Elvera’s 99.65 ATAR Hacks: My Secret Recipe for HSC Success

Me, myself and I

Name: Elvera Abdel-messih

School: Mount Saint Joseph Milperra

ATAR: 99.65

University degree: Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (Honors) at UTS

My HSC results

My Recipe For HSC Success

The only skill you need to ace your HSC is knowing how to bake a decadent passionfruit pavlova! I know, that sounds a little silly, but trust me! By the end of this article, I’m going to share with you the secret recipe that scored this baker a 99.65 ATAR.

FYI, I really, really love to cook. It’s a hobby that stuck with me throughout Year 12, whether I was cooking some pasta for a school lunch, or baking a comfort brownie after an exhausting day. To this day, one of my personal favourites is pavlova. But, apart from the fact that a sugar high is an excellent energiser for getting through some study, what possible application could pavlova have to the HSC?

Well, after spending so much time with both study and food preparation in High School, I came to realise just how similar the two actually are. Just like following a recipe, when it comes to the HSC, there are certain ingredients that are crucial for success, not to mention a specific order you need to include them in. These ingredients need to be introduced into your dish with skilful technique, in the right quantities, if you want to end up with a smooth and (somewhat) enjoyable final product.

As anyone who’s botched a good pancake will tell you, the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of salt is everything, and the timing of your flip is crucial: the gap between a gorgeous, caramelised golden-brown pancake and a charred sheet of black dough is measured in seconds. In the same way, if you don’t have a good study recipe up your sleeve – if you don’t know how to time your own flip from rest to study – the HSC heat will get to you, and you will burn out.

So, if you don’t want to botch your HSC, you need to prepare, act methodically and take things step by step. Luckily for you, I have a bunch of actionable HSC study tips to help you do just that! Of course, there will be many points when you can add your own ingredients, your own personal flair. The HSC is YOUR dish, so the goal should be to make it effective and enjoyable for YOU. So what will you need?

Ingredients

1. One Jetstream black writing pen (preferably smooth and not too inky)
2. One fresh diary or year planner
3. One saucepan of summary notes
4. Two tablespoons of teamwork (preferably involving a study space with tables and those epic whiteboard walls)
5. 450mL of self-discipline
6. One piping hot Mistakes Journal
7. One tablespoon of resilience
8. One cup of organisation
9. One pinch of self pity
10. Piles and piles (and piles) of practice papers.

Method

STEP 1: First, pour in your self-discipline and allow it to come to a simmer for twelve months before your exams.

Trying to learn self-discipline the night before your exams is like trying to cook spaghetti in cold water. It doesn’t work. You have to let the water boil in the pot, and the same goes for self-discipline. My first HSC study tip is to build habits early, so that your pot is all warmed up, and you don’t ruin your spaghetti.

Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do things you know you should do even when you don’t want to. The first step I always found the hardest was moving myself from my bed to my study desk, especially on weekends. I had plenty of excuses, things like “just one more video” or “I’ll start at 5”, but these always inevitably fed my procrastination. A study method I found really helpful was to use a “countdown”. For example, “in 5 seconds, I have to get my butt out of bed”. This immediate and timed deadline became much more difficult to ignore.

Now great, you’re at your study desk, but let’s be real, studying is boring 😒. The next habit you need to develop is to not easily fall into temptation. I’ll be honest, I struggled with this a fair bit towards the end of the year. It was just so easy to keep Tetris or Wordle tabs open on my computer. Having these silly games just one click away was, to be frank, irresistible.

While I tried to stay focused, I soon realised that trying to develop the willpower to resist distractions was, if not impossible, sort of overrated. You’re in your HSC year, why make your life even harder? So, instead of trying to have super-human restraint, why  not just eliminate your temptations altogether? A really great tip I found was to install a blocker app on my laptop. Then, before a study session, I’d put my phone on silent and place in a separate room. This essentially forced me to only have one focus; study! And of course, Matrix trial prep courses are an excellent way to cut out the procrastination for good.

STEP 2: Add in one cup of organisation and a fresh diary to start the year off!

Remember that fresh diary from before? Having one handy is great for writing down key tasks you need to complete over the week. During my Year 12, having a diary kept me organised and my goals manageable. At the beginning of the week, I would write down my goals and homework, something like “finish physics depth study” or “finish up to question 20 of chapter review 5 Maths ext”.

