Revision Help?

[RllbBryn]

Ok... The exams are closing in fast, and I'm wondering if anyone has any great tips, or usefull websites and other links for revision tools for the sciences. I personally am taking chemistry and physics at higher level, but feel free to post biology or EVS help aswell.

So far I've been trying to answer past papers, and have been writing detailed notes following the syllabus, anybody got any other suggestions??

Thanks

Rllbbryn

=)

Edited April 13, 2009 by RllbBryn

[1-2-3]

There is a seperate thread of exam help:

http://www.ibsurvival.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=48

It has some great websites listed

[emmiez]

Find animations online. I find that watching the animations - especially for cellular processes - are extremely useful for remembering the steps of the process!

[Tilia]

Study the syllabus!

I find tables helpful, I write everything in tables. Also try to come up with strange ways of remembering things. I think that the word "fission" can be splitted into two parts, both containing a S, therefore fission is when a nucleus is splitted. I know it's silly, but it works.

[Sandwich]

Yeah, with chemistry LOTS OF ACRONYMS! Saves having to work everything out in the multiple choice

[Tilia]

Examples of any useful ones?

FONClBrISCH

[Sandwich]

Examples of any useful ones?

FONClBrISCH

Fluorine, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, bromine, iodine, sulphur, carbon, hydrogen?

What would you remember them for?

I have several, but my personal favourite is FIDIEDEII aka Fluorine --> Iodine, Decreasing Ionisation Energy, Decreasing Electronegativity, Increasing Ionic (&Atomic) Radius

Sounds best if you say it as fid-eye-dye. No other way to learn the patterns for multiple choice P:

[Vvi]

I learn by repeating sounds in the same order over and over in a certain rhythm; I don't make acronyms. My brain somehow absorbs it if I just repeat it enough times. For example, I always say "Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species" in the same tone of voice, same rhythm, same emphasis on syllables. Like a parrot.

The method works well for learning formulas (Gross production= Net production-respiration) and sequences of things, but not long sentences.

Edited May 8, 2009 by Vvi

[Darko]

Hi! Im on my first year of IB and the mock IBs are coming up in a month. Anyone know any good revision methods? Just need it for my HLs Physics,Maths and Chemistry. I would greatly appreciate if anyone who has successfully found a revision scheme that works could please contact me via reply or PM. Thanks in advance and feel free to contribute!

[sweetnsimple786]

I use rhythms as well, except slightly differently

Impulse momentum theorem:

"f delta t equals m delta v" to the tune of na / na-na / na / na / na / na-na / na

A common one for Chem is for oxidation-reduction:

Leo the tiger goes ger = LEO GER = Loss of Electrons is Oxidation and Gaining of Electrons is Reduction.

I personally like OIL RIG better (Oxidation is the loss (of electrons), reduction is gain)

Acid to Water: All is Well. Water to Acid: What an Accident!

Just a way to remember what reactions occur when mixing the two.

Also, people try to use a sentence to remember the prefixes for organic chem like "meth-, eth-, prop-, but-," etc. Usually, if you familiarize yourself with it, it's not hard to remember.

For functional groups, that's a completely different story! Does anyone have a way to remember those?

[Sandwich]

I learn by repeating sounds in the same order over and over in a certain rhythm; I don't make acronyms. My brain somehow absorbs it if I just repeat it enough times. For example, I always say "Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species" in the same tone of voice, same rhythm, same emphasis on syllables. Like a parrot.

The method works well for learning formulas (Gross production= Net production-respiration) and sequences of things, but not long sentences.

Haha, mine was King Prawns Commonly Ooze Foul Gunky Smells

Also, people try to use a sentence to remember the prefixes for organic chem like "meth-, eth-, prop-, but-," etc. Usually, if you familiarize yourself with it, it's not hard to remember.

For functional groups, that's a completely different story! Does anyone have a way to remember those?

