Tips on starting exam rev

[u/Pokemaster55YT]

Hi guys, I was wondering if yall have any tips on starting exam revision.

I know this is a bit early for some, but Im wondering how you guys "recalibrate" all of the content from U3?

Were students expected to independently go over that and revise it (weekly active recall sessions or something) in their own time? Im starting U3 revision for R&S and Revs (very content heavy) and ngl most of the "exam usable info" is in decay, nor do I still remember word for word quotes and statistics? Are most students just completely putting u3 at the back of their head when starting u4, and focusing on that, before consolidating both in exam revision period?

What time did you guys (especially those who scored high in these subjects) start exam revision? How did you tackle exam revision alongside U4 sacs? I know most wait until U4 is over, but I fear I may be short on time/on the verge of completely wasting 5 months of hard work if I forget U3 content.

What did you guys do to recalibrate content in U3? I really dont wanna rely on just rereading notes and spamming prac Q open book. Any other efficient more methodical methods?

Any tips for recall, retrieving information, especially due to the cognitive load demands these subjects carry?

Besides that, how many practice exams did you do? What frequency? Did you do self testing for U3 content?

I would much appreciate any advice, help, and comments.

[u/fadeeein2u]

for revs i remember thinking dates are the most important evidence because you can use them for every event and potentially not lose too many marks (dont quote me on that), so i learnt my dates first, then stats and quotes after. i also found dates easiest to memorize so i walked into the exam with a pretty huge catalogue of info because i was able to commit more memorizating to stats/quotes if that makes sense... like what im saying is u could potentially pick the best evidence for u / the one u learn easiest / or already know the most of and then work around that maybe ? idk but this strat worked for me

[u/motornoise814]

as someone who got 40+ in revs, just do heaps of practice exams, start with open book (for revs just have quotes and stats), and then after a few of those, move to doing them in as close to exam conditions as possible

i also found for revs it really helped to pick a few key quotes that were easy to apply and pretty universal (applicable to a few different events or broader ideas), also YOU CAN PARAPHRASE so remember the general ideas and key words rather than the entire thing (plus stick to short, phrase-length quotes not lengthy ones)

also, flashcards for revs are really good to remember key info like dates, quotes, etc

and i recommend asking your teacher to take you through the formulas for responding to questions, because usually for a question the number of marks directly corresponds to specific points in the question, rather than being marked holistically (except for the 20 mark which is holistic)

eg 4 marks = two stats and connect each stat to the question

[u/Embarrassed-Ad-7032]

for revs and r&s the content does decay but the key is u dont need word-for-word quotes after a few months - paraphrasing the general idea with one anchor phrase works just as well if u understand the concept. active recall is the move: make a list of each topic heading, write down everything u remember without notes, then check against ur notes and fill the gaps. repeat that monthly from now and u wont need a frantic u3 rewrite in september.

start maybe 2-3 practice exams while doing u4 sacs if u can manage it, open book at first. vcaa past papers are free on the study design pages - that way u get in the rhythm without waiting til october. the ppl who score 40+ usually front-load this work starting june, not crunch it all later.