Revision Break Lounge

[R3DPhoenix]

You've been hunched over a desk for two hours. You've hauled your weary brain through yet another past paper. You've memorised so many details about World War I, you're subconsciously arranging your stationary to model the Schlieffen Plan! So you reward yourself with 20 minutes to yourself. And there are two things you feel like doing: sleeping and moaning.

This is a place for the latter.

I've had the idea of a thread for NG's students to wax lyrical about their studies for a while, but I think it actually has enough context to work now. Whether you're sitting a spelling test or University finals, you can use this thread to let everyone know what you're doing, share revision strategies or just shoot the breeze while your brain cools down. Who knows, you might even find someone doing the same exam...

I've got 6 A2 modules (5 Maths, 1 Physics) in the next three weeks so I'm doing 2-3 practice papers a day now. My first is FP2 (Further Maths) on Monday. The highest mark in my class for the mock was 65%. And that wasn't me either. There's a reason they called them complex numbers...

[schumaccercat]

Only virgins need to revise.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/8/11 12:50 PM, schumaccercat wrote: Only virgins need to revise.

I'll take that as a "Sign me up!" then...

[Dean]

I can imagine I'll post in here now and again if it remains open. I just finished my exams for the first semester before the Christmas holidays, but due to bad weather I still have one left to do, which we are sitting on Wednesday. I'm not really looking forward to it, since it's not something that you can really revise for and I only have quite a vague idea of what to expect.

I don't have my next real set of exams until after the Easter holidays, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of coursework and class tests to moan about in the near future.

For the record, I'm in my second year of a Computer Science degree. It's good fun, albeit a little challenging at times.

[SomaGuye]

7 exams this month. D1, FP1, C3, Chem2, Chem4, Phys2, Phys4. I haven't even started revising yet due to my amazing procrastination ability, but the fact is if I don't I am going to flop Chemistry and Physics, so I need to get started.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/8/11 03:30 PM, Dean wrote: I can imagine I'll post in here now and again if it remains open. I just finished my exams for the first semester before the Christmas holidays, but due to bad weather I still have one left to do, which we are sitting on Wednesday. I'm not really looking forward to it, since it's not something that you can really revise for and I only have quite a vague idea of what to expect.

For the record, I'm in my second year of a Computer Science degree. It's good fun, albeit a little challenging at times.

Ack, sounds like Physics practical exams...
Cool, I'll be doing Computer Science next year as well! Where are you studying?

At 1/8/11 03:33 PM, SomaGuye wrote: 7 exams this month. D1, FP1, C3, Chem2, Chem4, Phys2, Phys4. I haven't even started revising yet due to my amazing procrastination ability, but the fact is if I don't I am going to flop Chemistry and Physics, so I need to get started.

Jeez, you're a tank! I've got FP1, C3 and Phys4 (AQA) as well. My FP1 and C3 actually clash, so I have to do one after the other, with 20 minutes in isolation in between! Never been in isolation before; I imagine it as some white room with no furniture and mandatory disinfection upon entry. My Maths teacher denied this, but I've still got a hunch...

[Dean]

At 1/8/11 03:47 PM, R3DPhoenix wrote: Where are you studying?

Heriot Watt University, just outside of Edinburgh.

[Step]

Ah, I've got twelve subjects to study... English Literature, English Language, Maltese, French, Italian, Computer Studies, Environmental Studies, Physics, Religion, Accounting, Math and Computer Literacy.

Despite that, only three of them will be useful for me in the future. I hate the school system.

[SomaGuye]

At 1/8/11 03:47 PM, R3DPhoenix wrote: Jeez, you're a tank! I've got FP1, C3 and Phys4 (AQA) as well. My FP1 and C3 actually clash, so I have to do one after the other, with 20 minutes in isolation in between! Never been in isolation before; I imagine it as some white room with no furniture and mandatory disinfection upon entry. My Maths teacher denied this, but I've still got a hunch...

I had to have like an hour and a half isolation because I was supposed to sit 3 exams at the same time, Ethics, Philosophy and Chemistry 2. Actually that may be the reason I have to resit Chem 2 come to think of it. Anyway, all it is is you sit in a classroom doing nothing while a teacher watches you to make sure you aren't doing any revision, since everyone else already sat the exam. Despite this the teacher watching us didn't give a fuck if we revised, although I didn't bring any revision material since I was told we weren't allowed to revise in that time.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/8/11 04:16 PM, SomaGuye wrote: Despite this the teacher watching us didn't give a fuck if we revised, although I didn't bring any revision material since I was told we weren't allowed to revise in that time.

Well I was told I was allowed to bring food in. Reckon I could hide crib notes in a packet of crisps? Or you could fit an iPhone in a 4-finger KitKat wrapper...

At 1/8/11 03:59 PM, Supersteph54 wrote: Ah, I've got twelve subjects to study... English Literature, English Language, Maltese, French, Italian, Computer Studies, Environmental Studies, Physics, Religion, Accounting, Math and Computer Literacy.

