A parent's guide to Year 12 exams

Break it up

It is healthy to take breaks in between studying to avoid burning out, as spending hour after hour hitting the books can do more harm than good. Options include getting some exercise, heading out for something to eat or catching up with friends.

Be prepared

A good, structured study schedule can help students identify the areas where they need to improve. Parents can help their children develop a study schedule and follow it, which usually works better than a random approach to studying.

Limit phone use

Smartphones are great, but they are also a common source of distraction. Confiscation is one way to go about it but a better option could be the implementation of strategies to reduce phone use during study. This could be switching it off until it’s time to take a break, or only using it to listen to podcasts about the subject matter.

Get some shut-eye

A decent night’s sleep before an exam is crucial, and parents should encourage their children to do the bulk of their studying when they are feeling alert. This is preferable to trying to cram the night before when they are tired and stressed, which will likely result in less information being absorbed.

It’s not the end of the world

Exams are pushed as the be-all and end-all, but be sure to remind your child that their exam score will not define them as a person. Help them to get the best out of themselves, but remember there are alternative pathways to most careers in case they don’t get the score they expected.