Biology

BIO~
Biology is interesting. When you read and find out how things work in the body, how systems operate, everything seems like a marvel. The part that sucks is the memorising bit. Really, in biology, you must cramp that entire textbook into your head. No cheats, no shortcut, that's how it works for biology.

O Levels 2013 Biology Results
Bio turned out to be my second worst faring result. A2. I believe thats a curse on me:'( I have been scoring A2 for all my bio exams, whether I studied like mad or just selectively study. The only times I got A1 for bio is when there is a common test/mock exam/time trial (they all mean the same thing, our school just changes the name every semester-.-)
Apparently, this year's bio results for the school was below par as compared to the other subjects. Other than pure geography, biology is the only subject that was below national average in terms of percentage distinctions. Most of my friends scored an A2, including one that always topped the level in bio. It's a puzzle isnt it?

How to study for Biology?
Told ya, no shortcut, just memorise. Okay maybe understanding might help, but the key is to memorise.
1. WRITE YOUR OWN NOTES. Unless you're that kind who thinks you can cramp from the textbook, then go ahead and memorise from there. Don't get me wrong, it is possible. One of my closest friends doesn't write her own notes for bio and manages to get an A1 in every exam and during olevel.
2. Memorise before you start doing worksheets/papers, or at least read and understand first. There is no point finding for answers in the textbook and just copying it straight out. That's not learning, that's copying.
3. For standard essay questions, type the answers out, and memorise off there.***
4. I don't find doing many many papers for biology necessary. Really. I only did 2012 and 2011 olevel paper.
5. The more you do, the more things you have for revision= not enough time = selectively revise the paper =  no point doing so many in the first place.
6. For major exams, memorise things that will commonly come out (check your schools past year papers). Don't go around memorising small details that havent been tested before. Of course, there is a possibility of it coming out, but seriously, the chances are not high.

O levels Study Tip
Okay, if you're like me, a bit too lazy and don't have enough time for studying everything, you can try my way of studying. The risk is there of course, given that i didnt score an A1 in my olevels.
1. Do about 3-5 MCQ papers. Mark it. See which questions you get wrong. Label the questions according to its topic.
2. See which topics keep reappearing, study those in detail first.
3. If you have done enough paper 2, you should be able to tell which part of the topic is commonly tested. Study those in detail.
4. By this stage, you should be able to pass your paper already.
5. Start reading the textbook all over again about 1 week before the olevel. Just read every single word, don't need to memorise.
6. Make sure you read everything. EVERYTHING.
7. One or two days before the paper, read the notes you have prepared (includes commonly asked questions, standard phrasing and processes)
8. You are ready to go!

Okay, yes, this looks like a shortcut because you're not memorising everything. And so, don't blame me if you don't get your A1.

*** Notes for Biology.
I still kept the notes for bio essay questions that I used to studying for o levels. If you're interested, drop me an email at anonymousandmyjourney@gmail.com (valid until 5 Feb 2014 only!)

Alrights, that's all for this post. If you have any questions or queries, you can either comment below or email me. Till then, byee~