After a number of months of hard work Study TV is now officially live 
Getting Study TV off the ground has been a lot of fun – from learning how to make videos, and edit them, to tracking down people to interview and balancing often busy schedules, it is an awesome feeling to see the site, and a number of videos (there are plenty more to come) ready for viewing.
Study TV would not have been possible without all of the amazingly talented individuals I have spoken to and interviewed over the last couple of months.
Thank you for your time and for sharing your insights about how to excel academically. I certainly hope and believe that current students will find immense value in what you have shared.
Looking forward to hearing your feedback,
Rowan
Study TV
Rowan 02:49 pm 8 Feb 2013
Yes - watch this video and see the comments below - it will teach you to calculate whether you can :) http://studytelevision.com/2011/08/31/3-step-plan-to-transform-poor-exam-performance/HateHSC 04:35 pm 3 Feb 2013
Hi Rowan i got my english school HSC assessment back from term 4 and i got 12/25 which is 5 marks below the average. The assessment was worth 25%. I want to know if it is possile for me to catch up and how could i do it? I have done well in my other assessments in term 4 but i am only doing 10 units.Chelsea 02:12 pm 19 Jan 2013
How do you make an effective/flexible/realistic study timetable?Jason 09:06 am 4 Sep 2012
@Chelsea, I as a student have this mindset similar to yours, that I am academic and not a sporty person. But I managed to find other ways that are non-sport related that count as extra-curricular and is an alternative to sport. Have you ever considered volunteering or joining any clubs that interest you at school? Support a cause, etc. Even walking is a form of exercise and can help clear the mind. It doesn't always have to be a sport. I hope this helps.Chelsea 01:10 pm 26 Aug 2012
I've never really been much of a sporty person partly because of my social upbringing and academically orientated school friends. I agree that it is important to have some sort of outlet from schoolwork. But right now, I don't really know how I can find balance. It's kind of depressing really.Bri 03:17 pm 25 Aug 2012
Hi Rowan, I am in year 11 at the moment and was just wondering what you would suggest for general study tips/note taking tips! In the afternoon, I'm not sure how much study to be doing or dot point summaries etc. Would you suggest preparing a study timetable? Thanks!johnny 10:25 am 4 Aug 2012
please answer the question I posted on the 12 of Julyadmin 12:00 pm 30 Jul 2012
Your ranks are great - keep them up, do well in the HSC and 90 will be very achievable!elleni 08:22 am 29 Jul 2012
hi i'm in year 12 and i am panicking so bad with the fact that i might not have any chance of scoring an atar of 90 - i'm coming 5th in english, modern history & business studies, 2nd in ancient history, and 18/27 in advanced maths :/ do i have a chance of getting a 90? and if i ace the hsc in everything will my marks be scaled down because of my lower internal marks ?tanya 09:33 am 22 Jul 2012
If I am ranking very very poorly and my marks aren't good for all internal marks, could I still get an atar that's alright (75-85) if I get marks of 85 in my external exam? Please help, I'm so scaredjohnny 06:46 pm 12 Jul 2012
I am currently in year 11 and studying 3U Maths. I have not decided yet whether I should consider taking 4U Maths because I don't know the marks I should be scoring. During this year, I have not been consistent and started with marks in the low 80s (in Maths Extension 1) but recently I scored 95. In my school I am in the top 3 out of 30 odd students but many students don't get high marks so it seems that I am excellent but in reality if I compared myself with the state I would not be as good. What marks do I need to score to even consider taking 4U maths? Also, if say only a couple of students choose 4U Maths, does it mean there will be no 4U class? How many students are required to form a 4U class?Rowan 10:42 am 8 Jul 2012
The key is to examine past papers and ID most common questions. Then (open book) practice writing model answers to the questions. Get them marked and then improve them. Finally work on similar questions, close book, in timed conditions prior to the exam to get used to exam conditions.johnny 12:48 pm 7 Jul 2012
Hello What is the most effective way of preparing for long answer responses in science exams and how to gain full marks.Rowan 03:03 pm 26 Jun 2012
Get out the syllabus, and number each dot point 1 to 4. 1 being you know the content, 4 being you know nothing. Then for each subject, prioritize the 4's and start studying and work your way through the subject this way.Rach 01:51 pm 26 Jun 2012
Hi. So I've totally lost all motivation to study for my Hsc. I'm struggling to be at school due to this lack of motivation and I'm stressing out because I do want to do well I just don't know where to start. Where do you suggest I start? What's the best ways to study? To get going? Trials are in 3 weeks... Am I able to cover everything this time? Is it doable?Jaw 12:13 am 16 Jun 2012
