Forget Everything You Think You Know About Studying

A few years ago, I was facing the beast of the HSC myself, and as someone who ended up scoring a high ATAR, these are my top tips for the students of today.

Step One: Past Papers First, Not Last

Before I even start content for a module, I like to answer as much as I can across multiple past papers. This helps you notice which questions keep popping up, and shows you where your responses fall flat.

From there, you can identify the gaps in your knowledge and flag what will need the most attention in class. For those annoying practice papers that don't give you the answers, I tend to make one fat document of all past questions and progressively type in the answers as we learn them in class. Just don't stress yourself out by calculating scores or going under timed conditions the first time.

Step Two: Forget About Notes

This one's gonna be controversial, but for most of my classes, I didn't even write notes. Well, not the Pinterest-perfect, pastel, prettified pages anyway. The problem with notes written out in full sentences is that your brain tries to remember every filler word, while the underlying concept falls through. For me, I preferred to sit in class with a stack of blank flash cards, ready to break down any big concept into small chunks. Write a question on the back, and the answer on the front. But don't bother writing flashcards for any content that isn't specified on the syllabus; they won't test it.

Step Three: Active Recall All the Way

Learn to aggressively reject passive learning. Don't watch, sit, copy. Instead, think challenge, remember. For me, the only effective study style was active recall, and the research backs it up. This is where those flash cards come in handy. The moment of straining and searching your memory is what makes the answer stick, whether you get it right the first time, or better yet, get it wrong and learn from your mistake.

In essence, don't wait to test yourself, or you might get a horrible surprise the night before the exam when you realise that none of those hundreds of pages of notes you wrote have been absorbed. Challenge yourself, and you'll know yourself. You've got this!

‍by Kayleigh Greig