb mistakes, in addition to being a great revision tool to target your weaknesses
13 days later
here is my update, and phytoplankton I am going to include how the scheduling has been going to keep you updated 
.
Specialist, chemistry, English and biology assignment drafts have been handed in and I am relieved, this term there has been so much more effort put into English than I usually put in and I am proud, although math is usually my best subject I think the assignment is really going to screw me over as I have not had much practice writing math assignments.
Timewise it gets stressful at times, but I do feel on top of everything. Currently I am working Friday nights and all days on Sunday in which I bring my laptop to study on my hour break. Other than that the content increase has not been my major issue its the amount of things I have to do in such a small time that bugs me.
Note: I have been using a scheduling app, however I felt that scheduling my day by the hour wasn't going to work so i downloaded an app that would remind me of what zone I'm in, e.g. between 3-7 its in study zone, but I have a to do list that I must complete, this has made me procrastinate less and engage with the content.
Although I have been receiving answers on how to study efficiently, I don't seem to use the tips i am given, for example i just read over notes, do practice questions for math only, only do homework for English and only do flash cards for biology as well as just watching videos on physics and chemistry.
Kind regards, patty
16 days later
here is another yet happy but also sad update on the journey, I've gotten my grades back for 3 subjects, physics, English and biology. again, I'm not happy with the results bar physics, I've always been the "math's and science" student but assignment writing is where I am crap , I received an A in physics, a B in my biology report and a 15/25 in English, realistically I should've done better in my biology as I did not put as much time into it as I should've, however for English I really tried to enjoy it but I just can't. The actual content that is taught in math's and science is the easy part, it is just writing it up that I cannot do well. for context the physics result was from an exam.
I really want to get better at writing English and science reports and I do have the knowledge, but I seem to have some trouble with it all, if anyone has had this issue or knows how to improve in English and/or science reports then please share. I genuinely have been studying a lot and its good to see it pay off in recalling the content and understand it all but it sucks that I cant write good reports/ English assignments.
Anyway, I am not in a good mood after getting my English and biology so I am really going to have an even stricter schedule next term and have a heavier focus on English and Physics (I have a research report for physics and block exams for everything else so hopefully do better in the exams because that is what I am better at).
Any tips on how to improve at it? I used all the feedback, read high level responses, proofread it all but it just doesn't click in my head.
a month later
- Edited
I just wanna know the results you'll get doing all these lol. I'm thinking bout not starting 1/2 for spec but we'll see.
Mind you I'm in year 10 so giving advice from my pov is kind dumb (LMFAO). Anyways, for each assessment what I do is just write a bunch of dot-points. Dot-points, dot-points, dot-points. For assignments, make a few dot-points for each sub-section in your work on what you should do or talk about. If you feel that something isn't strong enough, like for a science ia3 your 'analysis' for example, you could add a dot-point to "write more details and how these respond to the RQ".
It's been really helpful tip for my assignments and has made doing my essays a lot easier. For exams, I just skim through as many pieces of information I can find right before the exam and recite some important facts in my head. Another tip, please go from the 1st question to last, exams are made like that for a reason!
Anyways I wish you the best of luck for your block exams and hope you find the best tips to use!
2 months later
DumbNerd sorry haven't had much time to reply but now that I'm on holidays I have time. Yay! I did well in all my exams and I did get a B in English, although it isn't what I wanted I know how I could've made it better and the mistakes I made are things that I know I wont make again.
Results for block exams:
Math methods: A+
Math specialist: B+
Chem: A
Physics: A
Bio: A-
English: B
Overall happy with most results and I am going to continue these subjects next year, was a bit disappointed with my spec result as I have been maintaining A+ in exams all year but I know I made a few careless mistakes in the test.
Also if anyone could help answer one of the questions from the test that would be great!
Prove sin(A+B)=sinAcosB+cosAsinB
We had a topic of proof and geometric proof with vectors as well as a trig topic, this was under complex unfamiliar as it combined those topics. My teacher said that the solution he expected was to use Pythagorean identity but I tried and did not get it ahah. That's it for now, I hope everyone's year has gone well and good luck with everything!
