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March 29, 2024, 07:13:48 am

Author Topic: Trial Exams Not Improving  (Read 4672 times)  Share 

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vexx

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Trial Exams Not Improving
« on: October 04, 2009, 04:29:48 pm »
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Is anyone else doing practice exams for unit 4 exam and find themselves not improving?
I seem to be getting around at least 6 multiple choice questions wrong AND a few short answer everytime (mainly research methods) and i'm not improving at all.

Is anyone on the same track? Or know what i can do to improve?
I can't think of anything since i know all the content very well but can't seem to apply it very well >_>
2010 VCE: psychology | english language | methods cas | further | chemistry | physical ed | uni chemistry || ATAR: 97.40 ||

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Y1: biology of cells&organisms | music psychology | biological psychology | secret life of language | creative writing
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lacoste

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2009, 04:40:00 pm »
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You say you keep on getting the same concept; 'research methods' wrong. That is good news, at least you have identified the cause of error. Now, go back to the textbook/notes/google and read up upon that. Perhaps, make an error booklet and write out the questions you keep getting wrong at the trials and attempt them again when its closer to the actual exam.

PS: I don't do psych

vexx

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2009, 05:48:34 pm »
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You say you keep on getting the same concept; 'research methods' wrong. That is good news, at least you have identified the cause of error. Now, go back to the textbook/notes/google and read up upon that. Perhaps, make an error booklet and write out the questions you keep getting wrong at the trials and attempt them again when its closer to the actual exam.

PS: I don't do psych

thanks but, i can't study for the research methods part cos it's not definitions. i can only practice.
the main problem is the application questions in the multiple choice where i can really do nothing to study for. i lost all my marks in my last sac just on multiple choice. they are gonna bring me down so bad.. anyone had this problem in psych??
2010 VCE: psychology | english language | methods cas | further | chemistry | physical ed | uni chemistry || ATAR: 97.40 ||

2011: BSc @ UoM

Y1: biology of cells&organisms | music psychology | biological psychology | secret life of language | creative writing
    || genetics&the evolution of life | biochemistry&molecular biology | techniques of molecular science -.- | mind,brain&behaviour 2

20XX: MEDICINE

d0minicz

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2009, 06:03:35 pm »
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slow down when you're answering a multiple choice and before selecting the right answer (if you can see it straight away) maybe its best to ensure that the others are wrong and cross them off
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shinny

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2009, 06:05:39 pm »
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You say you keep on getting the same concept; 'research methods' wrong. That is good news, at least you have identified the cause of error. Now, go back to the textbook/notes/google and read up upon that. Perhaps, make an error booklet and write out the questions you keep getting wrong at the trials and attempt them again when its closer to the actual exam.

PS: I don't do psych

thanks but, i can't study for the research methods part cos it's not definitions. i can only practice.
the main problem is the application questions in the multiple choice where i can really do nothing to study for. i lost all my marks in my last sac just on multiple choice. they are gonna bring me down so bad.. anyone had this problem in psych??

Then think about why you're getting them wrong and start developing a systematic way of approaching these questions. Maybe posting up which ones you're getting wrong will help so others can show you their thought processes.
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xXNovaxX

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2009, 06:09:32 pm »
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Um, I see what you mean, and feel sorry for you =(

Worst thing that could happen, especially so close to exams.

My advice is that see what you did wrong, and really analyse it, until you say "ahh, I see where they're coming from, I no what I did wrong". THEN, go to that chapter and read over it again, specifically the part you went wrong in.

Also, discuss with a teacher

gl

ngRISING

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2009, 06:10:16 pm »
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a method i found interesting for psychology for AOS 2 and Research Methods

make a small box next to the question.

eg Research Methods Question
in that box.
write:
IV
DV
S[sample]
P[population]
A[Allocation Method]
S[Selection Method]

am i missing anything else lol. the P value if it is given in the question. by doing this you have a clear understanding of whats what. thus, making it slightly easier i guess. well thats how i get the Research methods question correct. you arn't mark on that box if you wrote it in the corner somewhere for the S/A section.

i've only done one prac exam lol. maybe you should have a look at someones check points book. i just finished my check points book and doin my next one. tell you my mark tonight =p .
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vexx

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2009, 06:17:38 pm »
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oooh thank you domincz, shinny, nova & ngrising! i will try what you have just said now (about to do another trial exam) & then when marking really analyse the ones i get wrong.

sorry double post, deleted and moved the other here
...
ahhh i just did another practice exam.. this is so frustrating as out of the last 3 i've done (all IARTV) i've gotten 80/90... which means i'm not improving at all lol.. however, two of those multiple choice i wrote the wrong letter by accident and one wasn't something we've learned (functional fixedness).