The title is misleading. Doesn't say how much study hours DURING the exam week.J 07:38 pm 19 May 2012
Were all the top-achieving students you interviewed came from private schools?lath 07:25 pm 23 Jan 2012
where can i find trial HSC papers for geography? what textbooks are there in geography?Ton 10:36 pm 15 Jan 2012
As of right now, I come home from school at around 2:30pm to 3pm for most of the weekday but for Tuesday, I leave at 12pm. Should I be studying/revising key concepts learnt in class immediately when coming home, so that I can go out and exercise/play sport ? Do I then go back to studying after playing ?Geoffrey 04:41 pm 22 Dec 2011
Hello Anida. If you are not a permanent citizen of Australia you will have to register for a student visa. Recently in the Cameron ministry the tightening of visa allocation had been a concern for a lot of different international students, however, student visas are usually granted. You do not need to pay upfront fees for your course, but you will have to pay fees around 15k pounds PA which does not include accommodation and living costs. If you are interested in medicine, the UKCAT is not the qualification which you will have to take. You will actually have to register for something called the BMAT which is administered by Cambridge assessments authority. To apply for UK universities, you can apply through UCAS.com, it is a similar system to the UAC, but slightly more work as you will have to write a personal statement which is an integral part of your application. Just a reminder that all medicine applicants are REQUIRED to fly over to England to attend for an interview. It is also worth while nothing that the UK government sets a specific quota for medicine students every year and there is only around 50 places per University to study medicine. Good luck!admin 05:17 pm 21 Dec 2011
Hi Anida, Sorry for the slow reply! I believe because you do you have PR, you enter as an international student, which means you need to pay potentially higher fees. Often however there is still fee help available - unfortunately, I don't know the nitty gritty of it, but will find out for you!Anida 11:42 pm 19 Oct 2011
Hi, I was just wondering, what kind of visa do you need to study overseas, in England for example. Are you be eligible for the HECS-equivalent in Australia if you're not a permanent citizen, or do they expect you to pay upfront the fee for your course? I mean, I'm interested in doing medicine at Oxford university and I was wondering if you could clarify what process I need to take. I know that I need to do the UKCAT which is similar to UMAT, but other than that, I'm a bit confused regarding the necessary steps. I would really appreciate your help. Thanks.Rowan 11:01 pm 26 Sep 2011
Hey Alexis, Thanks :) 99.95 is definately the result of consistent, smart and effective study throughout the year. Most top students didn't study harder than other students - they were just more consistent, and more effective. There is a massive hope for students wanting to improve their marks for the HSC = 3 weeks, or 20 or so days of effective study, with 50% of marks still available can result in dramatic improvements :) RowanRowan 10:57 pm 26 Sep 2011
Thanks :) Yes, 3 weeks of hard work can achieve alot. Create a wall chart -essentially a to do list for each subject of all the things you need to do to prepare, and begin working through it. It will help with the procrastination!Rowan 10:56 pm 26 Sep 2011
Hey Sandra, No, it doesn't mean you cannot do well in your final HSC exam - it just means you need to evaluate your past exam performances and work out what is going wrong. Is it your exam prep? Is it your exam technique? Is it your subject knowledge? Watch the video on 3 Steps to Improving Your Exam performance for a pathway to follow. All the best! RowanRowan 10:54 pm 26 Sep 2011
Hey Alexis, There is definately time to improve! You can do alot in 3 weeks - after all your HSC is work 50% of your marks + your school marks will be scaled. This means that really if you work hard, you can transform your current marks! Rowanalexis 10:25 pm 26 Sep 2011
the one thing that is keeping me unmotivated and on the road of giving up is my ranks and results in yr12 and trials. my hsc is in 3 weeks, is there a chance to improve :(sandra 10:20 pm 26 Sep 2011
now this makes me feel bad lol. i have been doing the opposite i did well in year 11 but poorly in yr 12,does this mean i cant do well in my final hsc exam?alexis 09:45 pm 26 Sep 2011
heeyy :) loved ur video quick question.. i have 3 weeks till hsc and ive been procrastinating alot thorugh out the yr and havent been dong so grea tin my results :( i wana change and improve, is there still hope for me in doing tremendously well in my hsc with hard work and dedication in 3 weeks?alexis 09:17 pm 26 Sep 2011