If you have any questions about the subjects don't hesitate to ask!
a month later
ok its been a couple months now and I am starting to get settled in with unit 1.
Just want to keep updating this journey to remind myself why I am doing all of this.
I have actually started enjoying bio and have nearly finished unit 1 topic 1 already (working ahead). I am thinking of doing this for all subjects except methods (worked ahead last year). do you guys have any tips on how to manage time so I am not studying for hours each day, preferably want to set aside 1 day to just relax. Spec is good but idk, I don't think I will ever "get" proof.
At this point I am just waffling ahah, just wanted to update this journey because why not.
19 days later
Leeshi Hello!
It most certainly is not easy however it is not like what I was told. I am on a spare right now so this will be rushed and if you have any further questions don't hesitate to ask! Personally I have worked ahead in physics, bio, methods and specialist. I feel like even just reading ahead consolidates what you learn in class and that has been a sole factor in why I find the amount of content alright. if you stay on top of all the notes in class, read ahead maybe 2-3 weeks you will be fine. But for me I have finished all of year 11 biology content already and just revising and perfecting memorizing everything. The content is not difficult to memorise nor understand if you try, Like for chem the concepts are challenging at first but the more in depth you get the easier it is to understand where you were at before. Don't worry about the memorization or difficulty just make sure you are willing to focus on understanding and you will be fine. Again this was rushed in the span of 2 mins so ask if you need anything else and I can reply later today!
Patty
We're allowed only six subjects but I would also like to study languages... Should I just forfeit languages because many people say that languages has a higher score for ATAR points.
Leeshi
Hello again, Honestly its all up to you. Whatever you prefer go for it. Doesn't hurt to try it
Also, although the subjects may scale higher does not mean they will get you a better score, remember, the reason they scale is because they are hard and it is better off going with a subject that you are good at and doesn't scale too well than go with a subject that scales a lot but you barely pass.
Hope this helps!
Thank you! I will see how I go for this year and see what subjects I do very well in.
Also if anyone has completed biology, chem, physics, methods and spec this is for you.
Were units 1&2 easier or the same difficulty than 3&4, I have been told this is the case for Biology but I don't know whether to believe it. Just curious and it would give me a good idea on how to prioritize my subjects.
lil N
Chemistry Unit 3 is pre chill, but Unit 4 requires you to be on the ball and a lot of memorisation. Practice questions and drawing diagrams out multiple times should help
Physics, unit 3 calculations go from linear to quadratic and it becomes slightly more complex to apply the right equations to the questions. Unit 4 really requires a lot more understanding (except topic 3, you can kinda memorise some things) than Units 1&2.
U3&4 Methods is just building upon Unit 1&2 methods so if you get the basics, you should be right.
I didn't do spesh or bio so I hope someone will answer that one.
Feel free to ask more questions,
-jinx_58
7 days later
Hello all, just want to do another update as I have received my PSMT's for methods and spec, and also have started getting closer to revision for my data tests, there is 1 per science which means I only have 3 block exams! the topics that the assignments are based on for methods and spec are piss easy, however the spec assignment required me to learn how to code to calculate the average number of times it would take for a brute force hacker to obtain a password (had to run code 10000 times), which took a while with the help of a friend. and on the other hand my methods assignment is similar to the one I had last year and so I should do better (I really should've done better last year for the PSMT).
I did a physics practical today and that was quite fun, although they are usually quite easy this one took a while to set up.
Just wanted to update this journal as it is my way of recording my progress
Patty.
Leeshi Languages dont get u really a 'higher' score, but some unis offer adjustment factors to ur atar if u do a language and if u do specialist. U get 2 points added respectively for each criteria, so if I did spec and german I would get +4 on my Atar (90 --> 94), but you dont really see that number, its just the number universities see when accepting you.
11 days later
- Edited
major question!!!
I was researching the ESP program at UQ and wondering how it works, I have a few questions and if anyone has done it before or knows the answer please help me out:
Will it replace a subject that I normally take or will it be a 7th subject?
Does it contribute to my atar? I want to take the calculus and linear algebra 1 subject and I assume it is difficult hence would be great for my atar (assuming it scales), not that it is the reason I'm doing it just curious.
