As the Term Two break approaches and as the holiday homework piles up, it is important to reflect upon the significance of practice exams. The word ‘practice’ married with ‘exams’ would send a shiver down any student’s spine. Although at first glance, practice exams are equivalent to Britney and Justin’s 2001 VMA denim on denim appearance. However, these exams are more like the alluring David and Victoria Beckham. Practice exams don’t go towards your ATAR but they do provide an excellent tool to measure your academic achievements and knowledge.
Many schools allocate a period in which students will sit practice exams in exam conditions. This gives students the valuable opportunity to become comfortable working in exam conditions. Like anything out of the ordinary, exams often make students anxious. Some people fear 1980s fashion and some people fear exams. The practice exams that are conducted on school grounds should be critical. The exams allow you to familiarise yourself with the environment and potentially minimise stress and anxiety which in turn will allow you to concentrate and perform better at the end of year exams.
These practice exams will also be marked by your teachers meaning that they can serve as a good indication on what you need to improve upon. When getting your marks back it is crucial to not be disheartened if you didn’t get the result you were after. Instead of searching the web for the top 10 most well-paid jobs that don’t require higher education, let the exam serve as a motivation to push yourself to achieve the best you can. As Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell once sung, “there Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. Moreover, the exams can also highlight the areas you know well. When it comes to revision, you then can understand the areas that you really need to focus on and the areas you are proficient in. This will help you divide up your study time to make the most impact on your grades.
Practice exams are also useful for personal and private study over the weekend and during study breaks. It is important to complete practice exams as it will consolidate and deepen your knowledge. VCAA provides free resources which not only has past exams but reports which include top-ranking answers. The exams on VCAA are beneficial as they demonstrate a similar, if not the exact same, structure to the end of year exams.
Doing practice exams will turn your study group from 5ive to Boyz II Men. This is an alternative to eliminate the sluggishness that accompanies practice exams. Not only does this help divide the workload it also can create valuable discussion. As each member or your study group may hold different perspectives on questions, you can bounce ideas off each other to weave answers together which includes each individual input and ideas.
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