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MSAP!!!!!

  • 07-02-2012 2:53pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭


    Okay guys whos signed up for the MSAP on Feb 18th
    Im kinda nervous about it as its not really something you can study for only look at sample questions kinda thing.

    And people that done the MSAP what would you reccomend looking at or doing in advance and what would be the ideal time frame for each section ?

    Thanks
    Tagged:


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭ITS_A_BADGER


    really no one on here is doing the MSAP ??


  • Registered Users Posts: 35,954 ✭✭✭✭Larianne


    Maybe they are all busy looking at the sample papers?? :pac:

    If you do a search of this forum you should come across some threads on it. I'm pretty sure there was a big thread a year or two ago on it.

    Best of luck!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭Fatboydim


    I am Badger... And even though I earn my living as a writer and I am assured it shouldn't be a problem. I'm bricking it. LOL


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 Ireland21


    Hey,

    I am registered to do the MSAP exam too on February 18th. Their doses not seem to be a lot of preparation that you can do for it.

    I bought the example MSAP Question booklet, which explains the layout of the exam etc. Have a look at the preparation section of the MSAP website, it seems like it is much the same.

    http://msap.acer.edu.au/preparation


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭ITS_A_BADGER


    cheers lad im doing it in galway actually kinda nervous as the day draws nearer


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19 Ireland21


    No worries man.

    I am doing it in Galway. I will be pretty happy when it is all over.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,312 ✭✭✭Bobby42


    Hi,

    I did this exam two years ago so I understand how to feel.

    The best advice I can offer is go over some of the example papers over and over again. Really familiarise yourself with the layout of the paper.

    Especially the multiple choice questions. If you go over them a few times you begin to "get" the logic they're looking for. Time yourself as well. you only have a minute or so per question.

    Best of luck!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,128 ✭✭✭ronano


    Essay wise should you frame it like an academic essay, intro - points - conclusion?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭Fatboydim


    I'm in Galway as well... BTW if you have the sample booklet... do you understand the table for Q 20 -23. Re: Human Capital?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 117 ✭✭sara1


    This post has been deleted.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭ITS_A_BADGER


    i know what ya mean after reading the way some of the excerpts are worded in section 2 i hope they dont expect the essays to be written that way like. in the end tho i feel like one cant really prepare for the exam, only just look at the sample questions and try to understand them as best you can.

    section 1 is just writing and how well you can convince someone that your argument is the correct one to choose thats the way i think of it at least


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭Fatboydim


    It seems archaic to go back to pen and paper for writing an essay. My hand actually aches from writing... How bizarre is that? :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 117 ✭✭sara1


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭Fatboydim


    @Sara - I'm spending the day researching some quotes about things like Religion, Crime, Capitalism, etc...

    Think of some issues and just get in the mode of writing about them. As an example -

    Is religion still pertinent in a modern society?

    Has technology made God redundant?

    Does the economic slow down have an effect on crime rates.


    That kind of thing...

    We won't know until tomorrow what the questions are, but just getting your brain thinking that way may help.


  • Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭Azures


    Fatboydim wrote: »
    @Sara - I'm spending the day researching some quotes about things like Religion, Crime, Capitalism, etc...

    Think of some issues and just get in the mode of writing about them. As an example -

    Is religion still pertinent in a modern society?

    Has technology made God redundant?

    Does the economic slow down have an effect on crime rates.


    That kind of thing...

    We won't know until tomorrow what the questions are, but just getting your brain thinking that way may help.

    This time tomorrow we'll know what the questions are!
    I'm practising planning essays, based on the sample questions, just to focus on reading the question and coming up
    With a structured answer. The content is any one's guess- but we can practise technique -
    The poetry has me though- I write poetry but in the sample test in the book and on- line I scored 0 for poetry!

    Good luck everyone!


  • Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭dougiex06


    Hay Guys,

    I'm doing the msap tomorrow in Dublin. A bit nervous I have to say. I didn't get the booklet myself I've just been doing the sample papers from the website over and over and I routed out some English past papers which have a similar structure to section 2 and what not. The first time I timed myself on section two it nearly took me an hour and a half, I feel time management is going to play a big part. I'm a slow enough reader and some of the extracts and long enough considering they only have 3-5 questions.

    Seems like there is a lot of competition for places this year so I hope I have the thinking cap on. Best of luck to everyone doing it anyway. See you all on the other side to see what you thought of it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭Fatboydim


    Anyone have an idea how many words the essays are expected to be. I know they say quality not quantity... But obviously there is an average... would that be 800 words a 1000 - two sides of A4 three / four. Any advice appreciated.


  • Registered Users Posts: 243 ✭✭trixie_belle12


    Did the test in Cork this morning. Not used to all that writing! Thought it was tough enough but not too bad either. Hopefully did ok. I'd say I wrote about 3.5 pages per question for the essays. Some of the multiple choice ones were pretty tough I thought. How did everyone else get on?


  • Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭dougiex06


    Did the test in Cork this morning. Not used to all that writing! Thought it was tough enough but not too bad either. Hopefully did ok. I'd say I wrote about 3.5 pages per question for the essays. Some of the multiple choice ones were pretty tough I thought. How did everyone else get on?


    Hay,

    I done it myself in dublin, I only got 2 pages per essay, maybe even less. Decent topics but I felt it was hard enough to come up with an essay, structure it and wrote it in a half hour, sure you can only do what you can I suppose! Section two was also tough, narrowed nearly every question down to two possible answers - then for a lot of them it was a stab unfortunately. Any idea when the results are?!


