The Ultimate Guide to Studying for Your VCE External Exams

So, Term 3 is coming to an end and your teachers have done all they can. Now it’s up to you to study well for your final VCE exams. 

However, there’s one issue: how do you study for them?

Read on, and we will take you through every step of VCE exam preparation.

Exam Checklist Planner

When should you start studying for VCE exams? 

Why you should do holiday study for VCE exams

How many hours a day should a VCE student study?

What is the best way to prepare for VCE exams?

How to use Rule of 3 to study for your Exams

Exam Checklist Planner: A guide for your VCE exam strategy

Struggling to get started on preparing for your VCE exams? Can’t seem to figure out what you need to prioritise?

We’ve come up with the ultimate checklist to help you get on track with your VCE exam revision, so you can enter your exams prepared and practiced.

What are you waiting for? Download our FREE checklist now!

When should you start studying for VCE exams?

The second week of the term 3 holiday (from the 30th September) is a great time to begin study before the rush of your final VCE external exams!

We know what you may be thinking — why would you study during the break? 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!

Keep in mind that your exams start in late October, that’s only a month after Term 3 finishes. 

If you wait for Term 4 to start to begin exam revision, you are giving yourself less than a month to prepare for your exams, which is simply not enough time.

Why you should do holiday study for VCE 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!

Year 12 students have to go to school for a few weeks in Term 4.

During this time you will receive feedback for your practice exams, take revision classes, have graduation ceremonies, give goodbyes and maybe even do a few SACs.

As a result, it can be really difficult to begin studying for your exams during the start of Term 4.

Instead, starting your exam revision in the holidays can allow you to develop a more structured and controlled study plan. 

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. 

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. 

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!

During the term 3 holidays your school will have you sit trial exams that replicate the exact same conditions as your real exams.

While these exams are just for practice, teachers will consider them when finalising your SAC rankings.

Additionally, your performance in the practice exam is often a strong indicator of how you will go in the real thing!

Regardless, studying over the Term 3 holiday gives you the opportunity to have a really good rehearsal for your real exams!

If you don’t, these practice exams are going to be a complete waste of your time.

How many hours a day should a VCE student study?

• If you want to go for a 95+ ATAR: study for around 7 hours a day.
• If you want to go for a 90+ ATAR: study for around 6 hours a day.
• If you want to go for an 85+ ATAR: study for around 4 hours a day.
• If you want to go for an 80+ ATAR: study for  around 3 hours a day.

Want to know what grade you need for your DREAM study score? Our VCE Study Score Calculator can help you figure out what Unit 3, Unit 4 and exam results you need for your goals!

Although it is import to acknowledge that literally everyone has an opinion on this. School’s have rules for how much study you need to do per class. Teachers have their own unique rules. Your parents likely have their own expectations as well.

• If you don’t need do an extra exam for psychology because you’re feeling confident, then don’t do one.
• If you want to do an extra exam for Chemistry because it’ll make you feel more secure, then do it!
• If you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with study the day before an exam, then just take the day off!

There is so much more to study than time. To relate study time with grades shows a surface level understanding of how your brain and learning works. There are endless studies that show no correlation between amount of time spent studying and academic performance.

If you really want a study goal, go for 6 hours of study. Break it up into 1 hour sessions. Spend the rest of the time recovering, eating good food and going outside.

A productive holiday plan involves both study and rest.

What is the best way to prepare for VCE Exams?

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. 

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!

Check out our exam study checklists at the beginning of this article for a template plan!

Study in a way that suits you

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.

Law of Diminishing Returns

The Law of Diminishing Returns outlines that when study time is increased, there is a point in which the increase in study productivity begins to decrease.

This law is an example of working with your brain, by not forcing yourself to study when you can’t pay attention.

So, what’s the takeaway from this law? Don’t spend all of your exam preparation period studying. 

It’s understandable why many VCE students do this. The stress that comes with exams naturally encourages people to just use every moment they have to study.

However, you need to find the right balance.

Yes, spending a large majority of your time studying is important and necessary to do well in your VCE exams, but getting adequate rest and maintaining your health is equally important.

There is no point spending all your time studying just to not be able to perform to your best in the exam. To properly apply and use all the knowledge you have, you need to be in your best health for every exam!

Treat study like training for a sport, when you study you study really hard. When you don’t study, you put all your focus into recovering well. Both are so critical.

Returning to the sport comparison, your performance in the final exam will only be as good as your training.

Therefore, it is critical that you practice lots of exams under the conditions they will be sat in.

This provides many benefits, like improved time management skills, improved memory recall, improved exam skills, and even more resilience to exam pressure.

Plus exams are the best way to identify gaps in your knowledge for future study, so even if you don’t do to well, it’s still a win.

Tip: Don’t do another exam until you’ve reviewed and understood every single mistake you’ve made in the previous exam. There’s no point doing lots of exams if you repeat the same mistakes!

I’ve had students who have deliberately practiced exams in distractive conditions and put weights on their pencils so their hands don’t cramp in exams.

I recommend most students to practice an exam at the same time as the real one to get used to sitting one at that time.

Rehearsing is an extremely valuable tool that will really help you get mentally prepared for your exams.

How to use Rule of 3 to study for your Exams

The Rule of 3 is an exam revision strategy used to quickly and effectively get your exam revision started:

Why does the Rule of 3 strategy work?

• You’re practising 3 times taking all your notes and adapting them to the new questions you are responding to. This will enable you to do this lightning fast in the exam.
• You’re rewriting all the content you’ve covered for the year, supporting you in memorising these word for words. 
• You’re practising writing under timed exam conditions, building your writing speed and confidence!
• You’re also practising adapting these to different questions.

All of these factors work together to start getting you ready for VCE exams!

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.