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DomainEducation

TT556

No. You must take an interview as the school uses it as an important part of the entrance process.

me123

I would recommend doing so for every question. Even the marking schemes for edrolo or other company exams can be helpful because while they might not be perfectly up to VCAA standard, they will give you a pretty good understanding of exactly what points you need to make (and the key terminology and phrasing) you need to receive the marks.

As for VCAA marking schemes, again I recommend you look at the marking schemes whenever you do a VCAA question. Many people I studied with didn't touch VCAA questions until right before the exam because they wanted to 'save them', however I found doing a question here and there gave me a good understanding of what was expected of me, as well as any weak points I had. So this meant I was looking at VCAA marking schemes all throughout the year. IT really is your choice when you decide to start practicing with past VCAA exams though.

cshar
Hey apologies for the late response (i may have been on holiday )

In terms of the written part of the exam, make sure you are confident with your prac report skills. i remember for one of my sections, they gave us an introduction (with background info) and a methodology of a prac, and they asked us to write an aim, hypothesis, discussion and conclusion which suited that information.

Make sure you know:
Independent and dependent variables
Precision and accuracy
Validity, reliability and repeatability of an experiment

This content can be found in any VCE science textbook (generally chapter one).

In terms of time management, I found the test to be fairly manageable (no where near as hard as the melbourne high/macrob test) because the philosophy of the principals is to find students with a genuine passion for science and learning, so they make the interview more difficult instead to help find individuals with these traits.

As for the confidence in your ability to do well enough in the test, I remember going through ATAR notes forums when I was in your situation a few years ago. I read something that kind of stayed with me which was "if you have gone to the effort of finding this discussion page, you are already showing more determination and enthusiasm than most of the other applicants. This part of your character will shine through in your application, so while this process is stressful and difficult, you'll get in if you have what they are looking for."

When I was preparing for the test, I used Strive for Excellence. Looking back, they weren't great because their questions didn't simulate the questions on my test very well. However, doing mock exams under timed conditions did give me experience and confidence going into the real thing, so I would recommend doing some prep that aims to simulate the real experience. As long as you have a good background knowledge in year 8-10 maths and science, you will be more than ok

Oh and in terms of when you should start your preparation, I guess any time from now really. If I were to study for it again, I would ensure my fundamental maths and science skills were good, and then put a lot of emphasis on my prac writing skills right up until the actual test.

Let me know if you have any more questions, and good luck for your application. My email is contact.domaineducation@gmail.com if you would like to ask anything more personal

me123

Hey I received a raw 48 for biology in 2022 and this is what I found.

One of the things you will come to learn about bio 3/4 is that many people don't have trouble with actually learning the content. The part of the course that gets people is their ability to answer questions and include key points in their answer that the assessors are looking for.

I achieved a raw 48 in bio, and I did so through spending as much time reviewing marking schemes (VCAA, school, and company) as I did doing the actual exams because they are gold. They will tell you exactly what you need to mention (as you often don't have to write as much as you think you do), and after a while, you will notice patterns in the suggested solutions. This means that future questions will be easier to break down. By the time I got to the exam, I could look at most questions and the number of marks they contained, and pinpoint exactly what points I needed to make before I even started writing. This is what I suggest you practice throughout the year as it will save you time, space on the page, and will make you more confident.

As for what I suggest for incorporating exam questions into my notes, I recommend to ensure you have a solid foundation and understanding of the general concepts before you start answering questions to help hone your knowledge. I found that doing questions in this way helped me nail all of the niche, hidden parts of each topic which set me apart from my peers. But the real key is repetition, and constant practice so you don't forget anything before each SAC.

Hope this helps

Chris Boey
Hey Chris,

I graduated with a raw 48 for biology 3/4, have had several years of experience tutoring, and was the School Captain at John Monash Science School in 2023.

I offer 1 on 1 classes which are tailored to each student and their learning styles. With comprehensive notes, class booklets, homework booklets, mock SACs, and VCAA style practice exams, you will certainly have enough practice material to help you achieve your desired study school.

Feel free to contact me at contact.domaineducation@gmail.com

lune777
Yes this is possible. If you like, contact me at contact.domaineducation@gmail.com, and I can let you know the details and we can get it sorted

cshar
Hey Sharannya,

I was actually school captain of John Monash in 2023 (im cameron btw) so I do know the interview process well.

From memory, they ask you to provide a resume with all of your academic achievement and extracurricular activities (leadership, sport, music etc.). During the interview they then look at your resume and will ask you one or two open ended questions about this list. The teachers are looking for well rounded students who have had experience, not just in the classroom, but also participating in their school and local community, so if you can show evidence of this they will love you.

They also ask other questions in the interview (however they change every year, so they are difficult to guess) that aim to test your quick thinking, ability to communicate, and moral character. For example, in my interview they presented me with two words, 'science' and 'scientist', and asked me to explain what one of those words meant to me.

I hope this helps

Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Lauren
Hey Lauren, while I did not do biology 1/2, I have heard from several sources that the vast majority of content from units 1 and 2 are not looked at in units 3 and 4. So while there may be a small amount of cross over, this means that it wouldn't take you long to pick it up.