  • Registered Users Posts: 243 ✭✭trixie_belle12


    Yeah the time constraints made it difficult to plan and write x 2 essays in the hour for sure. Was jumping around the 2nd part for ages answering the easier ones first, the last few were kind of chancing it a bit! I think on the website it says 6 weeks. There's only 10 places on the course I want for mature students so dunno what the odds are really there was a good number there today! Delighted it's over now though :D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭ITS_A_BADGER


    did mine in galway today thank god im just home now, howd everone get on?
    the written part i got 2 pages written for section one part A and 2 for part B i chose the consumers using up resources and the heroes that go without recognition

    Section B i thought was touch and go i chanced my arm at few a few of them overall i thought it was ok tho what did you guys think?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3 madaload


    I sat the test this morning in Cork. I must say I am utterly disappointed with how I did. :eek:

    I didn’t complete the second essay and I ran out of time before I could complete Section 2, so I ended up completing it lottery ticket style. No idea what happened in there, except that I’m not used to write by hand. Although English isn’t my first language I expected I’d do much better. I’m arguing public affairs in English on an almost daily basis, but this morning my mind just went blank.

    I also agree with what somebody here said about the 2011 MSAP test, namely, that the sample test is nothing compared to the real thing. I only got 3 answers wrong in the sample but struggled all the way through the real one. I can’t even blame it on distractions, because I wasn't distracted by anybody or anything and I felt quite relaxed. I guess I'm just too slow.

    I have a bit of advice for anyone planning to sit the test next year. Read to expand your vocabulary and practice writing essays. Focus on structure and time management. I couldn’t do either.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 117 ✭✭sara1


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  • Registered Users Posts: 26 iwantadonkey


    also sat it in cork this morning.
    i found the essay section grand, finished both in the time frame. i wrote about 3 pages for each topic.
    section 2 was very difficult i think. we had done a practice MSAP in college a few weeks ago and i got a good enough score but it was much easier than the one today.:(


  • Registered Users Posts: 243 ✭✭trixie_belle12


    madaload wrote: »
    I sat the test this morning in Cork. I must say I am utterly disappointed with how I did. :eek:

    I didn’t complete the second essay and I ran out of time before I could complete Section 2, so I ended up completing it lottery ticket style. No idea what happened in there, except that I’m not used to write by hand. Although English isn’t my first language I expected I’d do much better. I’m arguing public affairs in English on an almost daily basis, but this morning my mind just went blank.

    I also agree with what somebody here said about the 2011 MSAP test, namely, that the sample test is nothing compared to the real thing. I only got 3 answers wrong in the sample but struggled all the way through the real one. I can’t even blame it on distractions, because I wasn't distracted by anybody or anything and I felt quite relaxed. I guess I'm just too slow.

    I have a bit of advice for anyone planning to sit the test next year. Read to expand your vocabulary and practice writing essays. Focus on structure and time management. I couldn’t do either.

    Hey. Sorry to hear it didn't go so well for you. Did you make a start on the 2nd essay? You're advice is very valid. Particularly so for people out of the education system for a while. I just found even writing so much in a short space of time quite difficult. As one of the other posters said above the timeframe was quite short within which to structure and write 2 essays.

    You never know anyway you may have done better than you think! :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,924 ✭✭✭Fatboydim


    It was sunshine all the way into Galway... and rain in all the way home... which kind of summed it up.

    I hate environmental topics. So the part A essay was a nightmare for me. I know enough to make a decent stab at it, but it's just not something I'm passionate about. I wrote 3.5 pages.

    The second essay was a lot more fun and I actually ran out of paper, so ended up writing the last paragraph on the pack of the booklet.

    The multiple choice questions I thought were considerably harder than the sample questions from the booklet and website. Some of the answers didn't seem appropriate to me at all.: like the axis on the diagram from top to bottom.

    I can only think that this is a deliberate ploy on the part of the examiners. Though personally it would have been useful to have had, ask the audience, and phone a friend. Most of the questions you could at least get a 50 / 50.

    I'm confident that I'm no moron, but I really have no idea how I did.:o


  • Registered Users Posts: 3 madaload


    Hey. Sorry to hear it didn't go so well for you. Did you make a start on the 2nd essay? You're advice is very valid. Particularly so for people out of the education system for a while. I just found even writing so much in a short space of time quite difficult. As one of the other posters said above the timeframe was quite short within which to structure and write 2 essays.

    You never know anyway you may have done better than you think! :rolleyes:
    Hi, trixie_belle!
    I did start on the 2nd essay, but I really expected to finish it and make it good if not great. I consider public affairs and sociology my strong suit and usually I have a lot to say on the topic. Given my aspirations I sholdn't have had much trouble with the second section either. I found it difficult to concentrate on those short pieces of writings. I read the words, but they had no mening. It's like when you're listening, but not hearing, if you get my meaning. See now I can even rhyme :D

    But you're right. Being out of the education system for a while makes it a bit of a challenge. I bet I'll see the bright side of it all by tomorrow morning, but right now I feel dissapointed and I wanted to share my frustration. It may comfort others who read this board and and feel like they're the only ones who messed up, because they're not. When it's not your day, it's just not your day.

    Congrats to all who did good and fingers crossed for the rest ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 117 ✭✭sara1


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 28 Dunner1


    Hey guys, did the msap today in Dublin, feel like I made a total mess of the whole thing, how did everyone get on ?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 26 iwantadonkey


    did we all do the same paper?


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