yosemite sam said:
I didn't do any actual study for the first 3 terms of my HSC.
Do your homework each night. Occasionally read over your notes.
this advice sounds perfect.
Personally, although I definately didn't study effectively during prelim, I now know how I should be studying as per different subjects.
For example, I know that in addition to writing notes for Bio, I also need to be doing past papers, because in my yearly exam, I struggled to answer the questions on the exam, even though I had heaps of information in my head.
Notes, at least general topic ones, weren't so helpful for Ancient History, but if they were very specific to the syllabus, they helped more.
But I only learnt this though trial and error. I guess you should be using the earlier parts of the year to find out how to study best as per each subject. Dont fret too much about the "best" way to study or "how much" study is required to get a certain mark. If you work hard enough, it will all fall into place.