How to Get a High ATAR: Staying Ahead of HSC Content

Hey there, fellow Year 12s! I’m Jai, a HSC student in your shoes right now. If you’re reading this, you’re probably trying to figure out how to get a high ATAR, without burning out.

Trust me, I get it—Year 12 is a marathon, not a sprint, and the last thing you want is to peak too early or crash halfway through. 

The secret to getting ahead? A sustainable strategy that ensures you actually retain what you learn in high school. I’ve spent the past year figuring out what works, and I’m here to share my best tips with you.

Whether you’re juggling Maths Extension 1 Vector proofs, HSC essay drills, or the endless stream of case studies in Legal and Economics, these strategies will keep you on top of your game, just like they did for me!

My three key study strategies are:

1. Get ahead in the holidays (your secret weapon)
2. Structure your study time (small things add up to big results!)
3. The power of active learning (ditch passive studying!)

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Strategy 1: Get ahead in the holidays (your secret weapon)

Holidays are golden. While many people use them to rest (which is totally valid), I’ve found they’re the best time to get ahead on content in a stress-free way. Here’s my tips on how to get a high ATAR using the holidays:

• Week 1: Rest, reset, and enjoy life. You deserve it. After all, we can all agree that those last few weeks of term are exhausting. 
• Week 2: Start lightly—read ahead in textbooks, watch videos on upcoming topics (Eddie Woo’s YouTube channel is a lifesaver for Maths), and build a general understanding. Start making notes, summarising key ideas, and even attempting a few practice questions. This shouldn’t take a huge chunk of your time, instead, a few hours a day can work wonders. 

A day in the life of a holiday study session

Here’s what a productive (but balanced) study day looks like for me:

This structured but flexible approach ensures that I don’t burn out while making steady progress.

Learn a whole term’s content during the holidays

Have a look at the 6 Reasons Why You Should Do Holiday Tutoring Programs.

Strategy 2: Structure your study time (small things add up to big results!)

One of the biggest mistakes I see students make is trying to balance too many things at once. Since you’re already ahead, the key is consistency, not overloading yourself. Small, regular study sessions add up over time.

Plus, the point of pushing ahead is to enhance your results during the term, not burn yourself out and hurt both your marks in the short run and long run!

A daily HSC study schedule for maximising ATAR results

Dedicating just one hour a day to pushing ahead on content is enough to make a huge difference. You don’t need to grind for hours every night. Just a bit of structured study each day keeps you ahead while preventing burnout.

• 1 hour per day pushing ahead with content – Read ahead, make notes, or watch explanation videos, and throw in some short dot points into a document that you can review. 
• 1 hour consolidating previous topics – Do practice questions or test yourself. I’ll primarily worry about the term content during this time, as that’s what’s going to be assessed in your HSC exams!
• 30 minutes of review – Use Anki flashcards for subjects like Economics, Legal, and Modern History.
• Weekends: Focus on past papers, essay writing, and revision.

What works best for me is weaving study into my routine in a way that doesn’t feel exhausting. If I’m feeling overwhelmed, I break study blocks into shorter sessions and mix them with things I enjoy (listening to music, grabbing a coffee, or even just going for a short walk between subjects).

Strategy 3: The power of active learning (ditch passive studying!)

Reading your notes is NOT studying. Highlighting your textbook is NOT studying. The best way to retain information is to engage with it actively. And trust me, this has been a game-changer for me.

I used to spend hours rewriting my notes, thinking I was being productive. But when I actually tested myself, I’d forget half of what I wrote. The key? Make notes work for you; don’t waste time working for your perfectly colour-coded, tabulated and highlighted notes.

How I make notes effectively

• Keep them short and structured. I write concise summaries instead of copying the textbook. If I can’t fit the main ideas onto one page, I know I need to simplify further. As all guides will tell you: split your notes according to the syllabus dot points! NESA gives you the syllabus for a reason – it’s to help you prepare!
• Use diagrams and mind maps. Especially for Economics and Legal Studies—visually organising information helps it stick. 
• Create a “scaffold” of key points. Rather than writing everything out, I create a basic structure with bullet points, definitions, and case studies. Then, I use active recall to fill in the details mentally.

My secret weapon: Active recall and flashcards

Once I’ve made my notes, I use Anki to make flashcards. This method has seriously transformed the way I study. Instead of passively reading notes, I force myself to recall key ideas, which strengthens memory retention.

For example, in Modern History, I make flashcards for key events, key figures, and important quotes. Each card has a question on one side (e.g., What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?), and I try to answer before flipping it. If I get it wrong, I see that card more frequently—Anki’s algorithm adjusts based on how well I remember things.

Other active learning techniques that work for me

• Teach the content: If I can explain a legal concept to friends and family (or even just rant to my dog about it), I know I actually understand it.
• Use “blurting”: I write down everything I can remember about a topic from memory, then check my notes for gaps.
• Past papers, past papers, past papers: I can’t stress this enough. The sooner you start doing exam-style questions, the more natural they become.

Conclusion

The answer to ‘how to get a high ATAR?’. It’s not about grinding 10 hours a day. It’s about getting ahead of HSC content sustainably by using your time efficiently and revising strategically. The tips I’ve shared have helped me stay on top of my studies without burning out, and I know they’ll work for you, too.

At the end of the day, Year 12 is tough, but with the right approach, you can make it manageable (and dare I say, even enjoyable?). Work smart, take care of yourself, and trust the process. You’ve got this!