is there something else i can do? or should i just keep doing practice exams and hope things get better?
« Last Edit: October 04, 2009, 09:37:05 pm by vexx »
2010 VCE: psychology | english language | methods cas | further | chemistry | physical ed | uni chemistry || ATAR: 97.40 ||

2011: BSc @ UoM

Y1: biology of cells&organisms | music psychology | biological psychology | secret life of language | creative writing
    || genetics&the evolution of life | biochemistry&molecular biology | techniques of molecular science -.- | mind,brain&behaviour 2

20XX: MEDICINE

xXNovaxX

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2009, 08:42:29 pm »
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well u have improved SLIGHTLY, u made that error, lol, to be honest, when i do the wrong letter, i pretend "i got it right" it was a careless error, LOL

So technically u improved by 2 marks since multi choice was accident.

btw, why are u getting the rest wrong that is the 80/90. Have u noticed a pattern? Is it based on the same topics or AOS (Area of Study)??

also, u cant expect to get 90/90, but first answer the otehr question, coz u might be capable

vexx

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2009, 09:41:47 pm »
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haha, yeah i suppose. but making 'careless errors' is the same as getting it wrong, so if it was done in an exam, it would be considered wrong -- what i'm doing. but in the real exam i'll double check my answers anyway....

well the pattern is pretty much 6~8 multiple choice wrong, usually 50/50 with memory and learning. and then the rest either silly mistakes /not explaining right in memory/learning or making mistakes in research methods which i didn't know (we haven't done a sac on this yet, and we only had one class on what research methods were so i should be improving in this section).

i really want to get 90/90 though haha, even though this is extremely unlikely......
2010 VCE: psychology | english language | methods cas | further | chemistry | physical ed | uni chemistry || ATAR: 97.40 ||

2011: BSc @ UoM

Y1: biology of cells&organisms | music psychology | biological psychology | secret life of language | creative writing
    || genetics&the evolution of life | biochemistry&molecular biology | techniques of molecular science -.- | mind,brain&behaviour 2

20XX: MEDICINE

ngRISING

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #10 on: October 04, 2009, 10:05:56 pm »
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i really want to get 90/90 though haha, even though this is extremely unlikely......

i would like a 90/90 as well, bring up my study score to the high 30's. another B will just kill my enter score .
what did you get on mid years?
2008: Further Maths & LOTE
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vexx

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2009, 10:30:06 pm »
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i really want to get 90/90 though haha, even though this is extremely unlikely......

i would like a 90/90 as well, bring up my study score to the high 30's. another B will just kill my enter score .
what did you get on mid years?

let's study hard and try and get a perfect exam score then eh;) i got mid A+.
2010 VCE: psychology | english language | methods cas | further | chemistry | physical ed | uni chemistry || ATAR: 97.40 ||

2011: BSc @ UoM

Y1: biology of cells&organisms | music psychology | biological psychology | secret life of language | creative writing
    || genetics&the evolution of life | biochemistry&molecular biology | techniques of molecular science -.- | mind,brain&behaviour 2

20XX: MEDICINE

Eriny

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2009, 10:37:59 pm »
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The only way to get 100% for research methods is to keep practicing. Those questions require you to really critically analyse their hypothetical study and unfortunately, analysis is not something you can rote learn. If you do all the past VCAA ones and look at the exam reports, often you caan pick out a few things that catch up a lot of students and remind yourself to avoid those sorts of mistakes. Another thing you can do is look at those famous old-timey studies like the Stanford Prison Experiment, and similar ones like that and pick out all the things they did wrong and why, and all the things they did right and why. Pretty soon, you can look at science in the news and question whether the methodology used actually produced good results.

You're really looking for sampling types (random? convenience? stratified?), sample size (n needs to be greater than 30 for results to be significant), p values, ethical issues, experimenter bias and whether the design was such that you can't really compare the control group with the experimental group or if it was such that participants didn't act as they normally would as a result of their knowledge of being in an experiment.

claaudia

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2009, 11:06:12 pm »
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You're really looking for sampling types (random? convenience? stratified?), sample size (n needs to be greater than 30 for results to be significant), p values, ethical issues, experimenter bias and whether the design was such that you can't really compare the control group with the experimental group or if it was such that participants didn't act as they normally would as a result of their knowledge of being in an experiment.

So when the sample size is < 30 then result are insignificant?
never knew that!

xXNovaxX

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Re: Trial Exams Not Improving
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2009, 11:44:53 pm »
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i really want to get 90/90 though haha, even though this is extremely unlikely......

i would like a 90/90 as well, bring up my study score to the high 30's. another B will just kill my enter score .
what did you get on mid years?

let's study hard and try and get a perfect exam score then eh;) i got mid A+.
*dies* MID A+! AND YOU'RE WORRYING. (note, the caps were on purpose). Well you had a mid year-you know how exams are like, and you know what you're capable of. Mid years are going to be the same as end of years in terms of time, feel.  You should be worried if you got like a C or B.