So I would not recommend spending a great deal of time reviewing unit 1, as it will probably not contain much information that you will need.

haps
Absolutely!

This strategy helped me and so many of my students and friends keep track of their weaknesses. It also keeps you grounded because when you look back at that book and all of the errors you made, it helps to ensure you don't get too cocky

I recommend to dedicate a workbook to your mistakes (because you will no doubt make more than you count throughout the year). Its good to even write down the questions that you made a silly error for because it helps for several reasons:
1) If you are making the same silly error across multiple questions, this book will help you notice the pattern. What you may think is 'silly' may in fact be a hole in your knowledge or poor technique
2) Rewriting a question that you know you should have received full marks for is painful, annoying and time consuming. While it may not seem fun, it can be useful because you should be less likely to make the same mistake and have to repeat this process.

As for staying ahead, I recommend to only stay one or two chapters ahead. Any more and you may begin to sacrifice your understanding of the topic your school is covering (which is bad for your SACs). This is because your understanding really comes from doing constant practice questions, so when you work ahead, make sure you stay in touch with past topics.

I hope this helps

haps
Hey thanks so much for your patience.

One of the things you will come to learn about bio 3/4 is that many people don't have trouble with actually learning the content. The part of the course that gets people is their ability to answer questions and include key points in their answer that the assessors are looking for.

I achieved a raw 48 in bio, and I did so through spending as much time reviewing marking schemes (VCAA, school, and company) as I did doing the actual exams because they are gold. They will tell you exactly what you need to mention (as you often don't have to write as much as you think you do), and after a while, you will notice patterns in the suggested solutions. This means that future questions will be easier to break down. By the time I got to the exam, I could look at most questions and the number of marks they contained, and pinpoint exactly what points I needed to make before I even started writing. This is what I suggest you practice throughout the year as it will save you time, space on the page, and will make you more confident.

As for what I suggest for incorporating exam questions into my notes, I recommend to ensure you have a solid foundation and understanding of the general concepts before you start answering questions to help hone your knowledge. I found that doing questions in this way helped me nail all of the niche, hidden parts of each topic which set me apart from my peers. But the real key is repetition, and constant practice so you don't forget anything before each SAC.

Hope this helps

CamMcC
In my opinion, the most difficult topics were:
CRISPR
Genetic Recombination with Insulin
Attenuation

Of course everyone will have different thoughts, but I found myself spending the most time on the content listed above.

aved
As for tutor recommendations, we offer a comprehensive course in which we aim to develop a strong fundamental understanding of the methods 1/2 material, as well as extending our students with countless VCAA style questions to help them get ahead of their peers. If you are interested, feel free to email us at contact.domaineducation@gmail.com

aved
If I could redo methods 1/2, I would focus on two things:
1) Methods 3/4 Unit 3 is basically just a repeat of Methods 1/2 (with only a few added concepts), so if you have a good base understanding of the methods 1/2 content, you will put yourself in a strong position for the next year. Make sure you understand all of the fundamentals because they become unbelievably useful later on.

2) My second piece of advice is to be very strict on any silly mistakes you make in your SACs and quizzes. For many people doing the 3/4 course, their downfall isn't that they don't know the content. It is that they let themselves become too careless when doing maths in previous years, meaning they developed bad habits which they didn't try and fix until it was too late. So with any silly errors you make next year, make sure to always review them (no matter how simple they are) and do those problems again.

DomainEducation
I also offer tutoring for 3/4 biology.

• 48 raw biology
• School Captain 2023 John Monash Science School
• A course of tailor made biology resources
• Full length VCAA style exams
• 24/7 assistance with any questions

Email for more details at contact.domaineducation@gmail.com

DomainEducation
Here is a glossary of a wide range of key terms which will save you plenty of time this year. It isn't pretty but it gets the job done
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mTnHD1JkC4EMvPgM742Jf0f0amidjDnTPpxstJJc4Uw/edit

Bio is a tricky subject in that there is a lot of content compared to other subjects. However with the right type of preparation, it can be very manageable despite the heavy demands of year 12.
I completed around 10-13 practice exams total whereas I did more than 20 for some of my others so while there is a lot of content, the questions are fairly repetitive, meaning you can get away with a slightly fewer number of practice exams.

But as long as you have a solid collection of notes to refer back to throughout the year (because a lot of the content is related and pops up frequently), you should be ok

I'll pop up some resources to help get you started

DomainEducation just for context, I received a raw 45 for methods 3/4 in 2022

DomainEducation Just for context, I received a raw 48 in Biology 3/4 in 2022 (the first year of the study design), and am also offering tutoring to anyone interested

Hey everyone,

I thought I would start this discussion page early for anyone who wanted to get ahead of the methods 3/4 (or 1/2) content in preparation for 2024.
Feel free to ask any questions about the content, tutoring, or the subject in general

Hey everyone,

I thought I would start this discussion page early for anyone who wanted to get ahead of the bio content in preparation for 2024.
Feel free to ask any questions about the content, tutoring, or the subject in general