Afterall, it is not the end of the world if I don't take it however I really enjoy math's and the topics that it covers are really interesting, like Taylor series. Also, i've been looking at engineering/ med so for engineering it would help but not so much med. IDK I just need help because I really want to do it but unsure if it benefits me.
Patrick.
lil N
Hey Patty,
That's great you're looking into programs like ESP. I did a similar program at Griffith and I also know friends who did the UQ ESP program. As far as I know, it will not replace a subject and rather, it will be a 7th subject on top of your current ones. Speaking for myself, the workload wasn't as bad as one of your normal ATAR subjects.
As for the ATAR, it doesn't go to your raw ATAR given by QTAC. However, it may contribute to your QCE points to get a QCE. And on top of that, if you end up going to UQ, UQ (and possibly other unis) may specifically give you bonus ranks (adjustment points) to your ATAR but that will be uni-specific.
Hope that makes sense.
- PP
PhytoPlankton
Thank you!!!
also, follow up question.
I am somewhat remote from campus, it says I can complete externally through elearn etc. But I am unsure how exams would work? It would be ok if I went to campus just for the exam, but there is also workshops which I don't know what they are there for and If I need to be present.
Long question short. I am ok to do it externally right?
lil N
Happy to help!
I believe you can do exams online and if you're doing ESP through the school, they will take care of it but if not, you'll just have to do it by yourself. If they are online, they are also usually open-book.
As for workshops, it would be helpful if you could attend since you can ask questions but if you can't, they are usually either recorded or they put the workshop learning materials on the e-learn page.
However, I would highly recommend that you give the ESP coordinators a call and ask all your questions because my information could be outdated and not specific.
Nevertheless, I hope this helps!
- PP
11 days later
All done with block exams!!! YAY!
Bio, Chem and physics FA1 are all over and I am pretty confident with how I performed in all, I am also happy with my PSMT's for methods and spec which I am handing in finals next week. Just wanted to give an update,
For the data tests I didn't study, this year I felt like the tests were something you do not really "have to" study for. Is this going to be the same in year 12? we'll see. Also, English is so meh ahahah, just don't want to put the effort in as it is soooooo boring. Anyhoo I will post my results and reflect on how I feel about them because I feel like I will bum atleast one of my assessments (other than english which idc about).
Patrick.
11 days later
lil N
Ok I am back with all my data test results! I just handed in my PSMT's for methods and spec this week so I should get the grades back over the holidays. As goes with english, handed in today and do not care much about it.
I did ok in the data tests but I need to improve it a lot if I really want to get into med, my grades were:
Biology=18/21 which goes to a 9/10
Chemistry=18/20 which goes to a 9/10
Physics=16/20 which goes to an 8/10
Overall I was ok with all of the exams except for Physics, I walked out of the fia1 so confident thinking I was gonna get at least an 18/20 but oh well. The reasons I did not get full marks for chem and bio are because I didn't refer to the data enough and generalized the information without giving evidence, which cost me not getting 100%. As with the maths reports, I am confident with both, hopefully they are at least 18's/20 which is a HUGE step up from last year where I got a C on my math's report, but you never know I could get another C. Guess we'll have to wait.
For anyone who has an Idea, will a 9/10 for the data test suffice for a good overall grade as I am not entirely sure as to how I am going to go in the research investigation and student experiments?
Patty.
13 days later
- Edited
Don't worry too much about the data tests, they're not too content heavy and require different skills to standard exams.
Focus on revising for exams otherwise they'll kill you eventually (the chem exam killed me). Most if not all of my data tests follow the same broad structure which allows me to complete them even though I don't know crap about the topics most of the time.
a month later
WelcomeToHell ive been focusing on revision more so now that im nearly finished my assignments for all sciences, I ended up getting a 20/20 for my specialist assignment (idk why i did better in it than methods but oh well). After I get my assignment results from this term I will give a big update on that and I will be enrolling in ESP at UQ for calculus and linear algebra 1. Idk just remembered about this journal and wanted to update, ive just been focussing on gym and school and neglecting school a bit but should still be able to pull through as I get most of the work done in class.
