Mag Corner
Some insights from the successful students from HSC 2021: A guide for HSC 2022
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By: Preeti Gupta
ow that the dust has settled on the HSC 2021 results, we spoke to students from a cross section of schools in NSW and how they felt they had fared. HSC is the first major examination on their journey towards being employable, it is usually a stressful year but it was made worse for this Cohort as they were impacted by the COVID the moment they stepped into their Stage 6 studies. One has to acknowledge that the results reflect the resilience of this cohort. Well, they are most pleased as they have achieved what they wanted and have found a place in the course of their choice. It is interesting how all of them echo each other in the way they navigated their HSC year and there is some very tried and tested tips being shared here:
What are your thoughts and emotions in the post HSC result context? Mostly a sense of relief that it’s all over, and I managed to get through it. While I am obviously ecstatic with the result, I think I am most proud of the effort I put in to maintain my non-academic endeavours, e.g. sport and co-curricular activities like debating, while still engaging in studies. Taking the next steps into University comes with a lot of uncertainty, but after this past year, I think I can handle it. Do you think the strategies you used to prep for your HSC have paid off? How so? After my school’s trial exams in August and the announcement of the HSC moving to November, I knew that the biggest challenge I would have is maintaining the motivation to study. Trying to vary what I would study each week helped me, and though it was hard in lockdown, group study with mates on Zoom meant we could support each other and peer-mark answers. In the end, it helped me avoid being “burnt out” when exams came. I also tried to simulate the HSC exam as closely as I could with each practice paper, e.g. using the same kind of pen, using the HSC-style writing booklets and taking the time to check over them in detail, rather than trying to get through as many papers as possible.
Dhruv Hariharan, Knox Grammar (99.95 ATAR)
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Any advice for the HSC Cohort of 2022? It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday chaos of Year 12, so never lose sight of what you want to
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achieve. Take the time to stop and ask yourself why you are doing what you are. Also, do not give up the things you enjoy while in your final year, like sports etc. This year will be a test of how long you can remain motivated, and taking some time away from studies to relax with cocurricular activities will rejuvenate your mind and keep you focussed. For those doing sciences and looking for a Band 6, I would recommend planning your answers worth 4+ marks before writing them in exams. Gaining clarity over how you approach answers means you can better exclude irrelevant information, saving time and making your answer easier to mark. Though it could differ between languages, for German I found it helpful to focus the 10 minutes reading time on the Reading section, which saves time having to translate later on.
Rohan Gandhi, Newington College (IB Course achieved 99.95 ATAR) What are your thoughts and emotions in the post HSC result context? There is certainly a turbulence of emotions that I am gripped by when
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