Hey everyone! ![Smiley :)](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
I am just wondering whether for the HSC Trials, if it's a better use of my time doing past paper questions rather than spending time revising, tidying and creating notes (for a couple of subjects)?
And also, just curious for those who got an ATAR above 90 what was your approach to Trials and overall HSC, past paper questions or notes?
Thanks in advance!
Coolmate ![Cool 8)](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/cool.gif)
Hey, Coolmate!
Practice paper or notes is the age old question. This could become a very long post if I wanted it to but here was my experience with studying for Trials!
For my Trials, I personally spent much more time doing past paper questions than revising, tidying and creating notes. I had four major works that were all due either before, during or straight after Trials so I already had barely any time to dedicate towards preparing notes and revising content. I also was someone who suffered a lot of stress when it came to exams because historically, I tended to perform way worse in them in comparison to hand-in assessments. It was because of these factors that I found application-based study more effective. From attempting questions under timed conditions, I was able to use the time that I did have for study productively and became more comfortable with working under pressure. This meant that when the exams came, I almost mentally convinced myself that it was "just another practice paper"
![Cool 8)](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/cool.gif)
It was also because I was doing application-based study that I was able to revise my content better. I still remember vividly how after I pushed myself to do a really nasty question for one of my subjects, I realised I had insufficient examples to discuss that syllabus dot point properly. This helped me recognise more of my gaps in knowledge and helped me to make short but useful notes that targetted what I was lacking in the subjects that really needed it (in my case, it was for heavier content subjects like Modern History and Society and Culture). Another unexpected benefit I found was that applied practice in English Advanced and Extension 1 helped me to memorise my quotes better. Since I was constantly writing about them and adapting them to different questions, I started to remember the quotes in terms of how they fit within my arguments and chosen themes, rather than just learning them isolation or with generic analysis. I was able to single out the quotes that I was using most frequently and was able to make room and time to memorise some other backup quotes in the event the questions were more challenging (which was a smart move because my Trials questions were terribly specific)
![Cheesy :D](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/cheesy.gif)
This worked for me and whenever I've spoken to people about how they studied for Trials, they largely spoke about practice questions. If you find making notes helpful and important to your study strategy, I would recommend finishing them up after Trials because you will know better after those exams what the HSC exams will be like and how you should either continue or change up your game plan. You have a good amount of weeks before the HSC exams so this is when I would say you should spend time going through your notes and completing them. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions
![Smiley :)](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
I'm keen to see what others think about this!
Angelina
![Grin ;D](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/grin.gif)