Trials are finished; you are absolutely exhausted from the last two weeks of exams and the many weeks of studying prior, so what do you do next?
A one-to-two week break after trials is essential to ensure you do not burn out and remain fresh all the way through to the HSC. The length of time you take depends on how you feel and how confident you are with all the content across your subjects. Remember, after trials finish, there is around 8 weeks until the HSC begins.
The first step in preparing for the HSC is analysing your trial paper for areas of improvement ahead of your next block of revision. Looking purely at the overall mark is not helpful in this regard. Where the actual growth comes is by breaking down each question in the paper where you lost marks. Any lost marks then need to be identified into one of these categories: 1. Content gap
2. Technique gap
3. Exam-condition error
4. Time pressure
Students typically fall into either 2 or 3, and this is where great improvements can be made before the HSC.
The next step in the revision cycle is to prioritise areas you have identified you are weak in, but which also appear extremely frequently in HSC papers. Areas that you are weak in but appear less frequently are also important, but not as critical as high-frequency topics. Ensure that areas that are high-frequency + you are strong in are also maintained.
Fixing technique before content is essential, as this is likely where the majority of marks in the trial would've been lost. Some general areas to address include understanding the demands of the verb in the question, marking your question against the rubric and noting how long you should've spent on the question.
After these areas are addressed, it is key to redo your trial paper and then begin targeted revision, with measurable goals.