I just pretend I'm a pigeon doing karate

Carboxylic acids are like an extended 'cooooo!' (COOH)

Aldehydes are much more karateish 'CHO!' >:[

Then 'R-COR' for ketones... (a coo of lament ) etc.

Just don't do it out loud or you really will look mad Only way I've found to remember them! Ultimately the best way to learn functional groups is to keep using them and practising until you're used to them xP Then you never get it wrong!

[moneyfaery]

Also, people try to use a sentence to remember the prefixes for organic chem like "meth-, eth-, prop-, but-," etc. Usually, if you familiarize yourself with it, it's not hard to remember.

For functional groups, that's a completely different story! Does anyone have a way to remember those?

Draw them!!! I'm more of a visual/auditory learner, so I talk to myself and scribble madly on paper.

[Darko]

I use rhythms as well, except slightly differently

Impulse momentum theorem:

"f delta t equals m delta v" to the tune of na / na-na / na / na / na / na-na / na

A common one for Chem is for oxidation-reduction:

Leo the tiger goes ger = LEO GER = Loss of Electrons is Oxidation and Gaining of Electrons is Reduction.

I personally like OIL RIG better (Oxidation is the loss (of electrons), reduction is gain)

Acid to Water: All is Well. Water to Acid: What an Accident!

Just a way to remember what reactions occur when mixing the two.

Also, people try to use a sentence to remember the prefixes for organic chem like "meth-, eth-, prop-, but-," etc. Usually, if you familiarize yourself with it, it's not hard to remember.

For functional groups, that's a completely different story! Does anyone have a way to remember those?

For functional groups I just kept repeating them in my head until i memorised all of them and how to draw them.

Sometimes I used nicknames that mean something in my life so I can use relation to remember what they meant.

[balloon]

I find that if I write pages of notes I will NEVER look over them. I bought palm cards (like, a box of a google plex) and sat down with my textbooks, class notes, study guide and syllabus. Oh! What was that? Yes. SYLLABUS. Do it! I then wrote questions on the cards all about the syllabus points. This means, I asked questions (wrote them down) in a Q and A format that COMPLETELY covered the syllabus points. This way, I have a massive wad in my handbag, and when I am on the bus or have time to kill, I can QUIZ myself. So I am having this really strange sort of fun and learning and getting more excited when I get them right. I pretty much have a pile of about 10 cm thick memorised. Do it.

Oh! and I record my voice as I ask questions/ read notes so that i can listen on my ipod and still pretend I am normal. Oh yes. Those crazy HSC-ers think that I actually listen to music. Oh! Children these days. Honestly.

Edited May 11, 2009 by balloon

[emmiez]

use the syllabus and make notes under each requirement.

Use LOTS of animation! they help:)

if you're taking biology, click4biology.info is pretty good. and McGraw-Hill has pretty good animations.

Keep drawing diagrams, and soon you'll remember them really easily.

And do past papers. Try to remember as much of the markscheme for the past paper questions as possible. They MAY come up

[moneyfaery]

I find that if I write pages of notes I will NEVER look over them. I bought palm cards (like, a box of a google plex) and sat down with my textbooks, class notes, study guide and syllabus. Oh! What was that? Yes. SYLLABUS. Do it! I then wrote questions on the cards all about the syllabus points. This means, I asked questions (wrote them down) in a Q and A format that COMPLETELY covered the syllabus points. This way, I have a massive wad in my handbag, and when I am on the bus or have time to kill, I can QUIZ myself. So I am having this really strange sort of fun and learning and getting more excited when I get them right. I pretty much have a pile of about 10 cm thick memorised. Do it.

Oh! and I record my voice as I ask questions/ read notes so that i can listen on my ipod and still pretend I am normal. Oh yes. Those crazy HSC-ers think that I actually listen to music. Oh! Children these days. Honestly.

Haha, good idea but I think I'd hate to hear my voice over and over and over again. I did download poetry for Eng P2 though... it never worked; I kept falling asleep!