these videos are amazing and very inspirational. i was just wondering these people who are scoring a perfect atar of 99.95, it is because of consistant hard work and dedication in yr 12 or just studying hard for the hsc? if so what hope is there for people who havent done so grea tin yr 12 but want to make a huge improvement for their hsc. thankyou =)bailey 03:50 pm 26 Sep 2011
thankyou so much this is the first time i have read and article which actually gives me an answer to my questions. thankyou thankyou!Mark T 12:26 pm 22 Sep 2011
Hey...i reckon you should post a video on how to become a dux of the school and how to get 1st places in a variety and numerous number of subjects?Ton 08:13 pm 15 Sep 2011
Hello. I'm just wanted to put some suggestion if it somehow works. Would it be effective after you finished typing up the study notes then handwrite the note again but making it as short and succinct as possible?Harriette 10:02 am 14 Sep 2011
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!Mark T 11:00 pm 13 Sep 2011
yes....well.....the term holidays...and the Dec-Jan holidaysRowan 02:36 pm 13 Sep 2011
Hey Nathan, I know from speaking to Jess she just tracked words and not characters. In saying this I am not sure tracking characters is wise, because it shifts your focus from quality to quantity. Jess only used 1200 words as a guide, as it is what she felt she required to express her point/arguments effectively. I know many people who have written 800-1000 word essays who have also excelled.admin 02:34 pm 13 Sep 2011
Hi Nathan, You are correct in relation to characters varying - although you will find that it may only result generally in max of 1-2 minutes variation in time. I know from speaking to Jess that she didn't track characters, but only words. Tracking characters may be perhaps too detailed - why? It shifts your focus from quality to quantity. The idea of 1200 words itself was simply a ball park to guide for Jess in that she knew that she required at least 1200 words to express her argument effectively. On this note, I know people who have written 880-900 words and still excelled in English, and essay writing generally. Don't confuse quantity over quality.Rowan 02:30 pm 13 Sep 2011
Just to confirm (before I shoot a video) - do you mean during the holidays when you transition from Year 11 to Year 12?admin 02:29 pm 13 Sep 2011
Hi Ton, this is a locked area which has exclusive videos - you can obtain access to this section which has more longer length videos by clicking the Red rewards tab, and achieving 2000 points!Rowan 02:28 pm 13 Sep 2011
I would still respond short and succinct paragraphs, but I do know that for some subjects, dot points are acceptable. Find out from your teacher at school for each subject to make sure, but when in doubt, go with the sentences, rather than dot points!Rowan 02:27 pm 13 Sep 2011
Thanks, I will fix it :)Nathan U 10:19 am 12 Sep 2011
Hi Jess, You spoke about having at least 1200 words in an essay. Of course the number of words may look fine, but the amount of characters will differ considerably depending on the type of words you use in a response, and the extent of your vocabulary. In the essays you wrote for a 40 minute block, which is how much time you have per question in Paper 2 of Advanced English, how many characters did you have? And did this number of characters differ from the 15 mark response you had to do in paper 1 for belonging?apple iphone appointment 09:02 pm 10 Sep 2011
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Ie. I'm not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I'd post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. KudosMark T 07:51 am 9 Sep 2011
can u plz recommend what to do in the term holidays in terms of studying?Ton 06:48 pm 2 Sep 2011
How come I cannot view this video ? All it says is "Please login to access Study TV Exclusive Content".Ton 06:39 pm 2 Sep 2011
When you answer a question in the short response section, can you use dot points or little paragraphs ?vemanjj 09:40 pm 31 Aug 2011
Umm maybe fix a small error in your working. in A2 you put 30 instead of 35 (0.766/30), may confuse some :) thanks. Apart from that, love it, keep up the great work :)Angela 05:02 pm 31 Aug 2011
I was wondering what is the best method to study. I seem not to be getting the marks the want, but I worked hard.Rowan 09:38 pm 21 Aug 2011
Flashcards does take time, but it is worth it - what you can do it use the software Evernote - see this link: http://blog.evernote.com/2011/05/10/trunk-spotlight-turn-your-evernote-notes-into-flashcards-with-studyblue/ In terms of structure - repetition, or create trigger points. I will see if I can do a video on this. In terms of listening and speaking - immersion is the key. Watch lots of movies, read the newspapers/books, and try and find a native speaker and practice.Rowan 09:19 pm 21 Aug 2011
