The HSC. All the previous moments (hours...) where you have been studying like crazy, stressing, worrying perhaps, and its now its here. The HSC has begun. And for my part, I cannot believe it has been a year since I last sat in that exam hall. I remember it exactly like it was yesterday and how I almost wasn't allowed in to the examination hall…
I forgot my student ID card and without it, I couldn’t get into the hall for my exam. I was cramming as much as I could that morning, but luckily I snuck past the people on the door and slid into my seat without them asking. This moment just added to the stress. Not a good start.
As I am writing this now, my brother will be sitting the HSC English Advanced Paper 2 in around 50mins at 9am. Scary thought actually. The past few weeks leading up to the exams he has had paper sprawled everywhere around the house. And every time he would go off to study or do an essay, I remind myself of how unfortunate you all are. I mean that in the best possible way. In saying that, I mean that I am glad I will never be in that position again. Ever. Thank God. And I also remember thinking that I couldn’t wait until it was over and I could just relax and do ‘normal’ things that everyone else around me was doing at the time whilst I had my arm shaking from writing so much.
Someone once told me (my sister actually..), that not to worry, don’t stress and everything will be fine. Typical. I remember getting even more stressed out after that as I thought, “It’s my HSC! How can I not be stressed!”. Which I am sure that a majority of you can relate to, having been told this by family members and friends. However, reflecting back on my experience now, that person was right. There is no point worrying or stressing so much that you forget to bring your ID into the examination hall… It is only another exam, like plenty you have done before in the past 13 years of your education. And remember, you have most of it out of the way, your assessments count for 50% of your mark. So you’re nearly finished. You will have realized this by now, as once you start the exams and get the ball rolling, you’ll feel more confident within yourself, and start ticking off the list of the things you will never have look at again. (Especially the word ‘journeys’…ARGHHH) And yes, it still annoys me to this day. It will haunt you too.
To add to this point, I will tell you about a girl named “Ashley”. Now “Ashley” was a very bright student in our year, and came first in most subjects. She was a high achiever and set her sights on studying Law at university. She knew that she was smart, and didn’t mind that everyone knew. However, being ‘smart’ won’t just cut it in the HSC. You see, however smart she was, she simply could not deal with stress, and the pressure of the examination. In one of her exams, she stood up from her seat, and ran out mid way through an exam in tears. She cracked big time under pressure. Remember to not be too hard on yourself - stress can seriously affect you. It will drain all your energy as you’re worrying about it and it will affect your next performance. Once an exam is over and you have stepped out of that hall, forget about it, erase it from your memory and concentrate on your next exam. This way you’ll get through in one piece.
On a final note. Relax. Don’t cram until the early hours of the morning of your exam. Get 8hrs of sleep. Eat something, and remember that it will all be over soon.
My brother is probably sitting down in the hall now. So, good luck today little bro…
And I am off to my lecture late….