BlogStudyWe’re calling it, here are your HSC stress predictions for Term 2

We’re calling it, here are your HSC stress predictions for Term 2

So, Term 2 seems easy enough.

You’ve had a nice two week break and Term 1 is done — you know what you’re doing and HSC Trials aren’t until next term so surely that means you can slow down, right? Wrong!

With Term 2 assessments and HSC Trials prep, there’s a lot to prep for.

Want to know what you’re in for? We’ve pulled out our tarot cards to predict just what this term is going to look like — mainly the stresses!

Read ahead and just maybe you’ll be able to avoid the dreaded HSC burnout!

Week 1 – New Term Optimism
Week 3 – Bad Marks
Week 4 – Assessment Notifications
Week 5 – Procrastination
Week 6 – Panic
Week 7 – Assessments due!
Week 8 – Low Energy
Week 10 – Burnout
Holidays: Week 1 – Just chillin’
Holidays: Week 2 – Cramming

Week 1 – New Term Optimism

Week 1: New Term Optimism

New term, new me! Back and better than ever before are you? 

Ah, how it doesn’t last…

New term means new topics – have you even looked at the syllabus yet? 

Hope you’ve got your Term 1 topics under wraps, it’s about to get hectic…

Want to make a strong start to Term 2? We can help you get ahead with your Trials prep by helping you master your content for Term 2 and ace your Term 2 assessments, while also preparing your for your HSC Trials.

Sound like the comprehensive kind of support you need? Check out more about Art of Smart tutoring here!

Week 3 – Bad Marks

Week 3: Bad Marks

Uh oh, marks are coming back. Do you even remember doing this assessment in Term 1?

Never mind, did you hear the class average? Not looking so hot.

Imagine this, your teacher is nearing and they give you a sympathetic look…the exam is faced down.

Sh*t.

Surely you can do better than that! Right?

And just like that, your motivation for the subject has plummeted. Dropping the subject sounds like just about the right thing to do…

While it can feel like the end of the world, we promise you it’s not!

With Trials worth 30% of your internal marks and the HSC weighing 50% of your overall marks, you still have an amazing chance to turn it all around!

Just check out the breakdown below!

So, maybe a bad mark was exactly what you needed to kick you into shape – especially after that unproductive break!

Let’s channel that disappointment into something productive, shall we? 

If you’re considering getting tutoring with Art of Smart, we’ll help you identify where you’ve gone wrong in past assessments, helps you set goals and create a plan of attack to make sure you make some healthy changes and ace your Term 2 assessments!

Sound good to you? Check out more about tutoring with Art of Smart here!

Week 4 – Assessment Notifications

Week 4: Assessment Notifications

Now that you’ve got a whole tree’s worth of paper in content, assessment notifications are coming left, right and centre.

You take a quick glance at the notification and check the due date – sweet, still have two weeks before you have to start worrying!

You throw the notification into your bag and get back to your phone.

Sir said you could hand him a draft but you’re sooo busy – after those bad marks you deserve to take a break, right? 

The assignments aren’t until two weeks away, that’s plenty of time!

But is it enough to complete three assessments due that same week?! Yikes.

Haven’t you learned from last time? Cramming is not the way to go!

You just need a little push – does that sound good? Spread it out! Break it down! Or even better, let us help you!

Need that extra push or a helping hand to get you through your assessment period?

We’re going to force you to look at your assignments and break them down so easy that you’ll want to start.

You’ll thank us later.

Sound like exactly what you need? Check out more about tutoring with Art of Smart here!

Week 5 – Procrastination

Week 5: Procrastination

Welcome to Procrastination Nation! Great to see you back here! NOT!

You were literally banned last term. 

Procrastination is a crime punishable by a really bad sleep schedule! 

If you’re already behind on notes this is your best time to catch up – do not miss this window!

I know that new Netflix show looks super binge-worthy but we have to check ourselves here.

