And oh boy, a lot has changed since then.

The HSC, which took over from the leaving certificate, began in 1967 with 28 subjects offered to the 18,000-odd participating students across the state.

This year, almost 78,000 students enrolled to sit written exams for 117 subjects and performance and oral exams for 52 language courses.

Some of those language courses include Persian, Khmer, Macedonian, Punjabi and Hungarian.

Back in the day, you could study Bahasa Indonesian... now you can study Indonesian and Literature, Indonesian in Context, Indonesian Beginners, Indonesian Continuers and Indonesian Extension.

But the changes go far beyond the language component.

Thousands this year chose to study subjects that would sound positively out of this world to kids 50 years ago, including Information Processes and Technology, Electrotechnology, Software Design and Development, and Entertainment, which Maitland Grossmann High student Matilda Hubbard was preparing for.

It’s a far cry from a subject called ‘Sheep Husbandry’ that 32 students opted to study in 1967.

Things have even advanced in the past 10 years.

The biggest distraction for students up until then would have been TV, games and friends. Now, those distractions are still there, but so is social media.

Matilda said she tried to fight the temptation by putting her phone in another room, while her fellow student Tom Brown had a different method.

“I used it as a reward,” he said.

Tom would do an hour of study, and give himself a 10 minute social media break…. but conceded that 10 minutes would sometimes turn into 20.

Again, it’s a factor those students back in 1967 would not have even dreamed of.

But one thing that hasn’t change is that the HSC students face a big challenge with their exams, before they step out into the even bigger challenge of life after school.

As The Mercury reported in October 1967 – “The true value of the Higher Certificate will not be finally assessed til long after the examination papers are dim memories.”