We work with over 500 tutors who all excelled while completing their schooling in Australia. We often ask our tutors to provide us with some insights that we can share with our students. We asked our tutors:
❓ What is your number one tip for students to prepare for their exams?
Almost unanimously everyone tutor had the same answer…. Do practice papers!
1. Familiarise yourself with exam style questions
Exams, no matter what subject, often have a distinct style of asking questions:
- Questions may follow specific patterns that differ from your textbook or other resources.
- Familiarising yourself with these patterns helps you understand what examiners are looking for.
- You'll become comfortable with the language and presentation of exam questions.
❗ Pro Tip: Pay attention to how questions are worded and structured. This can give you clues about how to approach your answers effectively.
2. Quickly identify your weak spots
Past papers can be a great diagnostic tool:
- They help you quickly pinpoint which types of questions or content areas you find challenging.
- This allows you to focus your revision efforts where they're most needed.
❗ Example: If you notice you're consistently losing marks on certain types of problems, you know to dedicate more time to mastering those topics.
3. Improve your time management
You need to get comfortable performing exams under timed conditions:
- Practising with past papers helps you gauge how long different question types take.
- You can identify sections where you need to allocate more time.
- Learn to pace yourself effectively for the entire exam.
❗ Strategy: Time yourself when doing past papers. If you consistently run out of time on certain sections, practice those types of questions more frequently.
4. Build confidence and reduce pre-exam anxiety
Regular practice with past papers:
- Boosts your confidence as you become familiar with the exam format.
- Reduces exam anxiety by making the actual exam feel more familiar.
- Helps you feel more prepared and in control on exam day.
How To Properly Complete Past Papers
Firstly, you should only start doing past papers when you have a solid grip over the entire content of the course. You do not need to be perfect but it is best that you do all your note-taking and revising before jumping into doing practice papers.
It is okay to initially start doing practice papers with your notes open. This will give you some confidence and ensure you can get through the paper at the beginning of your studying. But you definitely want to save some practice papers to do under timed conditions.
After every exam you complete, you must go through the markscheme and check all your answers. For any question you got incorrect or you do not understand, go do some additional revision or seek out some help. Reflection after completing a past paper is one of the most important steps. Going through the answers, and seeing what the examiners are looking for is really important.
💡 Pro tip: keep a log of all the hard questions you encounter and later in your revision, re-try these questions.
Links to Past Papers
- For student studying VCE, please visit the VCAA website
- For students studying HSC please visit the NESA website
- For students studying QCE, please visit the QCAA website
- For students studying SACE, pleas visit the SACE website
- For students studying WACE, please visit the SCSA website
