Balancing your HSC Study

The Higher School Certificate (HSC ® Exam) is a challenging year. But it’s a challenge you can conquer by effectively balancing your HSC® Exam preparation, employing tried and tested study techniques and methods.

The following methods are the HSC ® Exam prep techniques of those that succeed!

Subject Acceleration: First, if you’re reading this from a position of Year 11 or earlier, this is an opportunity to consider balancing things from now. If you’re so inclined, and highly motivated, consider accelerating one of your subjects. Acceleration is the process through which motivated (and somewhat talented) students progress quickly through subject contents to complete their HSC® Exam assessments one or two years early. Subject acceleration is a difficult undertaking, meaning you’ll need to prioritise HSC® Exam preparation in Year 10 or 11 for those accelerated units, which may or may not affect your capacity to thrive in other areas. Generally, students that have the capacity to accelerate their learning are capable to do so. Consider speaking with specific subject teacher or year coordinator about subject acceleration.

Paced Learning: Learn at a steady and regular pace. This requires a rigorous and well-planned HSC® Exam preparation timetable/plan. This plan needs to dedicate equal time to each of your subjects (within reason). Spread it out and vary it up. Moreover, this time needs to be used effectively by identifying which learning objectives will be focused on.

Focused Learning: But how do I learn properly?

• Learn from your HSC® Exam Curriculum. The syllabi (or syllabuses; interestingly, both are correct) of HSC® Exam subjects are comprehensive but concise. These syllabi outline each learning objective and contain one, two or three specific points that will be examined. Your HSC ® Exam prep should be based on these syllabus learning points because these points form your assessments (essays, reports, speeches, performances, exams and more).

 

• Identify Blind Spots: Test how effective your HSC® Exam preparation is by completing practice tests and questions. But just don’t do the tests (or go straight to the answers mid-test just because you don’t know the answer!). Focus on why you get questions wrong, identify patterns/categories of questions you continue to not understand and focus your future HSC ® Exam prep on these areas.

Prioritisation: By now you’re thinking: “Well, this guy clearly doesn’t remember how busy the HSC ® Exam year is. We get hammered with assessments, study, and then there’s everything outside of school to consider!”. 

Well, I’ve lived that difficult year (and don’t worry, I remember it vividly), and balancing things only becomes more challenging without effective methods established early.

With it all piling up, it’s time to prioritise. Decide how important your HSC ® Exam year is to you and how important your ATAR really is. Here are a few tips to help prioritise your study and social life:
 

• Do your immediate assessments first and do them early.

• Use varied (group, individual, audial, visual) and effective learning methods, consistently throughout the year.

• Use free periods well. Study well, but reward yourself from time-to-time.

• Use social outings as rewards.

 

Getting the HSC® Exam prep balance just right is different for each person. The balance between study method, study time, and free time depends on your goals and commitments outside of the HSC® Exam.

All the best in your HSC® Exam preparation.

- Dan W
Medical Student at the University of Melbourne