Ever gotten rough Business Studies results back and thought, ‘What on earth am I going to do?’
Well, today we’re hearing from Tom, who got 30% in his first Business Studies assessment, but eventually achieved a 38% mark improvement, receiving a final result of 68%. So it’s completely feasible to improve your marks just like Tom did!
Even better, he was able to get into his desired degree of a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts at Macquarie.
Keep reading to find out how you can turn your Business Studies results around for the better!
What went wrong for Tom?
How Tom Managed to Turn Things Around
Tom’s Point of Focus
Final Advice for Improving Business Studies Results
What went wrong for Tom?
One word — organisation. Tom didn’t prepare himself properly, from no pencil case to poor sleeping habits.
“I wasn’t motivated, nor dedicated enough to succeed in any subject including business,” said Tom. However, after receiving his wake up call of 30%, Tom was able to turn this into a source of motivation and a path of improvement.
How did he turn things around?
Although Tom’s Business Studies results were definitely a call for improvement, there are many other factors that helped him build on his studying and focus.
#1: Studying with the right group of friends
“For me it was actually friends!” Tom said. He was able to find the right group of friends that he could not only study with, but also have a relaxed environment that made studying a little more appealing.
#2: Writing out notes
Tom also really honed in on writing physical notes rather than typing them. As Business Studies is such a content heavy subject, it’s important to handwrite notes, not only to build hand strength for the final exam, but also to help build your memory!
#3: Change your mentality
He completed multiple past paper exams, answering questions, self-marking and looking at how he could make his response even better. “Instead of thinking, ‘It’s a mistake’, think, ‘How can I improve my mistake?’” Tom said.
So, it really is a matter of changing your mentality on how you view the situation, from a negative perspective to a positive one.
Tom said, “Every time I said I can’t, I would get worse and worse and less motivated. But once I said, “How can I do this?” That’s when my marks started going up.”
In short, Tom focused on writing his study notes, and then used these notes to complete short answer questions and business plans. From here, it’s essential to seek feedback, and to constantly keep looking for ways to improve!
What was Tom’s Point of Focus?
Tom received some help in Business Studies from Melanie at Art of Smart. These one on one sessions with Melanie helped Tom identify his weakness and key area that he needed to focus on — that being, understanding the brief.
In Business Studies, it’s crucial to properly understand the brief or stimulus given so that you’re hitting the relevant syllabus dot points, answering the question and fulfilling that criteria!
For Tom, he struggled to understand the stimulus because he wasn’t thinking of it as a business that was real or that he was invested in. Melanie then introduced a change of mindset to, “This is my business… How can I make it succeed on my own terms?”
Not only did this help Tom hit the nail on the head, the content he was learning in Business Studies then became more relevant to him which increased his interest and motivation in the subject.
Tom’s Final Advice for Improving Business Studies Results!
For Business Studies you have to remember that it’s an incredibly content heavy subject with a lengthy syllabus. Therefore, staying organised and keeping on top of your notes is key!
Tom said, “Who wants to give up? After I started realising, ‘Hey, if I can do this, everyone else can. What if I can boost everyone’s marks and just focus on the goal?’ That’s when I started getting happier, more confident, and my Business marks shot up.”
#1: Again, handwrite your notes
Handwriting your notes and finding memorisation strategies that work for you is another big tip from Tom! He found that handwriting notes were more effective in absorbing content.
More often than not, Business Studies students struggle with the volume of content rather than the actual complexity of concepts, topics and ideas.
#2: Use memorisation techniques
“Memorisation techniques. So don’t settle for the standard ones like Cornell or mind maps. Settle for the ones that you want. Create your own!” Tom said.
Tom’s most used memorisation was writing different topics on different coloured sticky notes and placing them around the house. “So, for example Finance would be a section, I remember it was inside the bathroom.” Tom said.
This technique required Tom to move around his house, which made studying more effective and also more fun. It really was a matter of “bringing some fun into it so that you would actually be motivated to keep on doing the work,” Tom said.
And that’s it!
In essence, Tom was able to improve his Business Studies marks by 38% by changing his mind set, finding a new source of motivation and overall, improve his mentality for the better! It really is a matter of finding the right balance of study techniques that are effective, but also enjoyable.
So have a go at some of Tom’s suggestions, who knows, maybe one of his techniques will work wonders for you too!
Needing to prepare for your Business Studies exam? Check out our ultimate guide on writing a Band 6 Business Studies report!
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Nandini Dhir is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Marketing) and a Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications), as a Dalyell Scholar, at Sydney University. She enjoys covering local issues in her area and writing about current events in the media. Nandini has had one of her pieces published in an article with the Sydney Morning Herald. In her free time, Nandini loves doing calligraphy, ballet, and sewing, or is otherwise found coddling her cats.