Trials.
Just the word itself sounds terrifying, right?
Whilst trials may seem like that big bad monster in the closet, even though they are not easy, it is important to remember they are doable and able to be done well with proper planning and practice. Once they’re over, the HSC almost feels like a breeze.
Trials: the big, the bad and the ugly.
Your trial exams are just a miniature HSC. This is the best attitude to tackle them with [it will make you even more ready for October]. Most will have the same format as the HSC, with maybe a few weeks less content that you will have yet to cover. But wait, there is good news. Unlike the HSC exams, trials normally only count to 20/35% of your overall school-based mark, so yes, they have the same workload, but this workload does come without the stress of being 50% of your ATAR.
Planning is essential
To do well you need to organise the short amount of time you have to sufficiently cover material from all 5 or 6 subjects. So, here’s a quick guide on creating a study plan for a month out from trials so you can smash these exams.
1) Make a to do list
I cannot stress the importance of doing this enough. A month out from trials, find a big sheet of paper, and some colored markers to make it more fun and write down everything you think needs to be done.
Try
- Making any notes you haven’t done yet or catching up on any missed content
- Doing practice questions and exams
- Marking practice questions and seeking feedback
2) Prioritising your time
Some of your subjects will require more attention, so it's important that you allocate your time based on this. For me English and Modern History were the most demanding. I spent hours on these, writing essays and doing practice questions each day and it paid off. I got 99/100 for my modern trial and 95 for English. Try to allocate time for the subjects you struggle with the most each day. It's also important to break up studying the same subject each day. Allocate some time to your favorite subject or if you are like me who did all humanities and one science, break up the essay writing with some science practice questions.
3) Structuring the plan
After you determine which subjects need the most time, then you can start to make an organised plan
Make a table; something like this below and begin to sort the things you need to do into columns.
4) Remember to schedule breaks!
Go for a quick little walk around your suburb, bake some cookies, and play with a pet. Just do something that is not school-related for 20 or so minutes every couple of hours. [trust me it will help you keep your sanity.]
Putting it all together the month before
Four Weeks Out
Figuring out what you need to do can be super overwhelming, especially if you have neglected your studies a little throughout the rest of the year. So, here’s a brief overview of how to structure each of your weeks before the exams.
The first week is about making sure you have notes on everything. Go to your syllabus. Yes, the many paged most boring document to read ever. [You can find these on the NESA website, just look up Legal Studies HSC Syllabus in any search engine] it will give you a very good indication of everything that needs to be studied.
Print this off and highlight the dot points you are most concerned about in red and the ones you need to work on in orange. If you can't print it off, quickly jot down the dot points using a similar colour coding technique.
Once you have the areas you need to work on more, go back to your notes and check you have some for these dot points. If you don’t, that's your first step, quickly learn the material. If you do then brilliant, we can start revising the material.
Three weeks out
Now you should have all your notes together and know what it is you need to study. There are thousands of ways to revise, whatever helps you the most. I found for me blurting my notes was effective for non essay subjects [Biology] and making essay plans for the essay subjects. Palm cards are a great way to remember dates, facts and quotes, so long as you go over them frequently.
Remember essay plans can be used again for the HSC, so the more you can do now, the easier it will be in a couple of months' time.
This week should be about learning and remembering the content
Two weeks out
A great way to comprehensively learn the content is by doing open book practice questions. Have your notes there with you as you write out answers so that you are learning both how to apply the information and simultaneously retain it so you can whip out the knowledge in the real exams.
This works with every subject. For English, write essays using an essay plan with your quotes on a piece of paper. The more frequently you do it, the more you will find you no longer have to look at the quotes or the plan, suddenly it clicks, and you can do it without your notes. For maths, it's all about repetition, doing similar questions over and over. Anytime you get one wrong, look back at your notes to see if it was a formulaic error.
One week out
With only a week to go before the first exam, you should be just focusing on practice questions. Ask your teachers for practice trial exams. Look up example questions on the internet. You can even make your own questions from syllabus dot points. Studying with a friend can also be helpful so you can mark each other's work. A HSC tutor can help to provide feedback on your practice exams so you can improve even more!
Most importantly, remember to take your breaks. And have plenty of sleep! Without sleep, you won’t perform at your best no matter how much work you feel you need to do.
So now you have an excellent plan, the only thing left to do is start studying!
KIS Academics
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Written by KIS Academics Tutor Sarah Walker. Sarah is currently studying a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Arts at ANU and has helped other students successfully achieve their academic goals. You can view Sarah’s profile here and request her as a tutor.
