My Year 8 and 9 Exam Preparation Strategies – Jason’s Story

Is it too early to get serious about studying? Year 9 Matrix star student Jason shares how starting early and building the right exam preparation strategies has helped him boost his marks for the years to come, and how you can do it too.

Name: Jason Li 

Grade: Year 9

School: Blacktown Boys High School 

Academic goal: Studying either Dentistry or Business. While I think about it, I aim to get A’s for my reports and a 99 ATAR.

Hi! I’m Jason. This year, my proudest achievements have been improving in Science (my weakest subject) and achieving standout marks in English. Here are the exam preparation strategies I’ve built up in Year 8 and 9 to help me achieve this.

Table of contents:

1. Starting early with Matrix
2. Using holidays to stay ahead
3. Staying consistent during the term
4. Using my go-to study habits
5. Balance is everything
6. Start building these habits in Year 9

1. Starting early with Matrix

I enrolled in Year 9 English and Year 9 Science at Matrix to get an advantage over my classmates and to explore new concepts I could use in my studies.

I didn’t want to wait until Year 11 to take studying seriously. For me, building discipline now will make he senior years less overwhelming. Here’s why:

English: I already do well in English, but I wanted to explore new ideas and push myself further. The Matrix English course has helped me write with more depth in my school assessments.

Science: This has always been a tougher subject for me. I used to struggle to score anything above 85%. But since starting Matrix Science, my marks and class rankings have improved. Thanks to Matrix, difficult concepts have started to make sense. 

The theory books helped me clear any doubts in the concepts that were covered at school. 

2. Using holidays to stay ahead

School holidays, for me, are a mix of study, Matrix holiday courses and downtime.

I plan a variety of activities each day — things like reading, revision, violin practice, and relaxing with sport or drawing. I like to mix things up across the week so it doesn’t feel repetitive. Holidays are less stressful than term time, so I use them to catch up on school and Matrix topics, while still making time for hobbies I enjoy.

Keeping a balance of these things ensures that I am prepared and refreshed for the new term.

How I stay organised

To organise my time, I use Google Sheets. It helps me create specific cells and timeframes of when an activity takes place. I plan out each day with time blocks to make sure I’m not overloading or slacking.

3. Staying consistent during the term

Once the school term starts, my days get busier. I usually get home in the late afternoon, so I focus on school homework, Matrix work, and assessments. 

I also block out time for assignments and assessments, making sure to fit in breaks. The discipline of regular Matrix English (Mondays) and Matrix Science (Saturdays) classes forces me to plan ahead and avoid last-minute cram sessions.

During intense weeks, like assessment periods, I make sure to take short breaks to avoid burnout.

4. Using my go-to study habits

When exams or assignments are coming up, here’s what helps me stay focused and productive:

Remove all distractions

Sometimes, I can get distracted by games, social media and my phone. To restrict this, I remove these applications from my taskbar, so that I don’t think about them. I keep my phone out of my sight so I have maximum focus during revision and perform my best in the test.

Call a friend 

In some situations, it’s not good to go solo. If I’m unsure of something, it helps to discuss it with a friend. Revising with a friend can help you learn from your mistakes and can benefit both of you during exams.

Use Matrix theory books where possible 

I often use past Matrix theory books to assist me in my English and Science school assessments. I can pick out ideas and topics that are relevant to what I am studying at school. Sometimes they even come in handy for other subjects!

5. Balance is everything

It’s one of my biggest lessons this year. I feel like Year 9 is a bigger jump from other years, since the assessments are more complicated compared to the years before. I had prioritised my time, and decided what to do first, but I realised I would spend too much time on one subject, falling behind on other subjects. 

I wish someone had told me to allocate time slots for my subjects, especially during assessment weeks. 

Time blocking helps balance your time spent on assessments for different subjects and force you not to go overtime.

6. Start these exam preparation strategies in Year 8

Want to succeed early? Focus on building habits, not just marks.

Start with these:

• Prioritise your time: Know what needs to be done first, last and in between. This is an effective way to reduce your stress and get everything done on time.
• Write clear notes: Summarising helps you learn faster and revise smarter.
• Study with others: A quick conversation can clear up what hours of confusion can’t. It also helps you catch up on anything you may have missed or misunderstood.

Avoid these traps:

• Procrastination: Never overestimate yourself. You won’t be able to get something done to your best quality if you keep reducing your available time! 
• Overthinking: Break tasks down so you can fit it within your timeframe instead of stressing over everything at once.
• Distractions: Don’t let little things disturb your test preparation and kill your attention span. Save it for after the test. Never let these put your grades at risk!