5 Study Tips for Year 11: How to Prepare & Get the Most Out of It
So you’re about to start Year 11, and you may be wondering “How do I prepare for year 11?” Welcome to the business end of school. Not too much longer to go now! Things are about to get a bit more serious, and a bit more real, but it’s absolutely nothing to fear. There’s going to be plenty of good times to be had along the way too.
Top 5 Tips on How to Prepare for Year 11 and Set Yourself up for the HSC
1. Build Good Study Habits
There is a temptation to see studying for Year 11 as a little bit irrelevant. “It doesn’t count for anything.” While technically that may be true, that approach isn’t all that constructive. I mean think about it – do elite performers spend all their time bumming around not caring, and then turn up on game day expecting to produce miracles? Of course not.
It’s far better to think of Year 11 as a bit of a dress rehearsal for the HSC. While your results won’t be counted towards your OP/ATAR, the habits you establish will certainly carry through, and from this perspective, being indifferent to Year 11 is about the worst thing you can do.
Use this year to build good study habits. Identify what study strategies work best for you, and what works best for your different subjects, and also work out the best way to divide your time. What subjects are content heavy, and take more time to put together notes for? What subjects need more attention outside the classroom? How much time needs to be dedicated to a major work?
If you find a good rhythm with your study in Year 11, you’re much more likely to go into your final year with confidence and self-belief, rather than fear and doubt.
2. Establish a Balanced Routine
You might have heard the term ‘work/life balance’? Well, now is the time to really integrate this philosophy into your life. Your school workload is going to step up from previous years, and you may need to revisit your current routine to accommodate this increase.
A good place to start is to calculate roughly how many hours each week you dedicate to the following areas of your life: school, work, sport/extra-curricular, and social/family commitments. It should then become apparent which aspects of your life (if any) you might be over-committing to, and which areas you may be neglecting. Have you got time for 5 sports sessions a week? Can you afford to be socialising all weekend, every weekend? You need to prioritise, be flexible and realistic, and ultimately be responsible for finding the right balance with your routine. It may mean foregoing some things in the short term – but there’s the rest of your life waiting just around the corner!
Using a yearly or termly planner can be a good way to find some balance with your routine. These tools will allow you to see more clearly the ebbs and flows in your workload at school, and help you manage your time accordingly when managing your study for Year 11.
3. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Taking care of yourself is a key ingredient for excelling in Year 11! Make self-care a top priority by getting enough sleep, enjoying nourishing meals, and staying active. You’ll be amazed at how a healthy lifestyle can supercharge your cognitive powers and keep your spirits high throughout the year!
4. Seek Help and Ask Questions
Remember, you’re never on this academic adventure alone. Whether you’re puzzling over a tricky equation or decoding the mysteries of literature, reach out for help whenever you need it. Don’t be shy to ask your teachers, classmates, tutors or one of our Academic Personal Trainers for support – they’ve got your back!
5. Keep One Eye on Year 12
As we’ve touched on, there can be a temptation to become indifferent and disengaged when studying for Year 11. But, sticking with the dress rehearsal metaphor, you might find purpose by occasionally glossing over the Year 12 course for each of your subjects. This will help you see the connections between the Year 11 content and their respective HSC courses, giving some more purpose to the former. Additionally, as you progress through the year, you’ll be able to identify any knowledge gaps you might have, or areas that you’re struggling with, and deal with them before it counts!
So, good luck! No doubt you will feel some stress and pressure over the next couple of years, but trust me when I say these next two are the best years of school. Go and enjoy them!