As you prepare for your HSC PDHPE exam I want to encourage you to make sure you study with a plan. What I mean, is that you plan out your study 2 weeks ahead and that you have a plan for each session of study that you do.

First, your plan for the weeks ahead. It is vital that you have a study schedule up somewhere, and that the people in your house can also see it (this will allow them to help keep you on track). This study schedule should be a nice balance between your subjects, remembering to prioritise the subjects with the earlier exams, and the ones you find most difficult. You should also ensure that you have scheduled in your recreation, sport, and social life as a priority.

In general, during school time you sjould be studying 1-2 hours a day. This is in addition to your regular homework and assessments. If you are not going to school, such as during holidays or the weeks leading into the actual HSC exams you shoukd be putting in around 6 hours of study a day. On these days you should plan to get up early and do most of your study before lunch. Your brain functions best during this time (of course that is if you have slept). I also recommend that you schedule 45 min blocks of time for your study with 10 min breaks between and a large break for food. This should still leave you with time for fun each day as well, which is very important!

Next is your plan for the 145 min of study you do in each session. You should know what you are going to do before your study time starts. You should be prepared and make sure that this time is  spent actually studying and not getting ready to study. Make sure your study area is clear of distraction and get to work. An example might be a list of which topics you are going to study such as Sport Medicine and then what you will do as your study. This could include working through flashcards, completing the 2013 past paper questions and reading through some sample answers all on the Sports Medicine. But of course it could be for any topic and/or subject.

So if you haven’t already plan your next 2 week’s of study. Decide what you will study when, and then what you will do for study in those time slots.