9 days later
Update: I knew all the content for methods but ran out of time on the methods exam. I'm feeling really down right now.
There's obviously nothing I can do about it but I learnt my lesson and I won't be an idiot next time.
18 days later
lil N Have you received your specialist exam back yet? Hopefully you did much better than you predicted 
8 months later
It's been a while since anyone posted here so I'll do the honours!
Let me just say, what a start it has been for me. The minute I went back to school and sat down in those classrooms, it was exercise after exercise after exercise- you get what I mean. Like wow, it's a bit of a shock coming from 10 to 11. The work they put on you and the things you have to get done is harrowing. It's literally only Term 1 Week 5 and it's kinda scary to think that you don't have long until your exams are looming over you. Even worse, that the year is going to go in a flash. Now lets get specific.
Physics: Understanding the context... kind of, work load is minimal, stress?? LOTS OF STRESS
Biology: I don't know what the globe my teacher is talking about sometimes, but her analogy makes it understandable. Really gotta start revising though... ._.
Chemistry: Best subject so far. No complaints :>
Mathematical Methods: Starting PSMT, pretty chill, not too bad, workload is average, stress? meh, it's a pinch in the face
Mathematical Specialist: LOTS OF STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. WORKLOAD IS MASSIVE!!! understanding? yessir
Quote of today: Nothing is impossible. The word itself says "I'm possible"
And that's the end! Thanks for reading! I'll keep my journey updated. 'peace out'
a month later
Most of my exams have finished, what a relief. However, they smacked us right in the face with assignments to do over the holidays and are due 2 weeks later. So... that's most of my holiday gone to do assignments. Here's how everything is going:
Physics: Apparently no one got 20/20. Geez I wonder why. (Data Test)
Biology: Just did the test today. WOO HOOO cool data test tbh
Chemistry: Also no one got 20/20 but again, surely like physics, someone must've.... right??
Mathematical Methods: Finished the PSMT, haven't gotten marks back yet.
Mathematical Specialist: I HATE MY PSMT OMG AHHHHHHHH. take me to the glue factory.
English: Worst subject for me. WORST. But who cares, I'm smashing it out the way.
Quote of today: Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
- Leeshi :>
I havent replied on here for a while.
I never ended up doing ESP at uq because there were just other things i wanted to focus on (guitar, gym, working) and thus far doing suicide 6 isn't too bad ( I can already imagine external exam time being f##ked), I ended up getting 14/25 on my english for IA1 lol, thankfully it wont be in my top 5. just a cheeky lil update
a month later
- Edited
Hi all
I am a 2021 grad (ATAR 99.85 and suicide six minus bio)
Note: Mod edited post to remove spam advertising. Please advertise using one post in future.
Isaac
what are you currently studying issac?
Here's a quick update of my journey of the suicide six!
I have finally gotten 5 of my marks back and I'm so torn. I mean it's better than failing but I just don't accept these marks atm.
Chemistry: 17/20
Biology: 19/20
Physics: 16.5/20 (sad)
English: 25/25!!! WOOOOO MY WEAKEST SUBJECT IS SHININGGGGG
Methods: 19/20 just because I didn't add a sentence in T_T
Specialist: Dunno. I'm a bit scared tbh. >_>
I'm going to try an improve this term : )
-Leeshi
7 days later
Leeshi
Hii i am a grade 10 student looking at doing the suicide six, i was wondering what study habits you used!!
YOU DID SO GOOD BTWW
Well... I have a pretty sad and anti-social life... It's the trade if you don't excel as well as everyone else. So I focus on my academics. I don't work, well I play the piano privately... doesn't count as extracurricular, study right after school, on weekends and on holidays. Well tbh, I don't do anything besides studying and revising. :')
And thank youuuu, but my parents say otherwise. They're like 'omG you always have something the teacher will take marks of att'!! Well... My brain likes to make stupid as mistakes. LIKE LITTLE MISTAKES! Perfectionism is going to be the death of me haha. Anyways, feel free to ask me anything :>
-Leeshi
dont joke about suicide 
uncool
umm... i didn't??
5 days later
JeffreyTheFishBowl
they didnt?