For Year 11 students, their HSC year starts after the October holidays – so that formal Year 12 lessons can commence.

The key to success and minimum stress in Year 12 is to be prepared for the highly dreaded exams as soon as possible. If you can use these tips and put them into practice as early in the year as you can, you will be a lot more prepared with your subject information and work come exam time.

So hopefully you can put this information to good use now and not have to say to yourself at the end of Year 12, "If only I knew then what I know now..."

• Be organised - it's very important that you keep all of your notes, handouts, summaries of information and corrected tests together and organised. Store them in a pocket folder or a bookbinder. Use a separate folder for every different subject. It's best if you can also group the information into the different topics within each subject so it will be easier to refer to in the future.



• Set priorities - this is the year where the really important things are the really important things. Prioritise by levels of importance.



• Never leave study to the last minute - get in early and create an individual study program that works for you. Also, at the end of each day try to find time to go over your notes from that day. Try to do this for all of your subjects. Going through what you learnt during those lessons and re-reading handouts or notes will help you remember information better and help to find things that you may not understand so that you know what you have to work on. If you leave reviewing your notes for later, the information won't be so fresh and it may be harder to remember in the future.



• Summarise regularly - at the end of each day, summarise all the key things you learned in each subject in your own words. The smaller bits of information that are in your own words and that you understand will be easier to remember than chunks of complicated facts. This will also make it easier during revision time for exams. Make sure you summarise in ways to help you remember- if you're more of a visual person for example, draw a diagram or illustrations to help you remember better.



• Create a study group - there is nothing wrong with people working together to maximise resources. Set aside time each week for a group of friends to get together to work together. Working together can be resourceful.



• Have fun - life is about living, enjoying, achieving, learning and having fun along the way. Don’t forget to have fun with your friends and family. If you are enjoying something your brain will want to remember every aspect of that experience. Learning can be so much easier if you enjoy the experience.

If you use these basic tips and guidelines throughout the year, you will be more organised and prepared when it comes to mid-year/end-of-year exams.

Good luck with your studies.