Basically, you start by following the course structure and prepare to write your notes by the topics (there’s usually around 2-6 topics in a subject). This isn’t exactly groundbreaking advice (like… examples are pretty standard) but it’s amazing how many points you don’t think need examples when they really do.This one is super important. Always write your notes out in your own words instead of copying out a definition or an explanation from a textbook, online or your teacher.The good thing about the HSC (or maybe it’s a bad thing…) is that you will sit multiple assessments before you final
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What you need to make a study notebook
Adobe Suite: You need the standard stuff – a word processing app, drawing app, photo editing app, etc. If you use this stuff for your other school work, why would you not do the same for your HSC work? Giant whiteboard: A good thick whiteboard is key here as you’ll be using it to do your notes. I usually get this type of board, use the hot pink and blue pens and a purple marker. Three top-up notebooks One dedicated study journal: This is your personal record of HSC notes. Write a week or so worth of notes in here and never open it in public. Unless it’s for presentations. Then of course, everyone will see the crap you’ve written.
What to write in your study notebook
Next, once you’re sitting the HSC papers, you need to be organized and write everything that you need. A huge amount of students write one of two things: I should make a note of this for exam day If I remember this at the time, I’ll check it before the exam. This is fine, but this is a quick and easy way to get nothing done for weeks. Writing everything that you need, including the things that you’ll remember or add to on exam day, on a separate page or 2 will help you stay focused and help you avoid making any errors in revision. If you can, break your study journal in half so that you can add, delete and add to it more easily. I usually have it in PDF form on my computer, but I also have it on pen drive.
When to review your study notebook
You can do this when you finish each subject at the end of each unit (e.g. speech, speechwriting, etc.) Once you’re done writing all your notes in your own words for your first subject, do another review when the material is complete. After you have finished studying all the material for a subject, sit down with a friend and go through the notes together to pick up on any mistakes you may have made. Sample advice Your notes will always be messy, messy, messy. Don’t think that just because you like writing that you’ll somehow be able to keep everything neat. Never mark your notes down for 1-2 weeks. If you do, it will probably be much easier to read your notes and get them into your system.
Why the study notebook is important
So, even if you fail, you will be able to carry a small notebook around and jot down anything you might need to remember later on. There are some other things that you might need to know about the HSC – it’s a fairly stressful exam, there’s a lot of pressure to get the most out of your study, and there’s a ‘churn’ period where you might get muddled up and forget about how you’re studying.This guide isn’t exactly a study guide – but it will help you get back on track so you can get on to studying. After all, what good is a clever study guide without notes to remember it? Tips for constructing your study notebook Here are the top three things I recommend that every student follow when they’re first creating a study notebook: Inevitably, you’re going to forget something.
Conclusion
As you can see there is a lot of information in the study guide that will be both useful and overwhelming, so I recommend making a study plan for the HSC before hand and you’ll feel much more confident on test day.