Helpful said:
Interested on ideas on how to best prep between trials and hsc. It’s about a 7 week gap. Do you leave some past papers to do post the trials or do you grind them all for the Trials ?
I found it hard to remotivate myself for Maths Adv after trials. Thankfully I’d only done about 20 or so past papers beforehand so had a few still left to do.
So should I go all out for trials ? Also, should I have a break between then blitz or work 2-3 hours everyday in the lead up ?
I’m not doing any work these hols as I’m concerned I will switch off if I’ve covered everything b4 y12 starts.
Thanks !
Essentially, past HSC exam papers should be emphasised given that while trial exams aim to reflect the structure/format of HSC exams, which provides students with an idea of what an HSC exam could be like as well as what to expect/place additional focus on, past HSC exams provide the closest/most accurate reflection of the type and difficulty of questions that your own HSC exam may contain. Additionally, HSC exams tend to be designed in such a way that attempts to maintain a certain level of difficulty that is similar each year (of course, exceptions have occurred). Because of this, trial papers that are either easier or more difficult than HSC exams (especially those that are easier) may not provide a good idea about what the HSC exam may potentially be like and could therefore constitute inadequate preparation.
Using a combination of past HSC exam papers as well as trial papers (particularly the more difficult ones) seems like an appropriate strategy to adopt in preparation for the HSC exam. An approach such as this would not only enable you to thoroughly understand the content/structure of the HSC exam, but also become prepared for the harder questions that may be included in the HSC exam, thanks to the harder trial papers that you would have completed.
Provided that a break goes for a reasonable amount of time (i.e. not too short but also not too long), this is probably a good idea, as it would allow you to regain some energy following your trial exam and therefore makes it easier for you to start preparing for the HSC exam after your break. Breaks are also good from a general perspective, meaning that you could incorporate them into your study strategy leading up to the HSC exam period so that you ensure that you remain motivated and maintain your energy, allowing you to make progress as planned.
I hope this helps!
