FAQs

JC:
H2 Math, H2 Geography, H2 Economics, H1 Chemistry
H1 GP & Chinese
H3 GeopoliticsSecondary:
Pure Physics, Pure Chemistry, Pure Geography, Elective History & Social Studies, Amath, Emath, English and Express Chinese

Hi there! I'm min 敏 , a graduated jc student currently waiting for university.

How I take Notes
Subject dependent. I used mindmaps for more content-heavy subjects (Geography) whilst I used document style notes for Chemistry/Economics.General:
1. Go through notes/summaries & highlight the essential
2. Headers are usually the colour I associate the topic with, e.g: climate change is yellow & blue.
3. Classify headers, subheadings
4. Symbols (triangles, squares) for subheadings
5. Key words typically on Sticky Notes
6. Tables for visualisation, > important examplesNotes shouldn't take too long, it's a way for you to consolidate your content in your own words. This process is literally essential for me else I don't understand anything being taught because school notes are just black & white. I usually took 1h for sciences but 2-3h for each geography chapter.Apps I used
Notion: for to do lists and question banks
Google Docs: notes for content-heavy subjectsStudy Method
Pomodoro Technique for Spaced Repetition
Feynman Technique for Revision
Consistent Revision (reflecting on what I learnt each day, revision over each weekend)My Timeline
I think I was generally quite consistent, though to a lesser extent than in the beginning of the year.
Jan-May: CCA & H3 season so I was quite busy. I was basically just rushing to make notes during the holidays so that I could clear my revision backlog. Usual school days were just doing tutorials & lectures. H3 was in May, so thankfully I could get it done & over early in the year.
June: Started grinding, finished consolidation for science subjects by mid June & roughly 85% for geography & economics over the holidays
June-July: Atrocious Mid-year season. Rested for about a week before picking up pace again for prelims. Finished up all notes.
August: Quite literally GRINDING season. Prelims were essentially done & over in 2 weeks (with double papers on most days)
September: 2 week holiday, rested for about 1 week before starting to grind for the last lap.
October: Basically a stay-at-home month, where I did like 2-3 papers a day. I don't think I've ever studied this crazily.
November: A-Levels.How long I study each day
Honestly I don't think I'm too crazy, I cannot focus for long periods at a go so I relied heavily on consistency. I prioritise sleep HEAVILY else there's absolutely no way to focus, so I make sure I'm in bed by 9:45pm everyday, weekday or not.
Hectic school days with CCA：~2h
School days without CCA: ~4h
Weekends/Holidays: 4-9hWhere to study
ngl I'm such a home-body. Like I can stay home for 5 days straight without leaving my house (apart from going to the gym). So nearing As I was just mugging at home. BUT I did study with my friends at Gong Cha, M5 Cafe, NLB@orchard before it closed down.Tuition?
No because #independence. HAHAHHSHS. I've literally never gone for any tuition in my life apart from Chinese, but that's because I only started learning Chinese at like...9 (I didn't do primary school in Singapore, so you could imagine the shock after I got my 1st F9 in Sec 1 after consistently getting 99% for Chinese in an international school). That being said, if you're struggling (as in, consistently failing despite doing everything you can, listening in class etc) then go for it.