Your high school years can be some of the most important years of your life. It is important that every student makes the most of every opportunity they get during these years to ensure they finish their school years successfully. The following page will outline the basic steps students should undertake during their studies both at home and at school, as well as tips on exam preparation and techniques.

For any questions, tips or advice from other current students, please visit our Community Forum.

QUICK LINKS

Studying

Sources

• Solid flat surface you can write on. - Clear everything off your desk except what you are working on
• Good lighting - Not too bright, not too dim
• Chair - A regular chair that is comfortable. Avoid strain and fatigue
• Books - Have all necessary text books and reference books
• Supplies - Pens, ruler, calculator, etc...
• Clock - Helps you manage time, or timing yourself doing past papers
• Eliminate all distractions - Classical music played softly may help
• Computer - If needed

• The last few months of Year 12 are crucial and experts recommend changes in study methods and patterns to ensure the maximum amount of information is absorbed during that period.
• Students must capitalise on the study methods they have found most effective as well as looking at different approaches to prevent boredom.
• Students need to develop their own individualised study programs. Copying other students' routines may not best suit your needs.
• In the case of studying texts, stand up and read aloud - this will help you visualise what is happening.
• One senior lecturer stated that preventing boredom in the final weeks is vital. It is suggested that you should review what you know rather than try to cram in more information.
• Be proud of your achievements. Knowing that you have mastered a difficult concept should give you something to draw pride, strength and confidence from.

• Acrostics (eg - Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit)
• Acronyms (eg - ROYGBIV (colours of rainbow))
• Tree Diagrams
• Visual Associations and Humour
• First Letters of List of Points

Listen consciously, actively, to everything that's said to you. Even though you won't like some of it, you will remember it. Try listening for ten minutes to a conversation on the bus, or perhaps between your parents. Then sit down and write down the major points of the conversation. This will begin to fine tune your listening skills so that even boring material delivered in class is recalled easily.

• Make it a habit
• Concentrate on what the topic going on in class is. No daydreaming
• You can not listen if you are talking
• Review what the main points covered in the last class were
• During class, relate what you have already learned to the syllabus
• Take notes on the main points
• After class, review your notes and think about what was covered in class
• Re-write your notes
• Highlight, underline important ideas and vocabulary
• If you have a choice, try to sit near the front of the class, you can usually listen better if you are in the front
• Good listening mean you are paying attention
• Listen carefully to what the teacher says about an assignment and write it down in your assignment notebook right away

• use loose-leaf pages
• spread your notes out - don't skimp on paper
• write on one side only
• put a new point on each line
• notes come from asking questions - ask questions for points in the syllabus that you don't understand
• indent points relating to main points
• keep notes brief - phrases rather than sentences
• use abbreviations

• Think about what aspect of your memory you hope to advance. If you just want to recall somebody's name or always forget to turn off the stove, don't bother with mnemonic techniques. These teach you elaborate methods of memorising mind-bogglingly long lists that you will never use again. Use pen and paper!


• If you're not listening, you won't remember it later. Your state of mind, level of alertness and, to a minor expert, you age affect your memory. Being stressed, tired, unhealthy and distracted means you concentrate less, as does chronic pain, depression and altered hormone levels.


• To remember a piece of information, you need to "mark it" by thinking about it differently before you toss it into the filing cabinet of our mind. For example, to remember the number "08301974", you might think of it as a story that starts at "08:30am in the year 1974".


• To remember somebody's name, listen to what it is rather than getting distracted by the way he combs his hair over his bald patch. Ask him to say his name again, spell it of clarify its pronunciation. Refer to his name in conversation. The more times you hear or repeat his name, the more likely you are to remember. Get a visual link between the name and the face.


• A good night's rest will do wonders for your concentration span.


• It is easier to recall information when you are in the same state you learnt the information in. If you find out a fact when you are drinking tea at home, you will remember better doing the same thing.

• Revise well and test yourself as you go
• Precise revision timetable
• Work through past exam papers or questions in exam conditions
• Keep physically fit. Eat and sleep regularly. Take daily exercise. Learn how to relax. Cook.
• Anticipate the format of different exams
• Learn material differently for different subjects and for different exam styles (short-answer, essay, multiple-choice, etc...)
• Practice timing yourself in exams

Six Weeks Before The Exam

• A new revision timetable, aimed at covering all topics in the time
• Look for gaps in knowledge
• Test yourself on topic summaries
• Concentrate on:
  • vocabulary, technical terms, definitions
  • summaries of points
  • formulae, rules, diagrams, charts, maps
  • ability to understand relationships
• Time yourself in writing essay-type answers
• Lengthen the revision periods slightly

Two Weeks Before

• Nervousness is common. Use a relaxation strategy to overcome it
• Devise another timetable, based on the order and spacing of your exams
• Recite and test (don't just read). Use your summaries actively, especially your "summaries of summaries"
• Minimum of cramming because of prior preparation

• Don't listen to your friends - steer clear of people who will stress you out and undermine your confidence before and after the exams.


• Don't hang around after the exam, ring your friends later - after you've had a swim or a jog.


• Flip through and read the paper. Start with the easiest question and do it first as a confidence booster.


• If you get a question that completely stumps you, get a piece of paper and write down any words that pop into your head which relate to the subject - one word may lead to another which could jog the memory.


• If you are still stuck, move on and come back to the question after finishing everything else.


• Do relaxation exercises before, during and after the exam. Be still, notice what you can hear and what you can smell, but let nothing disturb you. Notice your breathing and draw in fresh air to give your system more oxygen.


• As you deepen your breathing you will become calm.