Before you know it, it’ll be the night before and you’ll be trying to write your essay while falling asleep at your desk.

Do some research now, jot down some notes and move forward!

If those app restrictions aren’t working for you (and let’s be real they’re not), delete TikTok and Insta and find something or someone to hold you accountable.

Option 2 sound better?

With an Art of Smart tutor, you’ll be held accountable and kept in check — you’re not getting away with procrastination for much longer! You can say goodbye to your worries of procrastinating, cramming or having a few mental breakdowns along the way.

We’re going to help you through your Term 2 assessments AND prep for HSC Trials with an expert tutor and mentor guiding the way.

Sound good to you? Check out more info here!

Week 6 – Panic

Week 6 Panic

How are we feeling now that assignments are due next week?

Was watching The Crown worth it? Did Prince Philip’s death hit harder?

That week of procrastination has seriously pushed you back, now instead of having days to relax your workload has doubled!

Cue the internal screaming.

So. Much. To. Do. 

Understandably you’re freaking out right now, you’re reading the only notes you have from Week 1 and they’re just not going in your brain.

Oh, how you have so many regrets! Now more than ever, you could really use some assistance…

And we are more than happy to give it!

Whether it be making the finishing touches to your English essay or helping you study for that Chemistry exam, we’ll help keep you calm, manage your stress and anxiety and have you feeling confident for next week!

Sound like exactly what you’re going to need? Check out more info on our tutoring here!

Week 7 – Assessments due!

Assessment time!!

So you passed on your teacher’s offer to complete a draft and now you’re pretty lost.

With multiple assessments due, the stress is getting to you and what you would really love is some clarity about the subject, the assessment, your life…

This week is full of late nights and early mornings and you’re feeling pretty stressed about getting all your work in on time.

If only there was someone to guide you throughout this whole thing, hmmm.

During Year 12, a second set of eyes to either look over your draft or your answers becomes a pretty handy process to make sure you’re on track and it is not something you’re bothered to do at 12am…cry

But not to fear! With our 1 on 1 tutoring sessions, we can teach you how to work on your assessments in manageable amounts, keep your panic and stress level nice low AND help review your assessments to make sure you’re hitting all the marks!

Week 8 – Low Energy

Week 8: Low Energy

You’re walking into school barely awake with a coffee in your hand as your breakfast replacement because you were running late.

You feel like a zombie and you’re not the only one.

People are dozing off in class and all you can think about is how you want to be at home.

Everyone is just not feeling it.

Your teacher’s going so fast for once you actually want to set them to 0.5x speed. Subtitles would also be helpful.

While it’s a good time to gain a caffeine addiction during some burn out, you need to pay attention in class to make sure you don’t miss any content that’s going to be assessed in Trials!

But you’re way too tired to focus in class and whatever your teacher is saying is going in through one ear and right out the other…

What can you even do?!

Don’t fret! We’ve got weekly tutoring classes that will help you cover the syllabus content for Term 2. If you miss it at school, don’t stress! Let us help you go over it in our tutoring classes!

Our tutoring classes will help catch you up on the things you missed during assessments week so that you remember your content and can lessen the study load for HSC Trials. Sounds good right!

Week 10 – Burnout

Week 10: Burnout

You’ve never felt more dead in your life.

Funny how that’s possible during your HSC.

You can barely formulate coherent sentences after writing more words in the last four weeks than you have in the entirety of high school. Nice.

So you’re thinking “Yay! Assessments are over and handed in – so much relief!”  

But unfortunately…you can’t actually relax yet.

Okay maybe for a day or two but HSC Trials are in four weeks!

Remember how you said you’d do your notes weekly? You didn’t!

And how you were meant to hand in your practice essays before the end of the term?

Yeah, you barely got your assignment in on time mate. 

Sorry, but all of your slacking off has caught up to you. 

It’s not holiday time – it’s grind time…cry

Holidays: Week 1 – Just Chillin’

Holidays: Week 1 - Just Chillin'

Ah, a sigh of relief.

