7 Tips for smashing year 12

How do you smash year 12?

Step one: Study like there’s no tomorrow.

Step two: Do well in your exams.

For the people that need a little more detail than that - let me break it down for you

1. Study smart and hard

You’ve probably heard the phrase study smart not hard. Heck, we’ve used the phrase once or twice ourselves (...it sounds nice). In reality to really get those top marks you need to be studying smart AND hard. That doesn’t mean you should be studying 100% of the time. But when you do study - study like your life depends on it.

Part of studying smart means using a variety of methods. Don’t fall into the trap of only using your textbook to get you over the line. That’s a rookie mistake. Check out online resources like HSC Hub, use study guides and notes from past students. I remember for all my Shakespeare work I used to buy a ‘No Fear Shakespeare’ book which translates the play into plain English. Great example of being smarter about your study.

Also - don’t waste time studying content you know.

Top marks don’t come by remembering 1 thing really well, they come from knowing many things well.

A bit of revision of the stuff you know is never bad - but too much is going to be fatal to your overall marks. Keep your study interesting, and efficient.

2. Breaks

We did a brief survey of successful HSC students and funnily enough, an abundance of breaks was a common feature. People swear by different methods but one we’re particularly fond of is the “2 hours on, half hour off” method. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Study for 2 hours, take a break for half an hour. Rinse and repeat.

You’re probably thinking ‘gee these guys are talking so much smack right now’ but believe us - science is on our side too. Heck, even the HSC Hub videos you’re no doubt watching on a regular basis are designed for breaks in between them. Your brain is like a big computer, and if you work it too hard it’ll heat up, you’ll get a headache, and it shuts off. You’ll be sitting there in a daze getting nothing done. So get up, stretch, watch some tv (I recommend Game of Thrones), drink water... Just do something!

Study hard when you’re studying, and break hard when you’re breaking.

3. HSC Hub

You might think this sounds like a bit of shameless product promotion, and in a sense you’d be right. But hey - you’ve got videos, a blog, a discussion section to ask specific questions, even a marking centre!

The HSC you’re doing now - we’ve been there and done that - so we like to think we know our way around a syllabus. Plus it never hurts to get help from people who’ve been at the business end of the HSC year and done well.

We’re here for you guys!

4. Do things

Don’t stay indoors. Go, do things.

If you’ve ever had a chance to look at our HSC Hub bios, it’s no coincidence that everyone did stuff outside of just school. School is a 6 hour slog, and just like the breaks you have when studying, going out with your mates, or playing sport will do wonders for your mind.

Remember study hard, but don’t study 100% of the time.

5. Daily habits

Habit is the secret to all success.

When you hit the gym, you’re no doubt using some pre-workout tunes to get you going. Do the same for studying.

Once you have a pre-study routine, your brain will automatically create an association and get you in the mood for studying. I once heard of a guy that had to nap before having a marathon study sesh, but that’s a little rogue. So instead we recommend things like cleaning and preparing your desk, listening to certain music or a quick 5 minute cold shower.

Massive gains start from solid study. And solid study begins with great prep. Prep well with daily habits and you’ll see how you get your head into the zone when it’s crunch time.

6. Study smart and hard

This one’s just so important that it deserves a re-mention!

7. Use your teachers

For some reason, most people freak out at the concept of asking your teachers questions. If you don’t get something, and you can’t figure it out when you’re studying ask someone!

That’s what they’re there for. Ask us, ask your tutor, ask your teachers. There are plenty of ways to find answers to your questions. But don’t leave it out and think “ah it’s probs only gonna be like a mark or 2 in the exam anyway” or “it probably won’t come up.”

Teachers care about you. Use them!

Conclusion

So a solid Year 12 performance is the result of you digging your heels in, learning from all sources and most importantly: working when you have to, and having fun when you need to.

Do that and your year 12 will be a breeze.