HSC Trials and the HSC Exams: exam preparation

With most students having their HSC trials coming within a week or two, and with the actual HSC exams coming within a few weeks, good exam preparation skills are important if you want to ace your exams!

We offer some general tips on what you can do to help yourself through this stressful period.

Big tip 1: Don’t let the stress get to you

As students approach the end of year 12, their stress levels approach seemingly unbearable levels (like a limits question in maths!). But as a student in year 12, it’s important not to lose perspective. If you are currently in year 12, we would like to remind you of some bare facts about your current situation:

• You will survive this, as did all previous year 12 students.

You will get through your exams, regardless of whether you did wonderfully or badly, and your life will continue. Whether you move onto university (which most of you will) or other paths, there’s a whole lifetime of activities, challenges and experiences waiting for you. This leads onto the next point:


• No matter what you may think, you are overestimating the significance of the HSC.

Think about it this way: after the first 2 weeks of university, no-one would be talking about what UAI or ATAR score you achieved. This probably would end after the first few days! Your ATAR would be so insignificant and inconsequential to your university life and career into the future that when you look back, you would laugh at how stressed and how seriously you took your HSC. Even highly successful students who manage to achieve a 99+ UAI or ATAR would find that their amazing achievement becomes inconsequential when we look at the bigger picture of their entire lives ahead. This leads onto the next fact:


• Don’t stress if you can’t get the ATAR you need.

• Start now!

If you know you need to study for a certain exam that is x days away, start now! It is in our human nature to make up excuses like "I will start tomorrow" or "I will start after this weekend" or "Today will definitely be my last day not studying". Ask yourself this: do you accept the fact that eventually you will need to start? Well if yes, why not now?


• Plan ahead.

• Use your friends to your advantage.

Pick a few friends who are motivated to do well in their exams. Keep in touch with them throughout your study period. Discuss topics in subjects you both do, asking each other questions and making sure your knowledge of each subject is sound and complete.


• Use the syllabus to your advantage.

Some subjects (like Chemistry, Physics and Biology, as well as some social sciences like Economics) are heavily syllabus-based. A good study technique is to write brief summary notes for each dot-point, going through the entire HSC syllabus yourself before your exams. This is the most complete method of revising those subjects, as exam questions can only be set according to what is contained within the syllabus.


• Use teachers to your advantage.

Teachers play a bigger role in some subjects more than others. For example, in English, we recommend writing practice essays to cover the broad topics like the main themes in your Area of Study, or module text. Write as many as you can, and have them marked! Ask for feedback from your teachers. Good teachers would be happy to help their students, especially nearing big exams.

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Dux College is a Sydney-based HSC Learning Center specialising in HSC Tutoring Our Maths, Physics and Chemistry tuition programs are intensive and results driven, aimed at giving our students the skills to achieve Band 6, and their highest potential UAI.

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