exam /study tip # 30 VCE Exam Advice Units 3 & 4 Business Management The current Business Management Study Design has been operating for a few years now and so the format of the exam should be very familiar to all students. So, to refresh your memory: Two hours long with 15 minutes reading time. This contributes to 50% of your total study score. The total marks are 65. Answer questions in the question and answer booklet. Format of Examination Answer all questions. Note: The final question will be worth 10 marks. This question will now be drawn from ANY part of the course. (See sample questions on VCAA website.) Marks appear at the end of the writing space. Note: Read how many marks are allocated for each question before starting your answer. General Examination Advice After the introduction of the new Study Design for 2010, the exam is now worth 65 marks. As it is a two hour exam (120 minutes), time management will be critical to ensure you answer all questions, devoting the appropriate time for each question. Some questions may relate to stimulus material and it is very important that you utilise this information in your responses. Remember to only use responses that fit the stimulus material. For example, if a decision has already been made then you would not use decision-making as a follow up skill. If the question is a stand-alone question; that is, not related to any stimulus material, then be sure to answer the question in a theoretical sense. Be aware and ensure you know exactly what you need to revise. The best way to do this is to print a copy of the Units 3 and 4 Study Design, and work through the Key Knowledge points as your revision checklist. It sets out exactly what the examination can cover. Follow it carefully. You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose. Abraham Lincoln
Examination Technique Read the questions carefully! Three reasons why students score zero marks on a question are: 1. A lack of knowledge on a topic 2. Failing to answer what the questing is asking 3. Running out of time. It is easier for the examiners to understand what you are saying if your writing and expression are clear. If they can t read and understand your answer, they can t give you credit for what you have written. Students should start with the question they feel most comfortable with and should ensure they allocate their time wisely spending too much time on difficult questions at the expense of easy questions may not pay off in terms of marks gained versus marks lost. Stay calm. Relax. Understand the meaning of these key TASK WORDS in questions: Comment, compare, discuss, evaluate, critically evaluate, explain, identify, outline, to what extent. DON T write in POINT FORM no matter if you run out of time. Point form answers will not gain marks. DON T use diagrams in your answers. A good way to structure your evaluations for most topics is to divide your answer into strengths and weaknesses (on the one hand a strength of is... whilst on the other hand a weakness is.) Trial Exam Tips In preparation for the exams, you should attempt as many practice exams as possible. You should read previous reports by the Chief Assessor to gain valuable information on how to avoid losing marks due to poor exam technique. Get your hands on as many practice exams as possible and complete them under test conditions, pushing yourself for time. Recommended Examination Papers: VCAA exams & Assessor reports (VCAA website) 2010 2013 VCAA sample questions 2013 NEAP trial exams 2010-2014 CPAP Trial exam 2010-2014 VCTA trial exams 2010 2014 PES trial exams 2013-2014 Other Trial exams as available VCAA exams 2002 2009: Remember that these exams follow previous Study Designs and while useful, need to be used cautiously so as not to use questions that are no longer relevant to the course.
When completing trial or practice exams the Top 6 tips for completing them are: 1. Complete them under examination conditions. Resist the temptation to look at your notes or check the solutions. 2. Don t take 5 minutes to check your text messages or Facebook. Don t get up and get a drink or a snack. Let your parents know you are doing a trial examination so they don t interrupt you. 3. Ask your teacher to correct them for you feedback is important. 4. You should be aiming to complete a minimum of 10 practice examinations before the actual examination. 5. Develop a timetable for yourself for completion of these practice examinations. 6. Where possible, complete these exams at the same time of day as the actual VCAA exam so you get used to sitting an exam at that time. Comments on 2013 Examination When the question asks for a specific number of responses, such as two management skills, you should only address this number. Assessors will only mark the first two answers and ignore the rest; even if they are better responses. Task words are critical to your success. Know what is required if you are asked to discuss, compare or analyse. An explanation of the economic impact of the contributions by Large Scale Organisations is often neglected by students. Students demonstrated a poor understanding of stakeholder conflicts. Students usually identify and link to the stimulus material but forget to define the terms. Students do not have a good understanding of employee relations, especially its centralised and decentralised features. Students did not demonstrate a good understanding of driving forces for change or the internal impacts that result from change. The 10 mark question only scored an average of 4.3 marks. Each part of the question must be addressed to score well. Additional Hints 1. Revise your notes. It is difficult to study your class notes. It is much easier to condense these notes into a shorter, more compact series of summary sheets. The task is to reduce your notes into one A4 sheet for each topic within the course. The TSFX lecture material will provide you with a comprehensive set of revision notes. 2. Create your own glossary of terms. Learn definition and key terms so that you can use correct terminology in your responses this can be the difference between 5/6 and 6/6 for a question. 3. Make a list of companies you have studied and be aware of how the information about those companies can be related to different sections of the course.
4. Prepare Diagrams/Flow Charts to help make it easier to remember key points in key topics. An example is: The Employment Cycle. 5. Prepare Tables to allow you to summarise and compare information on a topic particularly useful for areas where a comparison or evaluation is required. An example is: Maslow v Herzberg Motivation Theories Maslow Herzberg Hierarchy of five needs Two factors Maintenance & Motivators Each need must be achieved in order Maintenance factors must be sufficient to enable motivation to occur A need ceases to motivate after being satisfied Maintenance factors can dissatisfy if inadequate Hierarchy has lower order needs first followed by higher order needs Maintenance factors are similar to lower order needs and motivators similar to higher order needs All five levels of the hierarchy are motivating factors are what determine significant increases in employee productivity & performance 6. Once prepared, these Diagrams/Flow Charts and Tables can be stuck on the wall where you study and can be referred to daily, just as a check. Or, take them down and give to your parents/brother/sister and ask them to quiz you. They don t need to know Business Management to do this and they can feel as though they are involved. 7. Revise your SACs. SAC tasks are like mini-exams. Ask your teacher for copies of the SAC questions and practice completing them under test conditions. Final Suggestions Bring plenty of new pens to write with black or blue. Coloured pens might be fine for class or home but can be difficult to read and so shouldn t be used. No white out if you make a mistake or wish to add something in use arrows or the space at the bottom of the page or the extra writing space provided at the back of the Question and Answer Booklet. Make sure if you do this you direct the Assessor to look there by using a highlighter and stating something like Continued at back of book. Bring a highlighter. Do not restate the question in your answer Assessors know what the question is and are only concerned about your answer. Use lead ins. If a question seems too difficult do not panic! Move on to an easier question. Be early to exam but don t sit with others discussing the potential questions. It may cause you to panic. Drink plenty of water but stop about 30 minutes before the exam, go to the bathroom before you go into the exam room so you don t need to go during the exam. Avoid studying on the day of the exam. Enjoy the experience!
Good luck with your exam preparations! TSFX More subject specific advice will be issued to students at our Essentials Final Exam Revision Lectures.