Having completed my HSC just last year and now tutoring Year 11 and 12 students, I’ve come to realise one of the biggest lessons many students overlook: the sheer importance of exam technique. Too often, students pour all their energy into learning content but forget that exams aren’t only about what you know—they’re about how effectively you can demonstrate that knowledge in the time given.

I truly believe that no matter how well-prepared a student is, they can’t perform at their absolute best without strong exam skills. Time management, question breakdown, and a clear strategy are just as important as understanding the syllabus. For example, a student may know every detail of a topic but struggle to finish the paper because they spent too long on one section. Similarly, not fully unpacking a question can lead to answers that miss the mark, costing easy marks.

That’s why in my tutoring, especially with senior students, I dedicate time to exam approach and practice. I encourage students to think about how they would begin an exam paper, what order they might tackle questions in, and how they can divide their time between sections. I also stress the importance of leaving a few minutes at the end to review their work. Everyone makes small mistakes under exam pressure—whether it’s a misread question or a forgotten word—and checking over can be the difference between a band 5 and a band 6.

At the end of the day, strong content knowledge and strong exam technique go hand-in-hand. By combining the two, students put themselves in the best position to showcase their ability and maximise their marks when it matters most.

Ellie McEachern