Always struggling with last 2 questions (1 Viewer)

[Houjuunue]

Hi all as you know trials are coming up very soon so I have been trying my hardest to get through as much ext 1 study as possible. This has always remained a problem for me but for any practice or past trial hsc paper I could never finish the last 2 questions, 13 and 14 usually. Sometimes I can solve a handful of them but most of the time I leave them completely blank. it's frustrating and a lot of the times I don't even know where to start. I'm becoming more concerned as this habit bit me in the ass last test as i failed my previous ext 1 exam. Is there anything s[ecific i cando to resolve this because I feel so helpless as I am unable to even learn off what I have done because I have no idea what's going on or the answers use a method I have never oce thought about using. Any help would be appreciated

 

[Hughmaster]

Hi all as you know trials are coming up very soon so I have been trying my hardest to get through as much ext 1 study as possible. This has always remained a problem for me but for any practice or past trial hsc paper I could never finish the last 2 questions, 13 and 14 usually. Sometimes I can solve a handful of them but most of the time I leave them completely blank. it's frustrating and a lot of the times I don't even know where to start. I'm becoming more concerned as this habit bit me in the ass last test as i failed my previous ext 1 exam. Is there anything s[ecific i cando to resolve this because I feel so helpless as I am unable to even learn off what I have done because I have no idea what's going on or the answers use a method I have never oce thought about using. Any help would be appreciated

Just keep practicing...

If it helps, try a few under no exam conditions. i.e. Treat them as "assignment" problems and work your way through them across the week. This is kinda the only way, unless you have a tutor who can guide you through problem solving techinques, to develop the intuition required for these problems.

As for "don't even know where to start" - usually writing out some relevant formulas or definitions related to the question, or trying to more explicitly phrase what the questions is asking you to do can be a good first step. However if you truly don't know how to start it, the only way to get better is to bridge the gap by doing slightly easier questions, or allowing yourself more time (as per above) to truly come to grips with the problem and try as many things as you can.

Keep it up

 

[killer queen]

Hi there!

The last two questions are supposed to be the really hard ones, so don't stress! The majority of the state will struggle with them. Writing out formulas/whatever you think of, no matter how "dumb", may spark something. Also, if a question is out of 3 marks and people are either getting full marks or no marks, then the marking centre will find something to give one mark for - and most of the time, it'll be something simple like identifying formulas. So it might be able to pick up marks! Further, many questions have multiple parts, with the first part being a "show" part. Sometimes you can do the second bit without being able to prove the first part - some people don't realise this! I've gotten many a mark in quizzes by skipping the first part and using the result to answer the rest of the question.

Also, selective papers are supposed to be a little hard - be a little selective (haha funny pun) when picking which ones to do. I once did a James Ruse practice paper and the last question was pulleys, which is a MXX concept.

Ultimately though, my advice is this:
Hypothetically, if you're sitting at around an E2, then try and aim for E3 questions. Making sure you get EVERY SINGLE E2 and E3 mark will be far more useful than being able to do one or two E4 questions. Always aim a bit above. Additionally, after going through an HSC/trial paper, identify which topics you struggle with, and do targeted revision for those. Ask your friends who you think can get those questions too! Also, if someone asks you a question and you can explain it, then congratulations - you understand the concept!!

And finally, even if the raw mark is a "fail"...
Scaling

 

[funnytomato]

Hi all as you know trials are coming up very soon so I have been trying my hardest to get through as much ext 1 study as possible. This has always remained a problem for me but for any practice or past trial hsc paper I could never finish the last 2 questions, 13 and 14 usually. Sometimes I can solve a handful of them but most of the time I leave them completely blank. it's frustrating and a lot of the times I don't even know where to start. I'm becoming more concerned as this habit bit me in the ass last test as i failed my previous ext 1 exam. Is there anything s[ecific i cando to resolve this because I feel so helpless as I am unable to even learn off what I have done because I have no idea what's going on or the answers use a method I have never oce thought about using. Any help would be appreciated

Focus on revising one topic at a time and like @killer queen said any part solved or any extra 1 mark is a win already.

For example if you are having some gaps in further integration then revise for that specifically. Similarly for other stuff like vectors, projectile motion etc

For those questions the goal is not to go from 0 to 100 in a day but divide it into small actionable tasks. As you revise each topic further some of the 'method never seen before' would become more familiar.

Given the time constraints you may want to prioritise the topics you find 'just a bit unfamiliar' rathan than the most challenging ones

 

[C2H6O]

Hi all as you know trials are coming up very soon so I have been trying my hardest to get through as much ext 1 study as possible. This has always remained a problem for me but for any practice or past trial hsc paper I could never finish the last 2 questions, 13 and 14 usually. Sometimes I can solve a handful of them but most of the time I leave them completely blank. it's frustrating and a lot of the times I don't even know where to start. I'm becoming more concerned as this habit bit me in the ass last test as i failed my previous ext 1 exam. Is there anything s[ecific i cando to resolve this because I feel so helpless as I am unable to even learn off what I have done because I have no idea what's going on or the answers use a method I have never oce thought about using. Any help would be appreciated

Firstly identify which topics you struggle with, and try do a 13/14 with as much time as you need, and look at the solutions and explainer videos if you are stuck. Only when you are confident then try them under exam conditions. Seeing as there’s like a week left I would dedicate a whole day or a couple hours across 2-3 days to do this depending on how you’re going with other subjects. Do extensive practise in the topics you struggle with