Five exam study tips to help your VCE/HSC students

Recently, we took a look at important events during Term 3, including the critical VCE/HSC study period since this is the last term for Year 12 students. Well, we’re now nearing the half way point and, as the saying goes, ‘there’s no time like the present’! To help teachers prepare their students, we’ve compiled a list of top tips for Term 3 study:

• Revise, revise, revise: Revision is the most basic step for VCE revision and it’s important to get on top of it sooner rather than later. While students will currently be preoccupied with the assessments and workload of Term 3, it’s important to remind them to go back and revisit what they’ve already learned. The more time they dedicate to going over the whole course, the less time they’ll spend cramming.
• Go over questions again: Revising material alone will not be sufficient to retain information properly – students should revisit past questions and attempt them again, particularly those that they had difficulty with the first time round. In these cases, students should also refer to their notes from teachers to help them clarify any misconceptions and improve their understanding.
• Start doing practice exams: Exams are a big part of Year 12, so it makes sense to start practicing them now. Not to be confused with the previous tip, it’s important that students get used to the format and type of questions they’ll be asked in the actual VCE/HSE exam. Past exams can be found at the VCAA website and BOSTES website .
• Start preparing bound materials: Some subjects allow students to bring in a set of bound material to assist them in the exam so teachers should encourage students to begin collating this information if they haven’t already. In particular, suggest that they make some reference to difficult questions that they come across in their materials.
• Make time with teachers/tutors: As suggested above, last minute cramming is only going to cause unnecessary stress so students should plan on meeting with their teacher to clarify concerns or misunderstandings before the start of the exams. Teachers can help by reminding students that they’re happy to help and letting them know when they’re free.

Year 12 can be a stressful time, but preparing students ahead of time makes the entire experience a lot smoother for all involved. Did we miss anything? If you have other useful pointers for VCE/HSC teachers or students, please let us know in the comments below.