SACE Stage 2 Psychology study plan

Map the full School Assessment syllabus into a one-page checklist of every topic, assessment type, and weighting

Define how each of the four SACE psychology assessment types (investigation folio, collaborative task, skills-based task, and test) contributes to the 70% internal mark

Build a spaced-repetition deck of core terminology and set a daily review routine of 15 minutes

Draft a personal glossary of research methods terms: independent and dependent variables, operational definitions, validity, reliability, sampling

Outline the structure of an investigation folio, including ethics, method, results, and discussion sections

Practice writing operational definitions for two hypothetical variables and critique them against a checklist

Summarise the ethical guidelines governing research with human participants and apply them to a sample scenario

Complete 15 multiple-choice research-methods questions and log every error with a correction note

Explain how psychological knowledge is constructed, including the role of theory, hypothesis, and replication

Compare two major perspectives on a single behaviour and identify the assumptions each makes

Write a 200-word evaluation paragraph applying criteria such as validity, reliability, and ethical acceptability

Self-mark the paragraph against the SACE performance standards and note two specific improvements

Draft a complete investigation folio with a clear aim, method, and analysis plan

Calculate and interpret a measure of central tendency and a measure of spread for a small dataset

Produce a graph of results with correctly labelled axes and a caption that states the finding

Explain how your chosen method controls at least two sources of error

Revise the School Assessment topics using active recall rather than rereading, covering all checklist items at least once

Complete one timed practice test under exam conditions and mark it strictly

Identify the three weakest sub-topics from the marked test and write a targeted remediation plan

Review the external assessment format and confirm the weighting and structure of the 30% component

Analyse how external questions are structured, distinguishing command words such as describe, explain, and evaluate

Write three extended responses to a strict word or time limit and compare them against the marking criteria

Practise applying psychological concepts to unfamiliar scenarios rather than recalling definitions

Build a one-page summary sheet of the most commonly examined concepts and their applications

Complete a full mock external assessment under timed conditions with no notes

Mark the mock using the official criteria and calculate a percentage against the target band

Rewrite the two lowest-scoring answers to a higher standard and explain what changed

Rehearse the recall deck daily and retire any cards answered correctly five times in a row

Consolidate all error logs and rewrite every recurring mistake as a one-line rule

Complete two short timed drills mixing internal and external question styles

Rehearse exam-day logistics: timing per section, allocation of marks, and checking routine

Finalise the investigation folio for submission and verify it meets every checklist requirement