The final stretch of your schooling is inherently stressful. Your whole education has been leading up to these last two years, and it probably feels like your whole future is riding on the number that gets spat out at the end of them. While the reality isn't this dramatic, it's still a good idea to do your absolute best. Great results can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. That's why we've designed this simple, four-step guide to mastering the VCE exams:

Call In The Cavalry

Classes provide structure and give you the opportunity to clarify anything that doesn't make sense to you at the time, but studying is often a lonely task, and study groups can only provide so much assistance since your classmates are learning just like you.

That's why it's a good idea to bring in qualified VCE tutors for any subjects you're having trouble with. By calling in the cavalry early, you'll improve your results, streamline the study process, and save yourself a lot of stress.

Have A System

Studying is kind of like working out – if you don't have clear goals and a plan for achieving them, it can be easy to get lost and coast along thinking you're progressing when that isn't necessarily true. To avoid falling into this trap, it's a good idea to look over your course outline (and content if available) before you even start the semester.

By preparing ahead of time, you'll be able to identify what areas need special attention and then construct a road map for success. Create a study plan, and be sure to allow extra time for any topics you think you might struggle with. Share this plan with your tutor so they can tailor your sessions to suit.

Get Creative

It's been proven that the more variety you include in your revision, the easier it is to remember. This is why cramming isn't effective because it doesn't matter how many times you try to shove the information into your brain, if you're not allowing yourself time to process and explore it, you're not going to learn it.

Instead of boring yourself to death reading your textbooks over and over again, find fun ways to work revision into other tasks. Perhaps you could have a friend quiz you while you play sports together. If you're musically inclined, you could create a song, or you might even turn your study material into a Trivial Pursuit style board game. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you're adding variety to your revision routine, you'll retain information far more easily.

Have A Reward System

Finally, don't forget to reward yourself when you've done well. A reward system will help you stay motivated, and you can have multiple levels for different achievements. For example, an uninterrupted study session could earn you your favorite snack, getting great grades on a SAC (and therefore knowing you're studying effectively) could earn you a night out with friends, and so on. If you enjoy working out, gym sessions are a great reward option as they offer stress relief, and exercising has been proven to be beneficial to our mental processing.

So, there you have it – the four steps you need to master your VCE exams. How you implement these will differ from person to person, but if you give it your best, then no matter what grades you get, you'll be winning.