Then, I would break each task into more manageable chunks and work out what I would need to complete each day to complete the entire task by the end of the week. For example, I could finish 5 questions per day of that chapter review exercise, so that by the end of the week I’d be done. This HSC study tip is particularly important if you find yourself often forgetting deadlines until the last minute, or you regularly turn up to class having forgotten to do the last week’s set homework.

STEP 3: Stir in one piping hot Mistakes Journal.

A mistakes journal is simply a record of mistakes you’ve made, either in your homework exercises, or in past assessments or exams. In my experience, a mistakes journal is the best way to LEARN from previous errors and improve academically. Personally, I divided my mistake journal into six sections, one for each subject. I understand it can be daunting to hold pages and pages of your own mistakes, but it is honestly such a service you do for your future self.

Of course, it’s okay to make mistakes. In fact, it’s great to make mistakes early on, because I find that later, I make a conscious note to myself to not repeat the same mistakes again. This would always be the case, especially for chemistry, where I found myself muttering “Don’t forget the Sig Figs” over and over again.

And please do not be vague! Never write down “I read the question incorrectly” as your mistake. No, that is not specific enough! WHAT section did you read incorrectly? Did you miss an important instructional verb in the question? Did you misunderstand a specific term in the question? Be clear about the mistake you made, and always outline answer the correct answer, or what you should have written instead. It can also be helpful to compare your incorrect answer to the marking criteria, or a sample, Band 6 answer where available.

STEP 4: Whisk together your teaspoon of summary notes with a tablespoon of teamwork!

At my school, I found it hilarious to see everyone scrambling (no pun intended hehe) an hour or so before our exams in our library. People were drenching the whiteboard walls and tables with all sorts of notes, from topic summaries to last minute checklists. Although I don’t recommend this rushed approach right before an exam, I do love the idea of writing summary notes as a group at least one month ahead of test day.

In my Year 12, my classmates and I would pick a subject and create a mind map for each syllabus dot point together. We’d link our ideas with arrows, and regularly add on to what somebody else had written. By the end of it, we have a messy but thorough whiteboard full of notes. Summary notes are designed for your to recall, and don’t go into too much detail regarding explanation or application. This is why they should be done quickly and early: because they act as a quick reference if you forget something, and should not be your main study tool.

STEP 5: Sprinkle in a pinch of self-pity.

Now, while good study habits and strategies are all well and good, this particular ingredient is a crucial addition to your HSC recipe.

Take care of yourself during Year 12.

And the first step to acing this HSC study tip is actually acknowledging that Year 12 is a challenge, and that at times, self-care does involve acknowledging that you’re having a hard time.

Whenever I was feeling a little deflated after studying, I would offer myself a well-deserved, energising break. Usually, I would have a tasty (but healthy!) snack, like some fresh grapes, a tub of yoghurt with granola, or a hot and comforting toastie. I would also blast some music in my headphones, just to lift my mood. But most importantly, make sure when you’re on your break, that you are actually ON YOUR BREAK. Avoid convoluting your mind with difficult questions or dreading your evening to-do list. Rather, forget about them for the duration of your break, then return to it with a fresh mindset.

And when your exam block or a difficult chunk of assessments is finally over? My advice is to find a friend, head to Maccas, order heaps of chips, dunk them into some vanilla soft serve and have a good cry.

Step 6: Garnish with a tablespoon of resilience.

Approximately 5 minutes before my HSC exams was probably the closest I ever came to a breakdown, especially since I’d heard so many rumours about how difficult they were. However, one of my really simple pre-exam rituals was I would breathe in and out, like an informal meditation. I would take deep breaths, and a cool little HSC study tip I learned was to pretend I was breathing in “green” air and expelling “grey” air, allowing me to visualising myself cleansing and oxygenating my body. This is great for moments where you feel a bit panicky.

Remember, you have prepared for these exams, and no matter what, they cannot and will not define you. The HSC and the ATAR are really helpful tools for accessing tertiary education programs, but that is all they. There will always be other life and study pathways available to you, no matter your final results, and they are not a measure of your intellect or your worth. So take a step back, breathe in and out, do your best, and know that that is more than enough.

The Take-Away

And there you have it: my recipe for HSC success! If you follow my simple HSC study tips, you are one step closer to ensuring a smooth and delicious Year 12 experience. While it won’t be easy, following a methodical, step-by-step structure, not to mention taking good care of yourself, will make it just a little bit easier. Just don’t leek my secrets hehe (just kidding, tell all your friends)!