Most students under utilise the resources they have and I’m not talking about teacher provided resources, or notes that you have spent ages perfecting, or creating extensive flash cards. Students of today have an extensive amount of free resources that they are not using. Youtube lessons and explanations are free and a great resource when used correctly. Other tools are Khan Academy which provides structured lesson and learning plans to help students easily follow along. Free HSC past papers provided by NSW government with the solutions, as well as atar notes which provide older students notes that have helped them succeed already.

Using the internet to your advantage is one of the strengths that many top students have and what can often prevent students from falling behind their class. Utilising generative Ai to create additional practice questions can be another simple tool that can allow you to increase your marks further.

Many websites also offer free quizzes, flash cards and additional testing resources that can help immensely. Most students equate the time something takes with the efficacy of that study session but this is not necessarily accurate. If it takes two hours to create in depth flash cards but only twenty minutes to fully understand and memorise pre made flash cards then the more effective option is the latter. Many students rely too closely on the contents and resources provided by their teachers and often forget one of the most beneficial tools that they have access to, the internet.

In summary students must begin utilising all the tools they have access too and work on studying more independently by finding websites, apps and resources that work with their personal learning styles. Instead of relying on everything the teacher provides think about how you can push your education independently and what is the most effective method for you, because we all learn in a unique way that often isn’t perfectly aligned with the methods provided.

Olivia Moustakis