It’s the first week of your holidays and you could not be more grateful.

You can finally do all those things you’ve been meaning to do, like catch up with your friend from primary school and knit that sweater.

Woah, woah, woah those days are filling up fast. Are you sure you want to do that?

Do you realise what time it is??? Unfortunately, it is not summertime and it is very much not High School Musical vibes.

Unlike the movies, you actually have to study because your HSC Trials are in THREE weeks!

We know it might be hard to think about HSC Trials and the stress that comes with it and that’s why we want to prepare you.

Three weeks to go and there’s still a lot of study to do…

Need someone to guide you through those hundreds of pages of syllabus dot points? We’ve also got our weekly 1 on 1 tutoring sessions where you can get help identifying your weakest areas and overcoming them as well as revising the entire syllabus!

Sound good? Check out more info here!

Holidays: Week – Cramming

Holidays Week 2 Cramming

Oh stress, how we’ve missed you!

You completely forgot HSC Trials are in two weeks, didn’t you?

Just cos you’re not sitting in a class, does not mean school doesn’t exist!

You’ve heard a lot of things about HSC Trials but you’re not quite sure what to expect…

The only exam block you’ve done was in Year 11 during prelims and that was a bust.

Is the thought of a 3 hour exam stressing you out? How about the content? The anticipation? Exam anxiety at a high?

The days seem to be flying away and you’re making really slow progress – probably should’ve expected you wouldn’t be remembering this much without regular study.

It’s time to get on the maths exercises and churn out those essays. There’s no easy way out of this one now, sorry!

Practice really does make perfect and so we want you to get out all that anxiety and pre-exam crying right now.

While it can be a stress-inducing experience you don’t exactly want to go through more than you have to, it’ll make your exam marks that count even better!

By getting used to the exam environment you’ll be able to approach HSC Trials a little bit calmer and a lot more prepared.

Practising exams in exam conditions is the best thing you can do at this stage.

Tutoring with us will ensure that you’re confident in your exam ability and knowledge well before HSC Trials comes around.

It’s the perfect opportunity to test your knowledge just 2 weeks out from Trials and get a good idea of what you do know and what you still don’t know.

Speaking of which…

We will go over the content you’re least confident with! Our expert tutors will help you answer any last minute questions, keep you calm and help get you feeling confident for Trials!

Check out more info here!

The Solution

How did that sound?

Eeeek scary huh? You may think this sounds extra but let’s see how you feel at the end of the term.

By now you’ve probably cried multiple times, at least once at school even if it’s in the bathroom alone, had one complete mental breakdown and maybe learned too much about a conspiracy theory or two. 

All a bit too common and too universal.

If it sounds like Term 2 is going to be a sh*tshow, it’s cos it really can be.

On top of simply keeping up, Term 2 is key to setting you up for HSC Trials.

With Art of Smart tutoring, Term 2 won’t be nearly as bad and neither will Trials!

Just make 1 single decision to have HSC Trials peace of mind and wish your stress and anxiety away!

Through expert guidance, our tutoring will ensure you keep your stress and anxiety levels low while keeping your academic marks at a high! PLUS you’ll be studying for HSC Trials when no one else is!

We’ve seen thousands of students over the years and we know how it can go — they get help a week or two out from HSC Trials when really it’s already too late to make any improvement to your marks! 

If you need help turning your marks around, you can learn more about our tutoring services below:

Looking for some extra help with preparing for your HSC Trials?

We have an incredible team of HSC tutors and mentors!

We can help you master your HSC subject and ace your upcoming HSC assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby or the Hills!

We’ve supported over 8,000 students over the last 11 years, and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational HSC tutor and mentor, get in touch today or give us a ring on 1300 267 888!


Gabrielle Wong is currently the Digital Marketing Assistant at Art of Smart. She is a second-year student at the University of Sydney studying a Bachelor of Arts/Advanced Studies majoring in Media and Communications and Marketing.

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