mommi
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 47
Location: Tallinn, Estonia |
| So how did your exams go? |
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Hi guys,
Hope you have done well with your exams! Just wanted to share my fresh feelings from these, as I finished with the last exam just a few hours ago. In general, I hope I did reasonably well, if only my language combined with my terrible handwriting can be understood at all. As was the case with mock exams, I once again ran out of time when rewriting RT questions, although I had devoted a whole hour for the task. The result was that
1) I started to give those "arrogant" answers we were warned of, although my draft was much more full of "possibility" and "uncertainty"
2) I'm not a very good painter, and what I was able to draw under the pressure of time probably does not convey any useful information at all as to how to mike drums! I realised I could do better describing it in words, but there wasn't any time left.
3) The last question about developments in audio/midi sequencers with regard to multitrack recording - don't even remember what stupid suggestion I was giving there during 10 seconds from a half-standing position.
Nevertheless, I hope the examiner will be able to decipher a sufficient amount of right answers from my code 
My approach to MT was that of an experienced candidate - no drafts, direct writing on the exam paper. Still took 2 hours and 50 minutes from me, although could have managed with less if needed.
Waiting for any news from you,
mommi |
Thu Dec 11, 2003 10:57 pm |
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mommi
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 47
Location: Tallinn, Estonia |
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Hi Jules,
Glad to hear of your being content with your exams. Well, actually it was hard to expect anything else from you 
Regarding my RT, it was only the last hour of rewriting when I experienced the pain. So far, I was well on schedule. I left the drum diagram and the last question out of my scope when drafting and planned to do them directly on the exam paper, since I felt it would be good to have some time for them at the end. Only after I had rewrote my first two or so answers, it became clear that there is not going to be any "spare" time for these questions at the end, on the contrary, it was apparent I had to write very fast. I experienced exactly the same thing in RT mock exam, and was doing the final exam with a modified plan that foresaw doubling the rewriting time, ie a whole hour instead of a half. Yeah, sadly, it didn't work either.
In general I was happy with the questions in RT, too, except for the last one, for which I really didn't have any clear idea. Just hoped to create something after rewriting the other answers. And, while I could comment on drum miking, I have always been bad in drawings  So the natural way to get at least some marks would have been to put the basic ideas into words, just like we had done during the course.
I agree with you on handwriting. My handwriting really sucks, and even if I manage to make it less ugly (being able to write at consistent levels and repeating shapes etc), the shapes of my characters usually don't bear too much relationship with anything close to latin alphabet! 
quote:
two hours put to good use if you know what I mean
Cheers m8
Alright, stopping here. Because I don't have anything to say really. The only reason I write right now is because I have forgot how to live without Audiocourses. Actually I doubt the existence of life outside the courses at all  And even if there is, it cannot be real
Waiting to talk to you on the workshop. Cannot believe it is going to be the last one ...
mommi
P.S. The Avatar ... Couldn't bear the idea your looked nicer than mine. Just had to do something, you know ... Now it feels better  |
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Fri Dec 12, 2003 4:30 pm |
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ruiabreu
Joined: 15 Sep 2003
Posts: 12
Location: Portugal |
| exams |
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Hi all,
It's been quite a busy week, between having to do the exams, my work and the trips for the exams it was quite a challenge. Iīm still recovering today.
Overall I'm happy with my exams. All the questions were all more or less covered during the course, no esoteric stuff. I wrote the exam directly on the answer paper and went from top to botton. Still took 2.55 hours for RT and 2.45 for MT. I think I tend to do well on stress situations although I donīt like to be stressed.
I think my best ally was the place were I've done the exam. I choose the British institute of my hometown, Guimarães. I could have done the exams on the town I work but I prefered my hometown and the British Institute were I was a student on my adolescence, it gave the felling of going back to school. These things are important. I went 1 hour in advance had my breakfast on a cafe on the historic zone of the city that was used for a TV beer add very famous in Portugal. Then I went for a walk to the center of town and I realized I forgot how the city is beatiful (it's a UNESCO historic place). It was fog but not raining, it was cold but not freezing (now i'm being poetic), my favorite type of weather. I calmed down and went for the exam.
I realized I wasnīt a much active participante the last weeks but I had to focus on the study, I was on a tight schedule. I'll be on the live shop sunday to relash now that the dificult part is over. If you ever come to Portugal you are all welcome to the studio I plan to assembly on my family farm.
Did anyone had at some point the felling, ''I'm tired of studying, I can't wait to apply it!". Letīs do it.
(Assuming I pass the exams of course!)
Cheers,
Rui |
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Fri Dec 12, 2003 10:58 pm |
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julesf
Joined: 31 Aug 2003
Posts: 58
Location: Southampton, UK |
Hi Rui,
Sounds like you had a cool time.
Funny how we all seem to have needed all of the time alotted. I found that I completed my mocks with plenty of time left but I guess when it comes to the real thing you write more maybe.
I took my exams in the historic town of Paddington. It was foggy, cold, and raining, normal The coolest thing about the college was the sausage rolls, wicked m8. I also met John mizzi the head of sound engineering he marks all of our papers, he is a real nice guy, very friendly and helpful. I took him an apple 
If I dont pass the exams I will go back and do them again for sure. Just for the sausage rolls
Sounds like youve cracked it Rui,
well done m8
see ya Sunday,
Cheers,
Jules. |
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Fri Dec 12, 2003 11:39 pm |
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Albow
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 27
Location: Spain |
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Hi everyone.
Nice to see this post, I had been keeping my eyes open for something since Tuesday but for some reason this is the first time I've come back since the exam yesterday. 
Well I found the exams tough and I hadn't prepared for them as well as I would liked to have done. The last time I did exams I had a sea of free days building up to them. I did give it a good go once I was in there though, and of the 2 I think I gave a better account of myself in RT. With MT I felt you either knew a lot of the answers or you didn't, and I didn't have the rub of the green in some places. I had targeted certain areas and skim-read others, and I got more of the latter than the former in the exam.
I too needed almost all of the time available to write the answers first time. This became clear about one hour through RT when I could see I still had a lot to do. So from then on I tried to keep it as neat as possible! With RT I needed the full 3 hours to write the answers, check them and then insert bits and pieces. With MT I needed about 2 hrs 20.
To try and track my progress I noted down a tally of where I thought I was guaranteed to score points. I think in RT I had about 43 so assuming the pass mark is 50, I would only need to pick up 7 more where I wasn't completely sure of myself from the rest of the questions. So that one's not looking too bad. For MT however, I think I had about 35, so on a lot of the answers which I felt could go one way or the other, I'm hoping for a lot of them to go my way! Still a definite chance of a pass though. Really glad I did it and I would like to know what to do from here. I'd like to carry this on some way or another. Like Jules, if I don't pass I would like to do the exam(s) again, although the alleged 300 pound price tag would be some punishment!
See you Sunday. I don't know if I'll stay the full 2 hours as I'm off to see joke-rockers The Darkness. Hehehe. Cool. |
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Sat Dec 13, 2003 1:51 am |
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