Bio in 2 weeks

[l1vvy]

Hey guys! i have my bio exam soon and i'm not sure how to study effectively for it.
It takes me a very long time to understand a dot point and move on and i'm not sure if i will be able to go over the whole syllabus on time.
Any suggestions on what to do? i usually read over notes then look at questions for that certain dot point i have read and then look at the answers but i haven't yet gotten to a full exam paper on its own.
i ranked 11/200 for half yearlies and really well throughout the year then i'm not sure what happened but my mark dropped significantly and i was ranked 104/200 which is stressing me out. help.

[kauac]

Hey guys! i have my bio exam soon and i'm not sure how to study effectively for it.
It takes me a very long time to understand a dot point and move on and i'm not sure if i will be able to go over the whole syllabus on time.
Any suggestions on what to do? i usually read over notes then look at questions for that certain dot point i have read and then look at the answers but i haven't yet gotten to a full exam paper on its own.
i ranked 11/200 for half yearlies and really well throughout the year then i'm not sure what happened but my mark dropped significantly and i was ranked 104/200 which is stressing me out. help.

Hi...

Having a good set of notes is a great foundation. 
But at this stage, past papers are CRUCIAL, in helping you enhance your exam technique, and working out what kind of depth of knowledge will be required in the exam. Assuming you took a similar approach to studying in trials, it seems like a very time-consuming approach. Can I suggest that you use past papers to diagnose what you need to work on? Like, go through a paper, answer what you can, and for the questions that you can't answer, go back, revise your notes, and then have a go at answering them. Maybe make some flashcards on these areas too, mnemonics, whatever helps you to study.

In these last few weeks, it is all about studying smart - prioritizing your weaknesses, because there is not much point revising dot points that you are already very familiar with. You are bound to feel way more prepared for the exam if you have worked through all the types of questions biology can throw at you, rather than just having a solid information bank going into the exam.

As for doing the whole past paper, this may not be essential, depending on your time management. If you finished with reasonable time in your trial, then it is more than likely you will do so in the exam, if you work efficiently. I find that the biology exam is pretty generous for time, but personally still do at least one paper timed before the exam, just for that extra bit of security.

Even though it doesn't seem like it, 2 weeks is actually a lot of time. Biology can be overwhelming in content at times, but the above approach can make it less daunting. Hope this helps.