For me and most of my friends, PE was by far the best subject in VCE. Most PE students do it because of their love for sports, making it an easy subject to motivate yourself to study for. However, as many students have a great passion for the subject, often it can be extremely hard to do well as so many people hope for it to be their best subject. This guide will ensure that you stay ahead of your fellow cohort members and exceed the study score you were hoping for.
Guide
How to get a 45+ in PE: Advice from a high-achieving student
By Brad - 4 minute readIn this guide, Brad goes through his top tips and tricks for getting a 45+ in PE
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Introduction
How to prepare for your SACs
It is important to know that SACs contribute to 50% of your study score, which can really help take some of the pressure off the final exam. It is important to do well in the SACs, especially in PE, because they contribute more than other subjects, such as English, and receiving good SAC marks can give you more confidence going into the exam.
Class time
I often used my class time as an introduction to the topics we were learning. My teacher provided us with slideshow notes of key dot points that would be necessary for the upcoming SAC. I would make sure to highlight the key terms she emphasized and asked all questions I had. However, I still felt like there was a need after class to revise the content. Knowing that distributed practice leads to greater retention (as there are more frequent sessions), I figured that the more often I revised, the more I would remember!
Studying at home
By far the most efficient way I learned was by doing practice questions. There is nothing more beneficial than doing application questions. This differentiates the mainstream kids and the elite students. Make sure that you check the suggested solutions; you may find phrases you like and adopt them in your answers for the future.
Practice SACs
Obviously, all of the different schools have different styles and questions on their SACs. I would recommend sticking to the practice SACs that your school has provided so that you can get familiar with the style that will be most like your actual SAC. If you are crunched for time, at least make sure to do the most recent ones and ALWAYS ask your teacher if you have any questions regarding them. I would also suggest asking your teacher what tricked most of the students last year in the SACs, as they tend to try and trick the students the same way each year.
How to revise for exams
Constant consolidation
I cannot stress enough how important it is to not leave everything until after you have finished all of the SACs. It is much more efficient to revise throughout the year and keep on going back over the concepts you learned. A routine I found that worked for me was, after each SAC, I would go back over the textbook and all the chapters we had done up until then. This took barely any effort but definitely ensured I retained my knowledge.
Practice exams
The more practice exams you do does not mean the more prepared you are! I had done a lot of practice exams but found myself starting to make very careless mistakes. I would quickly read over the questions asked, allowing me to misinterpret the questions and answering them wrong even though they were very simple. I realised I needed to stop because I was just doing them to be able to say to myself that I had done it. So, instead I looked over examiners reports and took on their feedback. This really helped me understand what the tendencies of students are and what to look out for.
Some final tips
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Studying with others
Always make sure to study with friends. I had a really good group of friends who I
worked well with and had fun, which made learning and revising easy. It was really
beneficial to hear all of their key phrases and ideas on how to answer a question.
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Don’t compare yourself to others
Never ask how many practice exams/SACs others have done. As I said before, more
practice ≠ more prepared. Comparing yourself to others puts too much pressure on
yourself and can distract you. Remember, you are only competing against yourself; if
you work hard and do all that you can, it’s an achievement in itself.
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Check what is actually on the study design
Lots of teachers tend to teach (and even put on SACs!) questions with topics not
associated with the study design. Before the exam, look on the VCAA website and
know what you can actually be asked on. E.g., DOMS and Carb loading is not on the
study design and will not be asked about on the exam even though your teacher
may ask about it. So don’t waste time studying concepts not on the study design.
Time management
In the 15 minutes of reading time, I quickly started off with the multiple choice,
familiarising myself with how I can get off to a quick start and knock out 5 questions
instantly. I made sure to go through the rest of the questions and answered them
simply in my head. I also tried to find a 4–6-mark question that I felt comfortable
with and started with that so I could make sure that I could start off feeling good
about an answer.
Final Tips
Here are Brad's final tips on how to get a 45+ in PE.
Studying with others
Always make sure to study with friends. I had a really good group of friends who I
worked well with and had fun, which made learning and revising easy. It was really
beneficial to hear all of their key phrases and ideas on how to answer a question.
Don’t compare yourself to others
Never ask how many practice exams/SACs others have done. As I said before, more
practice ≠ more prepared. Comparing yourself to others puts too much pressure on
yourself and can distract you. Remember, you are only competing against yourself; if
you work hard and do all that you can, it’s an achievement in itself.
Check what is actually on the study design
Lots of teachers tend to teach (and even put on SACs!) questions with topics not
associated with the study design. Before the exam, look on the VCAA website and
know what you can actually be asked on. E.g., DOMS and Carb loading is not on the
study design and will not be asked about on the exam even though your teacher
may ask about it. So don’t waste time studying concepts not on the study design.
Time management
In the 15 minutes of reading time, I quickly started off with the multiple choice,
familiarising myself with how I can get off to a quick start and knock out 5 questions
instantly. I made sure to go through the rest of the questions and answered them
simply in my head. I also tried to find a 4–6-mark question that I felt comfortable
with and started with that so I could make sure that I could start off feeling good
about an answer.
By Brad
Brad graduated in 2021, doing particularly well in Physical Education and Further Maths. He hopes to study a double degree in Commerce and Finance.