Terminology

Like any VCE subject, Psych has a bank of specific vocabulary that you need to understand and know how to use, as one word can make or break your mark!

For every topic I created Quizlets of all the key terms and their definitions, and once I became familiar with the words, I was able to confidently practise my written answers to exam questions. I highly recommend making flashcards or using online forums like Studyclix and Quizlet to go over terminology. Once you’ve grasped the words, understanding scenarios and being able to tackle the exam will be a lot easier.

Exam Question Practice

If you leave all your exam practise until after SACs are finished, you’ll probably be overwhelmed. I used the Cambridge Checkpoints book before each SAC to become accustomed to the style of VCAA questions and how to answer them. This means that when it came to the end of year study period, I already knew how to approach exam questions, and because I also understood the terminology from constantly quizzing myself, I could just focus on getting through as many trial exams as possible. You could also practise answering past VCAA questions for particular topics on Studyclix where past exams are already divided into each topic

Practise Full Exams

It probably goes without saying that one of the most important ways to prepare for the exam is to complete numerous trial papers. At the start of the exam study period, I found it really useful to take a random company paper and sit it under exam conditions, so that when I marked it I could see what I already knew and what I needed to focus on. I think this is a great way to initially approach the exam so that you don’t waste time going over things you are already confident with. Like I did when studying for my SACs, I found it really helpful to first complete trial exams with my notes in front of me, and then once I recognised and understood the key aspects of each question type, I could do exams under exam conditions. Make sure you prioritise all VCAA questions, even the ones from old exams that still apply to the current study design.

Multiple Choice

This section makes up about 42% of the exam, and it’s a pretty easy 50 marks to secure yourself if you have the right approach. Something I was told is that multiple choice is really just a choice between two options, and I found this to be really helpful advice; most of the time you can cross out two options straight away so that you’re left with the other two. You should also keep in mind that multiple choice asks for the best answer out of the available options, not necessarily the correct answer. And of course, if you can’t decide, need to think about it or need to guess, shade a bubble and come back to it if you have time, you have a 1 in 4 chance of being right!

Short Answers

When it comes to the short answer questions, the best thing to do is look at the mark allocation, as this gives you an indication of how many points you have to make. Also get used to the different command terms, such as “state”, “explain”, “evaluate” etc, as these tell you in what way to answer the question. If there is a lot of information given, like in a scenario, I always found it helpful to highlight key terms that I needed to pay attention to so that they stood out on the page. For any question worth more than 1 or 2 marks, you should try to always relate back to the scenario where applicable, so you can show that you know how to use your general knowledge of the content and also apply it to different specific situations. Don’t forget that it’s also perfectly acceptable and sometimes even better to answer in dot points so you keep your answer succinct, clear and easy for the examiner to follow!

The 10 Marker

This is probably the hardest part of the exam to prepare for and handle on the day. I would simply say to just practise as many as you can, especially different question types. In this section you are expected to relate to the scenario all the time, so every time you explain content, give an example and link back to the scenario given to you. You should take note of the requirements you have to write about and make sure you answer all of those first, and then if you have extra time, I recommend adding in extra information that applies from other parts of the course, so you can really show off your knowledge. Unlike in short answer, there is more room for writing about everything you know that relates to the topic given to you, so don’t be afraid to have fun with the question and answer with confidence and passion.

I think it makes sense to start with multiple choice questions;
because you are able to warm up your skills and retrieve your knowledge, and then have it ready for short answer where you have to explain concepts properly.

If during reading time you decide you are really confident with the 10 marker, by all means start with that; but just make sure you don’t spend longer than 30 minutes on it.

The same principle applies to short answer, especially easy 1 markers; if during reading time you find questions you can immediately answer without much thought, go for it! The most important thing is to get as many marks as you can, so decide on the best way for you to do this, and practise your techniques during your studying.