It’s the biggest set of tests most teenagers face, but East Maitland’s Marli Wright said she felt better than expected leading into the 2018 HSC exams, which kick off Thursday.
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“I thought all of a sudden there would be all this pressure,” she said on Wednesday.
“But you get 24 hours a day for two weeks straight to study and this whole year the teachers have prepped us.
“Everything I’ve learnt this year has been leading up to the HSC.
“Everyone looks at it as this massive thing, but we do end of year exams every year so hopefully it’s not much different.”
In saying that, the All Saints College, St Mary’s student said she did feel nervous not knowing what to expect from the exam questions.
The 18-year-old, who is studying English Standard, Mathematics General, Community and Family Studies (CAFS), Business and Society and Culture, has tried to prepare as much as possible through remembering quotes, completing past HSC papers and keeping an eye on Facebook support groups where other students have posted expected questions.
Marli said she also felt fortunate she had a few days between most of her exams to do a quick brush up on each subject in the lead-up and said she had made sure to reward herself with breaks while studying.
But much of the hard work has already been completed by Marli and her cohort, with 50 per cent of their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) made up by assessments throughout the year.
Marli is hoping her efforts are enough to qualify for a Bachelor of Psychology at the University of Newcastle next year.
Roughly 70,000 students across the state will kick off the HSC exams with English 1 on Thursday followed by the second part of the English exam on Friday.
The final exam, Drama, will take place on Friday, November 9.
In the lead-up to the exams, NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes had a reassuring message for the participating students.
“While this is a significant milestone in your young lives, these exams will not define you,” he said.
“So work hard, do your best, but don’t place too much pressure on yourselves, at the end of the day, it’s just an exam.”
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