9 Hacks for a Better Study Score in Methods
Written by Alex Bell, the creator of MathsMethods.com.au, who has degrees in Mathematics/Astrophysics, has written a textbook, summary book & the Maths Methods Video Tutorials. Alex has helped thousands of students, tutors and teachers internationally and over 1/10 Methods students are now members of this website.
1. Hang out with students smarter than yourself. You have similar traits to the people you spend most your time with, so spend time with friends who are serious about killing it this year and you’ll do better yourself.
2. Teach others because it reinforces what you know and highlights what you don’t. You can also boost your exam score when your class mate perform better on the exam (learn why in
this article).
3. Eat and sleep well. Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this before but your body is a machine and you need to look after it.
4. Reward yourself every week for having studied by catching up with friends or doing something else you find fun.
5. It doesn’t matter how much time you study, it matters how much you get done. Turn off your phone, log out of Facebook and disconnect from the internet. You’ll get a lot more done in an hour if you remove all distractions (you know it’s true) and then you’ll have more time to chat, snap or do whatever you want once you’ve finished.
6. Practise like crazy, just like you would if you were competing in a sport. Reading over notes or a textbook will not prepare you for any test.
7. Get fully prepared for your SACs (School Assessed Coursework) by practicing previous SACs: Each school has their own SAC so find questions similar to YOURS!
8. Do every VCAA Exam under the sun, ideally under exam conditions, this is the best way to prepare for the real thing. You may find non-VCAA exams useful too.
9. Make life easier by understanding the concepts. Practice is painful and takes twice as long if you are confused about what you’re studying, but don’t fret I have you covered.
BONUS HACK: Practice under exam conditions. Exam technique is really important (check out this article) but most students don’t apply it! You need practice exam technique regularly in order to get decent scores in your tests. This can make the difference between failing and getting the score that you need.
Hope you found this useful! Best of luck and hit me up if you have any questions.
kind regards
Alex Bell | MathsMethods.com.au
