Tips/Advice for JC2

Requilm SG

Well, the dreaded JC2 is about to begin in a few days time, and I would like to ask any successful JC Survivors or anyone kind enough to lend a few words for any tips/advices for JC2 i.e

Background abt me: I had AABB for Promos and from a low-tier JC. Before you say its good/bad , I am not satisfied with my results as well. Not the brightest of the cohort but probably the upper 10-15%

1. When should I begin full throttle on revision ( doing prelim papers + finishing TYS )? Or should I do revision everyday or just focus on completing J2 syallabus?

2. Any key things I need to do/believe in during this gruesome year?

3. How to handle stiff competition amidst all this tests/exams? ( My teachers have a habit of mentioning Top 5 for every tests/exams and only favours such people )

4. I'm a big victim of complacency , always thinking I'm better than the rest, eventually I did alot worse!

Any advice is greatly appreciated :) Merry Christmas .

wee_ws SG

Hi,

Congrats on the good Promo results!

Q1: Do some maths (school questions/Cambridge questions) everyday, depending on what you'd like to revise. Recent Cambridge exam trend suggests a mix of topics being assessed in a single question.

Q2: Believe that you can excel and take proactive actions to achieve that.

Q3: School assessment does not affect the A-level outcome, you do not need to be overly-stressed over them. Simply take these as rehearsals for the ultimate A-level exam.

Q4: Now that you are aware of complacency, always observe it and catch it by taking proactive actions to overcome it.

Merry Christmas!

Cheers,
Wen Shih

Requilm SG

Thanks for your kind advice. Merry Christmas!

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Requilm,

Those are very decent Promos results indeed. Well done!

More than a decade ago, I was in your exact same shoes and dreaded the dawn of JC2. However, it turned out to be my most enjoyable year in college. The camaraderie shared / time spent with my classmates in mugging for the endless tests and exams really helped us bond together. In fact, all my ten ‘brothers’ for my wedding were my JC-mates!

Given the fast pace of the upcoming academic year, I believe there are a few things which you can note:

Every test henceforth does not really ‘count’. Prospective employers/scholarship boards are more interested in your prelim results / ‘A’ level results, and the other assessments take up a peripheral role. Hence use these checkpoint tests to make mistakes! E.g. if you’re exploring modifications to your writing style, or you plan to devote more time to planning before writing your essays, do them right away and refine your approach along the way. This way, you’ll be better prepared before the final exams.

Start making your own condensed notes. I’ve had students who planned to study the same set of lecture notes (multiple iterations) in preparing for the Mar test, mid-year test, pre-prelims, prelims, then the ‘A’ levels. Such repeated reading does not really help. Instead, when preparing for the mid-year, use the revision time to do up your own notes (condensed version of lecture notes, with additives e.g. concept maps). Let’s call this set of notes version 1. When reading for prelims, do a version 2 based on version 1 (an even more condensed version). Final revision for ‘A’ levels, you don’t really need to do notes anymore. This way, you streamline the amount which you have to read through, and this may be more effective. Remember, lecture notes are excellent for teaching purposes, but not necessarily for aiding revision.

Lastly, based on your commendable results, you may already be serving as a mentor to some of your classmates. If not, now’s the time to start sharing your knowledge! I learn better when I explain concepts to others.

Of course, don’t neglect the wonderful interactions you could be sharing with your friends (excellent networking opportunities too)! Enjoy JC2, while it lasts J

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Just to add that for your upcoming tests, some results may be intended as a 'signal' to students - i.e. if teachers are especially rigorous and stringent in marking for one test, that could serve as a wake-up call to students falling into complacency.

Hence, keep a resilient mindset and soldier on!

Requilm SG

Thanks for the advice!

ArJoe SG

You should revise your subjects daily such as practicing questions that you have learnt to maintain the momentum and consistency which is crucial for jc if you want to score well in your a levels

Jabeen10000 SG

explain this all to her they might be able to help you .. put you in student housing and grant you special study assistance.

SBS2601D SG

Very simple.

Study because you enjoy learning.

Once you understand that, you will truly excel.

Otherwise your results would mean little in the future.

UltimaOnline SG

Here's one more tip for 2014 A Level students:

Ask your H2 Physics, H2 Biology and H2 Chemistry qns here.

For H2 Chemistry, even if (for various reasons, eg. busy with other stuff) I do not reply your post in time (eg. before others do), there are many other helpful folks here in SgForum's "Homework Forum" who will be glad to help you out. For instance, Mr Chong (ChemGuide aka SimpleMinded).

ArJoe SG

Here's one more tip for 2014 A Level students:

Ask your H2 Physics, H2 Biology and H2 Chemistry qns here.

Ya Ultimaonline would be extremely specific in answering your questions

ArJoe SG

And eagle too for H2 physics/maths

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Chemguide7 SG

Hi,

My chemistry blog http://alevelchemistrysg.blogspot.sg may help you.

All the best to the first day of school.

SBS2601D SG

Be curious, not competitive

Moreover, parents who are fixated on their children's academic performance instill a spirit of competition in their children. In today's Information Age, however, what's needed in order to excel is a spirit of curiosity, rather than a spirit of competition.

There's an incredible amount of information available on the internet, which means that if you want to become knowledgeable in some field, you probably could. It just requires that you have enough genuine curiosity to compel you to look up the information online.

If students are caught up trying to compete with their peers and outperform them, it's difficult to cultivate a real love for learning and discovery—the things that form the basis of a meaningful education and of long-term success in the Information Age.

Furthermore, if students feel like they're being forced to improve academically, there's a limit to how successful they can become. To achieve success—I'll go one step further and use the word "greatness"—in any field, you need to make a conscious decision to be great.

After all, no great pianist, athlete, engineer, doctor, mechanic, nurse or entrepreneur became that way without intentionally choosing the path of excellence.

You can't force anyone to become great. It's possible to force someone to become mediocre or even good, but greatness requires commitment.

If parents make their children go for tuition classes without also empowering them to take full responsibility for their own education, it's impossible for the children to become great students.

At the heart of it, greatness is much more a matter of will than it is of skill. Before we teach our students the skill of studying more effectively and of doing better on exams, we need to encourage them to make a deliberate choice about their education, their future and their life.