Despite that, only three of them will be useful for me in the future. I hate the school system.

Maltese, Environmental Studies and Religion, I'm guessing.
If those are GCSEs, at least you can do stuff you actually like next year. I hated GCSEs with a passion. Now I haven't done an essay in two years. Feels pretty good!

[JaY11]

i'm fucking awful at revising. I've got a physics exam on wednesday and most of my revision has been done in my free time in school.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/8/11 10:47 PM, JaY11 wrote: i'm fucking awful at revising. I've got a physics exam on wednesday and most of my revision has been done in my free time in school.

Physics is nice like that because you can get a lot of help from the formula sheet. Especially A-Level mechanics.

Just done an FP2 practice paper ahead of my exam tomorrow, got 83%. I think I'm resigned to not getting an A* in this module. Even so, I still have four other modules to get an A* in and I don't even need an A* overall in Further Maths in any of my Uni offers, so it's not the end of the world by any means.

[Dean]

At 1/9/11 10:47 AM, R3DPhoenix wrote: Physics is nice like that because you can get a lot of help from the formula sheet. Especially A-Level mechanics.

You think physics is easy? Try sitting a maths exam that is primarily calculus and has a formula sheet telling you how to do most of the stuff. As long as you had basic understanding what was going on, you should have been easily able to nail that exam. I've not had the results back for it yet, and I really would be gutted if I've done badly after saying that, but it felt easy and I have high hopes.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/9/11 10:54 AM, Dean wrote: You think physics is easy?

Oh dear god no, there's still a load of stuff about fields which fries my brains. It's just easy enough to fudge your way through an unexpected mock. As opposed to Chemistry which spreads you on the desk if you haven't revised...

:Try sitting a maths exam that is primarily calculus and has a formula sheet telling you how to do most of the stuff. As long as you had basic understanding what was going on, you should have been easily able to nail that exam. I've not had the results back for it yet, and I really would be gutted if I've done badly after saying that, but it felt easy and I have high hopes.

Is that a Computer Science module or are you doing Maths with it?
S1 is a bit like that (I've got that in two weeks); the only thing that's beyond GCSE maths is Standard Deviation and the formulae for that are on the formula sheet. Add the fact that I only need ~20% for an A* (assuming I don't botch my C3 resit) and it becomes a bit of a joke! (Not to be TOO cocky or anything...)

Oh, and off-topic-but-obligatory question: Celtic or Rangers?

[Dean]

At 1/9/11 11:07 AM, R3DPhoenix wrote: Is that a Computer Science module or are you doing Maths with it?

It's a computer science degree, which is split into separate modules. Some of those modules are maths orientated. I will be starting my third maths module tomorrow.

Oh, and off-topic-but-obligatory question: Celtic or Rangers?

I'm not a football fan at all any more, but I was a Rangers supporter as a kid.

[Snuff]

I've never properly revised in my life.

I have my GCSEs in 5 months and a Physics GCSE Module in 2 weeks.

I should probably start.

[SomaGuye]

At 1/9/11 10:47 AM, R3DPhoenix wrote: Physics is nice like that because you can get a lot of help from the formula sheet. Especially A-Level mechanics.

Edexcel Maths is so easy now, because they have every formula sheet for each module together in one booklet that you get for every maths exam. So basically, if you didn't need to know it for C1, you won't need to know it for C4 either.

At 1/9/11 11:07 AM, R3DPhoenix wrote:

At 1/9/11 10:54 AM, Dean wrote: You think physics is easy?

Oh dear god no, there's still a load of stuff about fields which fries my brains. It's just easy enough to fudge your way through an unexpected mock. As opposed to Chemistry which spreads you on the desk if you haven't revised...

Fucking Electric and Magnetic Fields man. I really hope that the harder questions in the exam are Further Mechanics and Particle Physics, although the Particle Physics questions have the potential to be absolutely destroying. You need to bring a damn ruler as well, since they've started throwing in questions where you need to measure shit.

As for Chemistry, well just fuck me. I can't remember all of that. Mechanisms, conditions and reagents, tests for groups, my lord it's just too much. On top of that they like asking questions that aren't actually in the syllabus, and expect you to compare the question to what you do know to try and work it out.

At 1/9/11 12:00 PM, Snuff wrote: I've never properly revised in my life.

I have my GCSEs in 5 months and a Physics GCSE Module in 2 weeks.

I should probably start.

I have never revised in my life. The last time I tried I stared at the desk in the library for 2 hours then went home. I've been able to pull pretty good grades so far, but I think I need to kick it up a notch this year, cause I have a hell of a lot of shit on my plate, 7 A level exams in the next 3 weeks.

