For our Higher School Certificate students, it’s hard to imagine there’s been a cohort of young adults forced to go through a more challenging preparation than the Class of 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has upended society for everyone, and school students have been called upon to adapt more than most. Luckily though, the HSC is an endurance event, not a sprint, and while technically this year’s cohort of bright, young, imminent matriculators commenced their HSC in term 4 of 2020, the reality is they took their first steps on the journey to Mount HSC almost 4,600 days ago, arriving in Kindergarten in late January 2009, eyes wide open while tears streamed down their parents’ cheeks, flooding the school gates.
So now, with the 19 October start date of the HSC exams a mere hop, skip and jump away, and with a whopping 50% of possible marks up for grabs, this is the home stretch for students. The benefit of pushing forward with a positive, disciplined approach – despite feeling “over it” or “being done” – cannot possibly be overstated. To ensure our Northern Beaches students achieve their best results, HSC CoWorks’ Jesse Gardiner has given us his essential insights on how students can make the most of the final stages of HSC preparation.
Stay Focused on Your End Goals.
When you set out to conquer Mount HSC back in October 2020, every student had goals of what they wanted to achieve for the year. Keep these same goals front of mind. This clear focus will provide you with the energy, motivation and self-discipline to keep climbing.
Have a Vision Board.
Keep this in your study space, a place where it will be viewed when you need it most, serving as a powerful and constant reminder of why you are going to keep climbing. Whether it’s finishing with zero regrets, getting into a particular university course, keeping your options open, beating a sibling’s ATAR (always a strong motivator!), or being able to go to Schoolies knowing you did everything you could, keep the combination of these ideas front of mind in this crucial stage of your studies.
Review all Trial Examinations.
This ensures any gaps in your knowledge and all sections of exams which you scored poorly in are dealt with BEFORE sitting your final exams. Regardless of what happened in the Trial Exams these are a ‘trial’ to prepare you for the final HSC exams. Review your trials for finals glory.
Consistently Revise Your Foundational Content.
Whilst working through any weaknesses identified in the trial exams, be sure to complete consistent revision of your foundational content. You can apply this to practice exam style tasks on a daily basis. The student who trains their brain with the foundational content through this period will be able to stay calm and composed in the final weeks leading into 19 October rather than being in a panic and feeling overwhelmed.
Finish with No Regrets.
A top priority of nearly every student is to finish their HSC with zero regrets. This can best be achieved by continuing to push forward, learn from all the mistakes of your trial exams, and keep revising your foundational material. Complete these fundamentals and you will have no regrets when the 2021 HSC is all over.
And for Year 11 students who will next month officially commence Year 12, enjoy these upcoming holidays and get ready to launch into the climb to the top of Mount HSC in October. A strong performance in Term 4 is the best way to ensure there’s no need to play catch up in 2022.