Things I wish I did in the HSC

The Higher School Certificate (HSC® Exam) was, and remains, one of the largest education undertakings of my life. It was arduous, rigorous, but also fun. Ultimately, putting in the hard yards paid off - but not in the traditional sense in which we’re all told. Here I want to give you insight into the retrospective ramblings of a to-be doctor and take away a few things you can do to improve your HSC ® Exam experience.

My HSC® Exam preparation was effective. Or at least I thought. I knew I would need to buckle down for majority of the year. As such, once I arrived home from school around 4pm each afternoon, I would set aside three hours each night to do a mix of homework, assignment and/or study, whichever was the most pertinent at the time. It was hard in the beginning, but I got used to it after a few weeks. During the thick of it, though, I struggled to see how my HSC® Exam prep was helping because after attempting some HSC® Exam Past Papers, I didn’t seem to be improving (or achieving what I thought I could!).

Looking back, the solutions to improving my HSC® Exam experience, and HSC® Exam preparation methods, are so very clear. But when you’re in the midst of apparent impending doom (HSC® Exam exams), it can be hard to scramble toward the proverbial light. So, for those of you finding yourselves in similar positions - wanting to improve your HSC® Exam experience - take heed of the things I wish I did during my HSC® Exam prep.

• Motivate Yourself

Simple, right? Some afternoons I would return from school and simply not want to get anything done. I would eventually force myself to trudge through study. This is NOT an effective way to learn! What I should have done, and what you should do now, is figure out a means to MOTIVATE your butt (rewards, punishments, videos, music, exercise; whatever gets you going), and get your HSC® Exam preparation fired up!

• Actually Live your Life

Some weeks (or months) I completely buried myself in HSC® Exam prep. Looking back, this is simply not healthy, and I wasn’t exactly happy during this time either. How to fix it? Take stock; take some time out and actually do something social with your friends. Establishing a good balance between work (school) and life now, will pay off in the long run!

• Evenly Study & Focus on Weaknesses

At points during my HSC® Exam preparation I found myself either unsure of what to learn, or revising topics that I knew well and simply didn’t need to study anymore. It’s natural to play to our strengths because these are things that we find most comfortable. Moreover, getting answers correct in study, and tests, give us a real confidence boost. But, if you’re doing this: STOP! Break this habit early, and space your study evenly between all your subjects (yes, even those dreaded two units of Mathematics or Advanced English or Modern History) and realise that all of your units will contribute to your HSC® Exam mark evenly. Instead, you may want to dedicate a little more time, or different study methods, to those subjects you’re not enjoying (or struggling with). Doing this will not only enhance your overall HSC® Exam prep, but likely boost your final marks too!

The HSC® Exam is a rough ride. If you can hang in, apply just a few of these reflections to your HSC® Exam preparation, then you’ll find yourself powering through your HSC® Exam prep and enjoying the year more and more!

After all, you’ve gotta live too.

- Dan W
Medical Student at the University of Melbourne.