[Echo]

At 1/8/11 03:59 PM, Supersteph54 wrote: Ah, I've got twelve subjects to study... English Literature, English Language, Maltese, French, Italian, Computer Studies, Environmental Studies, Physics, Religion, Accounting, Math and Computer Literacy.

Despite that, only three of them will be useful for me in the future. I hate the school system.

Hey what a coincidence! I have those exact same subjects too!!! :O

Could be because we go to the same school...nah...

Except i dont have accounting but i have Graphical Communication, and I also have Chemistry...

[R3DPhoenix]

I had my FP2 exam this morning and it actually wasn't that bad. Well, relatively speaking; it was still damn hard, but some of the past papers were worse. And that's the hardest exam I'll sit this year our of the way. Excellent!

And I got Goldeneye on Wii as a late birthday present, so I get to have a crack at that now.

[Centurion-Ryan]

Starting my mocks in a week. I have a day off on Thursday so I'll probably start then.

[Dean]

Interaction Design exam tomorrow. I've not done any revision and not really sure if there is all that much I can do. It doesn't sound like it's going to be that hard, but it's been one of my least favourite classes so far. It's not something that I enjoyed at all. I'll just be happy to have a pass and not need to resit it.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/11/11 04:43 PM, Dean wrote: Interaction Design exam tomorrow. I've not done any revision and not really sure if there is all that much I can do. It doesn't sound like it's going to be that hard, but it's been one of my least favourite classes so far. It's not something that I enjoyed at all. I'll just be happy to have a pass and not need to resit it.

How'd it go, bro?

I had two Maths mocks (FP1 and DE) today and I've got a Physics mock tomorrow. At least I can reward myself with GoldenEye when I get home...

[Dean]

At 1/12/11 06:27 PM, R3DPhoenix wrote: How'd it go, bro?

I'm not sure how it went. I don't think it went great, because it was a lot of writing. Thankfully it was an exam paper on the design decisions of the Nintendo Wii, and I like my games consoles so I was able to write a lot of the stuff without even using the sources that we were given, although I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing in the long run.

Hopefully I got enough marks from the exam and my coursework to get me a pass.

[R3DPhoenix]

My clash is this week, so that's FP1 and C3 one after the other; 3 hours of A-Level maths. Whoever makes the exam schedules needs their head checked. And my school's pestering me to make my university choices already. Cambridge or Imperial? Actually having to make that decision makes me look like a cocky prick anyway :3

/rant

[SomaGuye]

At 1/16/11 08:16 AM, R3DPhoenix wrote: My clash is this week, so that's FP1 and C3 one after the other; 3 hours of A-Level maths. Whoever makes the exam schedules needs their head checked. And my school's pestering me to make my university choices already. Cambridge or Imperial? Actually having to make that decision makes me look like a cocky prick anyway :3

/rant

What course did you apply for? Also What exam board are you on? My C3 is th 24th and FP1 the 31st.

[R3DPhoenix]

At 1/16/11 09:34 AM, SomaGuye wrote: What course did you apply for? Also What exam board are you on? My C3 is th 24th and FP1 the 31st.

Ha, I'll have replied to you in two different threads now.
Computer Science. And I'm doing MEI, which is the hardcore board, apparently. I've got a friend who's got FP1 on the 31st as well, is that Edexcel? It'd be nice to have the extra time, but I'm not fussed. I finish completely on the 27th anyway.

[SomaGuye]

At 1/16/11 09:41 AM, R3DPhoenix wrote:

At 1/16/11 09:34 AM, SomaGuye wrote: What course did you apply for? Also What exam board are you on? My C3 is th 24th and FP1 the 31st.

Ha, I'll have replied to you in two different threads now.
Computer Science. And I'm doing MEI, which is the hardcore board, apparently. I've got a friend who's got FP1 on the 31st as well, is that Edexcel? It'd be nice to have the extra time, but I'm not fussed. I finish completely on the 27th anyway.

Yeah Edexcel, which is the middle board. MEI is definitely harder, they do Edexcel FP2 stuff in FP1.

[SomaGuye]

So I had my Physics 2 resit today, I thought it was pretty easy.

At least 2/3rds of the paper was waves though, there was only 1 circuit diagram in the entire paper, and that was in the multiple choice.

[R3DPhoenix]

Only two more modules to go then I'm liberated. Revising Physics has got to be right up there with getting a splinter and calling your teacher 'mum' in terms of sheer agony. I think I've got it though. Fingers crossed for a doable paper. Also apparently my Cambridge college has more bathrooms than any other. Dealbreaker.

[ArmouredGRIFFON]

A2 ... Physics.

ITS SO MASSIVE

JESUS CHIRST.

I've done 3 past papers. Got a C, A, and a D. Not too bad going I guess... It will really depend on what comes up in the exam, I'm going to have a crack at another one before the exam on thursday but GOD FORBID, I have a Critical Thinking exam tomorrow and that overrides my physics lesson. If I knew they wouldn't chase me up on it I would skip it...