We spoke to Isabella (Bella) Wright, Maxwell (Max) Eberle and William (Will) Wall about their experiences:

Which subjects do you take? Bella: Mathematics, Standard English, Visual Arts, Design and Technology and Modern History. Max: English Standard, Mathematics, Music, Chemistry and Physics. Will: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Advanced English, Extension 1 and Extension 2 Mathematics.

How are exams so far? Bella: Modern History went really well. One of the exam questions was actually what we had practised, so we were really stoked. Max: Music was good. The songs they chose were really good songs. It was hard to focus because I was dancing the whole time. Will: I do it a bit different to everyone - I don't have pre-writtens, I just improvise ... which works well for me.

Are exams important? Bella: Having early entry really decreases the pressure. I'm going to ANU for a Bachelor of Design so I don't actually have a set ATAR I need to achieve. But I do think it's important even for those who do have early entry to try their best ... if people don't try, it pulls the average down. Max: I haven't got early entry so it's a bit of a 'yikes'. I'm trying my best to get into uni - I want to do Mechanical Engineering. Getting a good ATAR is my main focus in life. Will: I want to study at ANU and do Astrophysics. A Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) is what I have a conditional offer to. That's a 95 ATAR. My parents aren't pushy with me because I made the decision to do it.

How do you relax? Bella: I do yoga. It clears you mind, keeps your body moving and releases endorphins. Max: Music and video games. Will: I go to the beach a lot. I coasted through year 11 and played a lot of video games.

Advice? Bella: Don't take it so seriously. I'm watching everyone come into year 12 and they have a schedule and studying four hours a day. I was like that. It fell apart in two weeks. Definitely go for early entry. Max: Don't forget to have fun. Don't be afraid to go to parties but learn when to say no. If you go to a party, don't get thrashed every single time. Don't think you have to be the world's perfect student. Will: My study schedule is still printed out that I made right at the beginning of year 12, and it is aggressive. You attach a lot more pressure to year 12 than you should. There's an idea this is the be-all and end-all, but it really is a fun year. The teachers treat you as adults, you get to have fun, you can drive, you're so much more independent.

As a prospective Primary School Teaching university student, working in after-school care was a great way to get Kate Toohey's foot in the door, she says. However, Kate didn't work much leading up to exams when study became priority. She walked in the mornings to clear her head, and drew in her spare time. She recommended being open-minded, willing to look at other options and take all opportunities.

Harrison Gilligan knows how to work hard. He worked for his dad through year 12 and had an apprenticeship in electronics. He was also a 400-metre athlete and dedicated a lot of time to training. For him, work was necessary: "Work experience is more important than the mark". "If you don't have any work experience and get into a job, you don't know what you're doing," he said. He plans to study Business.

Studying Medicine is the ultimate goal for Craig Senior. He said having a goal made the HSC easier: "It's hard working towards something if you don't know what you want to do or what you need for it". He received early entry for Wollongong University but might go elsewhere. He didn't think working was essential through school but thought it useful for a bit of money and finding part-time work at uni.

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