Hi Gwendolyn, No templates for a specific subject exist - just the format! Follow it from the video and apply it to your own notes!nicole 01:40 pm 21 Aug 2011
i think that comes close to solving the religious question. You're a legend!Ton 11:50 pm 20 Aug 2011
I am currently doing Japanese continuers. I agree that using flashcards to learn the vocabulary, but wouldn't that take time to create it ? My second question is how do I remember the structure because there is a lot to remember. Finally, how should I improve my listening and speaking ? I have no idea what to say when speaking in Japanese and listening is hard to catch up because it is quite fast.Rowan 10:29 pm 11 Aug 2011
At a basic level, yes, this is correct. Its more complex than this (I struggle to get my head around it), but understanding it in this way will suffice!Gwendolyn Mickens 03:33 pm 11 Aug 2011
Is there any way an individual can get a hard copy of those templates?B 03:00 pm 3 Aug 2011
I was wondering the same thing as L below !?L 12:06 am 28 Jul 2011
Hey Rowan , thanks for the help from before , i just want to ask you for the final atar we get , say rank 1 person in Biology gets 80 and a person ranks 2 gets 90 , does the person rank 1 steal the rank 2 person's mark ?Rowan 10:29 pm 24 Jul 2011
Thanks! Great to hear you found it helpful, and great to get more feedback in terms of the common mistake of jumping into past papers prior to building a strong knowledge foundation! All the best for your exams!qwerty 09:33 pm 24 Jul 2011
wow this video nailed it! im in this situation right now for one of my subjects and i made the mistake of jumping into the past papers for one of my assessments - yielding a result similar to what you described. thanks very much rowan now i know what to do !Hameextexia 02:40 pm 19 Jul 2011
learned a lotRowan 11:50 am 17 Jul 2011
Sorry for not replying - that is not actually my personal email, although emails do get forwarded to me. I generally try to reply to all, but it depends on how much time I have! The contact form on this website will send emails directly to me. Your HSC exams are not effected by your internal ranks at all - so if your internal ranks are not amazing for Chem and Bio, and you perform well in the HSC Exams, your HSc Exam mark (worth 50% of ATAR) will be great. Of course if your internal rank is not great, it means that your internal marks (school marks) will not be scaled as much, and have a negative effect on your overall ATAR. In saying this however the Trials are typically worth 40% of your internal/school mark - so if you do really well, you can massively boost your school rankings, which will help in boosting your eventual ATAR.L 12:45 am 14 Jul 2011
Hey rowan me again , actualy emailed you the one you gave with your business card in the book but you didnt reply. Um i just want to ask a bit stressed out right now if my rankings are say average for eng , math & good in It but really bad for chem and bio will the HSC exams be effect by this considering that i do extremely well in the upcoming trails ? Thanks !Rowan 08:20 am 12 Jul 2011
I would still use a textbook/worksheets for extra detail. While the HSC Online site is great in terms of covering the syllabus, everyone else uses it as well + I gives you a more summarized version of the info which may not equip you with a deeper knowledge of the material. Just cross reference it with your textbook - that should make it fairly quick!L 02:30 am 12 Jul 2011
Hey Rowan if i summarise my notes( syllabus wise) from the HSC online website is that enough to cover everything ? Or do i need to go through textbooks and add extra detai/info . ThanksRowan 11:04 am 11 Jul 2011
Hey Arjun, Ideally you shouldn't really use either your textbook or the excel summary guide! If you had to though, I would use the excel summary guide as it has been written to directly cover all the dot points. Be aware however that you should still go beyond the summary guide, as its a summary! It won't go into the requisite amount of detail that you will likely need. As a result, its often a good solution to study from AFTER you have really locked lot of information into your memory. Its then great as a tool to study from. In terms of video for English Standard - I have a couple of vids up already with Danielle talking about preparing for Standard English. Its really all about getting those essays ready! Will upload more of her interview for you this week.Arjun 09:27 pm 10 Jul 2011
Hey Rowan, I have a question. As part of my study, I mainly make study notes and use my syllabus to help me. I just want to know what would be better studying from a textbook, or buying a excel summary guide.. and can you please make a video on how you can prepare particularly for standard english for the trails, thanks...Rowan 10:50 pm 5 Jul 2011
