The be all and end all

In a year's time, I will be facing what many consider to be the be all and end all of their schooling career. Until they're past it at least. It is astonishing that we make so much of a single exam, particularly one that will be forgotten within five years of sitting it. From the first year of high school the HSC* has lurked on the horizon, with teachers constantly reminding us that HSC students are their highest priority. Each year we get closer and closer, and each year we are told "you can't muck around any longer, you have to start being serious with your study" (each year we tell ourselves "it's just a practice run"). More than 20% of students suffer severe anxiety, depression or stress during the HSC year. Something is wrong here.

I have heard the HSC referred to as a rite of passage. I think that is incorrect. A rite of passage is usually a trial of courage and endurance of pain, a ceremony to induct boys (most commonly) into adulthood. It is one day, or three days, or a week. It is not more than a year long. At the beginning of year 11 we start learning things we will be examined on almost two years later, in some subjects. At least twice each year we will be tested on everything we have learned so far. Every day, we might miss something crucial. In some subjects, this is compounded by the lack of comprehensive textbooks, for others it is alleviated somewhat by their presence. Throughout the two years we force ourselves to process truckloads of information, to work late into the night, to plan weeks in advance. Many skills we learn will be useful in our working lives, but many more will be superfluous. The HSC is by no means a rite of passage. It is a long, grueling test of our ability to resist stress, function on minimal sleep, and regurgitate information in response to key words. It has more in common with chewing a limb off to escape a trap than a traditional initiation ceremony.

So why are we still encouraged to care so much? Surely a more healthy attitude would be to work towards knowledge and self-satisfaction. Why is an ATAR worth all that stress? I think the answer is convention. We are accustomed to the HSC being the highest school level award, which used to mean it was the end on many people's education. It has transitioned to being an entry exam for universities, but its earlier importance has lingered. Not a particularly good reason to base your life around it. I think we all need to get a bit of perspective, and keep it in mind. At the end of your formal education (though you will never stop learning), you will, without a doubt, remember your HSC year as significant. But the most memorable things will not be the mark, but the camaraderie which emerges from shared circumstances, the off-topic discussions which took place while avoiding work, and the relationships with teachers and fellow students. The HSC is a single exam, designed to help allocate students to universities. Treat it as a measure, rather than a goal. It's not, despite all impressions to the contrary, the end of your life or your learning. There is more to education than assessments. Let the HSC be a passing phase, an experiment in long-term goals, and be ready to give it up once it's over.

*for those who aren't aware, the HSC (Higher School Certificate) is the end-of-high-school set of exams in NSW