Halfway There – A VCE Prep Checklist

We are now nearing the halfway mark of the school year. By now, you have probably gotten a taste of the workload and level of difficulty of Unit 3/4 exams and assignments. You may have found study techniques appropriate for each of your subjects and begun to allocate your time accordingly.

Aside from the exam period, the last few weeks of Term 2 will probably be the busiest time of your school year. A lot of assessments fall into this period. All of your Unit 3 coursework should also be completed by the end of Term 2, so may also be thinking of trying a few past exams and practice papers (under the old course design, some subjects had both a mid-year and an end-of-year exam, equally weighted; of course, there are no mid-years anymore).

At this point, it’s a good idea to reflect on your study strategy. Are you studying as efficiently as you can? Are you making the most of the resources available to you? Perhaps you are lacking in revision material and need to look elsewhere for resources. Most importantly, how can you improve for semester two?

If you are also aiming for undergraduate medicine or dentistry, this is a useful point in the year to check how your school study is balancing with UCAT commitments. A clear UCAT preparation plan can help you fit aptitude-test practice around SACs and VCE® revision, while free UCAT resources can give you extra practice without adding pressure to your schedule.

By this stage, you should have:

• Developed a personal study technique for each VCE® Exam subject

• Accessed and used appropriate materials (textbooks, study guides, practice papers) for each subject

• Written up revision notes for a good portion of the content you have learnt so far

• Done some practice work and received feedback on it in preparation for SACs

• Stayed up to date with the coursework

 

Term 2 holidays are approaching. This break is useful because it gives you a chance to revise your work without being bombarded with new content at the same time. Make the most of them.

• Get your revision and exam preparation for Unit 3 finished during these holidays

• Try some Unit 3 practice exam papers for any subjects you can

• Use VCAA examination reports as feedback on areas you need to work on

• Fill up any gaps in your knowledge before the start of Term 3

• Look back over your Semester 1 assessments and focus on areas you need to improve on

Most importantly, you should aim to be exam-ready for your Semester 1 content by the end of the Term 2 holidays. Focus your efforts on consolidating Unit 4 work in Term 3, not catching up on Unit 3 work. If medicine is your goal, it is also worth reviewing the role of UCAT for medicine so you understand how aptitude testing fits alongside your ATAR and subject results.