When I say you need to ace your exams it means you need to come 1st or 2nd in your grade. Marks don't matter as they will be scaled later on. This may mean 95%+ to get 1st or 2nd though depending on your grade + difficulty of test. To get 99.95 ATAR with low scaling subjects will require you to get 1-5th state ranking in most subjects to make it possible! Hope that helps. RowanAnonymous 01:02 pm 1 Jul 2011
okay then... but what do you mean by aceing the exams do u mean i wud have to be getting like 95% in all the HSC exams or what? and if i do like the most lowest scaling subjects....is it still possible to get 99.95 ATAR?Rowan 10:29 pm 30 Jun 2011
Raw marks at school get moderated based on your schools performance in the HSC. Really what matters therefore is rank - for a perfect ATAR, you will need to rank at 1st-2nd in every subject you take, and then ace the HSC exams + hope that your school does well, so your internal marks are moderated (scaled) well. This will also maximize your chances of a state ranking. So really, the key is getting whatever marks required to top your subjects. The way scaling works - if you ace the subject you take, and rank in the top 5% of candidature, scaling will have little impact. Scaling only really plays a role if you rank outside of the top 5% - if you then take harder subjects, you marks will scale better than easier subjects. (note this is a simplification - read the article on ATAR calculation for the nuts and bolts!)Anonymous 07:58 pm 28 Jun 2011
Hey...im in Yr 11....and i have an ATAR aim of 99.95 I just wanted to ask...what sort of marks shud i get for each of my subjects? and also do the type od my subjects really matter in this case..? what do i need to do to really acheive that goal as well as achieving a few state rankings?Rowan 04:50 pm 21 Jun 2011
Thanks Rob. Appreciate it :)Rob. 04:49 pm 21 Jun 2011
Good advice mate. Cheers. Kepp it up.Rob. 04:22 pm 21 Jun 2011
Good tips. I knew that I shouldn't memorise an essay. I'm doing Hamlet to, and if I had've memorised an essay for my trials I would have been STUFFED. Thanks mate :)Joel G 09:18 pm 19 Jun 2011
hey can u plz make a video or something on what we should do in the term holidays in terms of studyingRowan 12:46 am 20 May 2011
Thanks Jacob! Glad the post helped!Jacob 09:04 pm 19 May 2011
This makes me feel a hell lot better about my atar. I calculated it yesterday and was not impressed! I just gotta keep my head down and keep going!Rowan 10:57 pm 16 May 2011
Haha! Nice one!JDBRO 07:07 pm 16 May 2011
just cos ur my brother doesnt mean i cant say it: possibly the worst attempt at conveying a message i have ever seen. any possible inspiration or education was lost in ur mumbling method of delivery.lift your game.GOSHRowan 11:25 am 8 May 2011
Hi Joel,Thanks for the feedback :) It is much appreciated. In answer to your questions - Dot Point series do a great job of summarizing content for the syllabus, however don't always go into the necessary depth I have found that is required to get a very strong understanding of the syllabus (your first set of notes remember should be very detailed). I think they are a useful resource however - but should be used with other textbooks as well. In terms of multiple resources - I would not recommend using the Excel/Macq Study guides as the foundation of your notes (for the same reason), but also because top students I have interviewed never used these to create their notes. You need to ideally be using textbooks that have been written based on the syllabus as your resources (or hand outs teachers give you) as these will go into significantly more depth!
Hope this helps,
Rowan
Joel G 08:07 pm 7 May 2011
HeyFirst i just wanna say yur doing a great job setting up this website which surely is useful for thousands of students like me
Q1: Do you think the Dot Point series are a great way of making notes with?
Q2: Should the multiple resources be Excel and Macquarie study guides?
thanks
Rowan 07:05 pm 15 Apr 2011
Hi Lavetta, I have not yet interviewed someone for IPT. I will see what I can do. A tip for the time being - use the principles from some of the other study videos and apply them to IPT (as I have found that there are key study strategies that apply across all subjects!) Cheers, Rowanlavetta 01:28 pm 15 Apr 2011
do you plan to create a how to study for IPT video??Rowan 04:07 pm 13 Apr 2011
Just had a question submitted via email for this video, so will post it here (but keep it anonymous):
Q:When Thomas Faramakis discussed studying for economics, he mentioned you could not extend your writing beyond the lines provided in the HSC exam itself - is this correct ?
A:Yes and no! The idea is that the lines are a guide of what teachers expect you to write to competently answer the question. If you use them as a guide, it is a great way to focus on clarity, and succinctness of responses, as opposed to writing mini-essays (which I have found many students end up doing). In saying this, you can write beyond the lines if required, but make sure that it is relevant, important, and answers the question (otherwise, teachers may be inclined to not read it/reduce marks)
Cheers,
Rowan