The final holiday break before Term 4 is a great time to reset and study before the rush of your final VCE external exams!Â
We know what you may be thinking — why would you study in my time off? Trust us when we say that a little bit goes a long way. Once your final term is over, you’ll be glad you did that little bit extra to bump up your results!
How do you study during your holidays, while making sure you still get that much needed break?
Read on, and we will break all of this down together!Â
Why You Should Do Holiday Study For VCE External ExamsÂ
Top 5 Things to Study for During Your HolidayÂ
Tips to Studying for VCE External Exams During Your Holiday
Pomodoro Study Technique
Focus Block Study Technique
Why You Should Do Holiday Study For VCE External Exams
There are a couple of reasons why you should study during the holidays — an important one being that it can actually make your Term 4 load easier!
As we’re sure you know, VCE can be very content heavy. It requires you to memorise a lot of different terms and concepts.
If you aren’t revising these things, you will forget content you’ve learned over the year. Essentially, you’ll have to re-learn it come Term 4 if you want to succeed on your exams.Â
If you’ve done content revision throughout your holidays, you can spend more time applying this content to the types of questions you’ll be asked on VCE external exams.Â
Now we’re definitely not suggesting you push yourself! Any revision you do in the holidays should be pressure-free.
So don’t stress yourself out and make sure you’re not missing out on your favourite holiday activities!
Understand why studying for the external exams is so important with our article on VCE Study Scores and why they are so important!
Top 5 Things to Study Your Holiday Study
This is something that often trips a lot of VCE students up: knowing you need to study for your VCE external exams, but not being quite sure what to study during the holiday.
Here are some easy dot-points (in order) on what to study for each of your VCE external exams during your holidays.
You don’t have to do this every day and you can mess around the order as you please. However, make sure you’re not doing the same thing over and over again!Â
- Revise terms and subjects: You could do this through cue-cards, mind maps, note-taking etc.Â
- Solidify any rough points: After your revision, you should have an understanding of what you do and don’t know. Spend some time working on the content you feel less familiar with.Â
- Attempt exam questions: Make them open book, with no time restriction. Choose some practice questions and answer them with all your resources.
- Repeat step three: But try to use your notes only when you absolutely need them.Â
- Answer questions closed book: This is that final stage to make sure you really know your stuff! Do your best to answer a couple of practice questions in exam conditions. If you’re feeling brave enough, you could even try a practice exam!Â
Tips to Studying for VCE External Exams During Your Holiday
Tip #1: Plan, plan, plan!Â
If you’re going to study for your VCE external exams, you need to have a short holiday plan on when, what and how long to study.
Try to use a planner, table or whatever tool works for you to create a study schedule that you can follow during the day.Â
For example: You might prefer to write out a quick daily study schedule each night for the proceeding day, and stick it to wall. You could try this too, or you could write a schedule out a whole week in advance!Â
Tip #2: Work with your brain, not against it!Â
You might have been told that you need to study a certain way to achieve a high result.
Naturally, you might want to copy the study techniques of other high-achieving students. No matter what you’re told, don’t do this if it does not work for you!
Every single brain works differently, and there is no study technique that will fit every single student.
If you haven’t already, try out some different study techniques until you find one that you really find helpful. Don’t just copy someone else’s technique just because they got 95% on a SAC!
You should never feel embarrassed or be made to feel that your way of studying is wrong, so just focus on doing what is right for you.
So, what should you try out? We can suggest a couple of different ways that you can study during the holidays.Â
Pomodoro Study Technique
This technique gets you to break up your study into 25 minute blocks with 5 minute breaks in between.
This can help you to feel a lot more productive, as you’ll be giving yourself short breaks to compose yourself between each study period.Â
Do’s and Don’ts
Do: Pick one subject to study during every 25 minute block.
Focus on content revision so that you feel comfortable and confident with your knowledge.
Don’t: Study every single subject every day
You can if you want to. However, try to be a bit intuitive with your study and work the most on the subjects with the most content, or that you feel the least confident about.Â
Focus Block Study Technique
If you’re someone who loses focus when you take short breaks in between study, then the focus block technique might work better for you!Â
This technique requires you to study in two big blocks: one at the start of your day and one at the end. These blocks could be as long as you want, but I would suggest studying for an hour in each block.Â
Do’s and Don’ts
Do: Use it for subjects that require deep thinking!
This form of study helps you to get very in depth with the content of your subject. This technique is especially helpful when studying subjects that require long, thoughtful essays or responses, such as Literature or Studio Arts.
Try this study technique with no distractions: have a go at working in silence, with your notifications turned off. You may find yourself getting lost in your work in a positive way!
Don’t: Be pressured to study one subject during the entire block!
If you can’t stay focused on one subject for the whole block, you may choose to revise a different subject halfway through. Feel free to chop and change these techniques to suit you!Â
And, That’s It for Your VCE External Exams Holiday Study!
That wraps up your holiday study guide, so get out there and most of all, enjoy a proper holiday (with some sneaky side study).Â
Check out this list of all past VCE papers to help you in your end of year study!
On the hunt for more VCE tips?
Check out our other articles!
- Which VCE Maths Subjects Should You Study?
- What You Should Consider When Selecting Your VCE Subjects
- How VCE Subject Scaling Works and How It Can Impact Your ATAR
- Does Year 11 Count Towards Your ATAR?
- Everything You Need to Know About VCE SACs and How They Work
Want more VCE subject resources?
- The Definitive Guide to Understanding VCE English SAC Text Responses
- VCE Physics External Assessment Practice Questions — Short Answer
- The Ultimate Guide to VCE Maths Methods Unit 1 and 2 Practice SACs
- VCE Psychology Unit 4 AOS 1 Practice SAC
Are you looking for some extra help with studying for your VCE External Exams during the holiday?
We have an incredible team of VCE tutors and mentors!
We can help you master the VCE study design for your subjects and ace your upcoming VCE assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online!
Don’t get caught out! Check out our friendly team of expert tutors in Footscray and VCE mentors in Doncaster to help you prepare for your VCE Externals! Looking for a VCE Math Tutor in Melbourne? Contact us today!
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 VCE tutor and mentor, get in touch today or give us a ring on 1300 267 888!
Maija Flood completed the VCE in 2021, so she knows how much work it can be. She is passionate about creating resources for students, and wants to help them feel confident about their studies! Maija is currently studying a Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne, and intends to major in clarinet performance.
