THE BREAK JUST BEFORE THE HSC: HOW TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY BETWEEN NOW AND YOUR EXAMS.

So your final days of high school are probably nearing an end. You’re thinking to yourself “what do I do now?” The mini graduation celebrations are over. It’s now just you and the rest of your year standing right before the HSC. Here are five key tips on how to fully maximise the next month before the HSC.

Work together as a cohort

Stop thinking to yourself “I made these notes myself and others don’t deserve them.” No. Please. No. Those days are over. The trials are over. You no longer are competing with your grade. You now actually have to work with them to improve the overall pool of marks. The higher the entire grade gets in the HSC, the higher every person’s marks will be. Stop fighting. Start showing some love. I know it’s hard at first, but let me assure you, it doesn’t matter if other people benefit from your work and if they just feed off you – this will only just improve your own mark.

It also doesn’t really matter if they take some ideas from your notes and say similar things to you in the HSC exams; there are thousands upon thousands of students taking the HSC exams and if a few of your classmates say the same thing it really won’t make a difference. Chances are, another thousand students have the same ideas. In saying this, you should share essays at your own discretion, as there is a chance others may plagiarise.

Schedule your days AND HOURS

Be specific yet flexible with your study timetable. And no, don’t think to yourself I’m not going to have a timetable because I never follow them. N to the O, NO. These are the final holidays that you will ever have to use to study for the HSC. Make. It. Count. Have a look at our page on how to make a study timetable. Have a look at our page on how to create a holiday study timetable.

Yes you have to study, but RELAX

I know this is obvious but let me tell you, when you’re so close to something important everything can change and you may find yourself have panic attacks if you are unprepared. Set aside compulsory rest breaks that you must take no matter how busy you are. When you’re stressed, you may actually think that you’re much busier then you actually really are. By cutting work up into chunks with breaks in between, it also allows you to better visualise what you have to do (we also have a page on how to allocate studying time between different subjects). Relax, stay calm and the band sixes will come.

Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

Yes I’ve mentioned this so many times in previous posts but honestly this is the most important thing of all. You really can’t learn as effectively if your brain is tired and you won’t be able to deal with stressful situations as well, let alone solve a 4 unit maths question. We already have a post on how to avoid sleepiness when studying.

Eat Properly

And of course, also stay hydrated. When you’re concentrating very hard, you tend to forget even the most basic of things. I know you’re thinking “that’s not me, I’m the type to procrastinate.” Let me tell you, when you realise you’ve only got a few days left and start panicking, you become a totally different person. You try to cram every study point in and forget about everything else. However, you still need the energy and hydration to keep marching on. Have a look at our page on what to eat to feel the best when studying or just before an exam.

Jack Zheng | N° 52