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Year 12 students are less than two months away from sitting their final exams. We know this can be a for students.

How can parents best help their children navigate exam season? Research suggests “” is key. This involves including teens in reasoning and decision-making about their lives.

Understanding the brain and learning

When it comes to studying, it is helpful to know .

One common misconception is multitasking can help students do more in less time. In fact, this can . You may think you are multitasking but what you are really doing is switching from one task to the next. Each switch has a “cost” for performance, in that it slows you down.

To combat this, try and get your student to focus on one thing at a time – helped by a calm, quiet study environment.

A second misconception is studying according to one’s “” (for example, as a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner) will promote better learning.

But these learning styles have been shown to be a . If students study using only one mode – such as via videos for those who believe themselves to be visual learners – they are likely to harm their own learning. This is because they will limit their access to the most relevant study resources (those that best present the knowledge).

Parents can help their teens prepare for exams by focusing on the content rather than the mode of delivery.

Sleep is so important

Sleep is an important component of study and exam preparation.

This is because sleep is crucial for “”, where newly laid memory pathways are strengthened and reinforced. Sleep deprivation interrupts this consolidation process and hinders learning the next day. It means there is in parts of the brain involved with memory, self-regulation and attention.

Research shows up to half of Australian teenagers do , with including screen time, studying and socialising. In the lead-up to Year 12 exams, the temptation to stay up late to study – perhaps buoyed by energy drinks – may be particularly strong.

Parents can help their teens by working out a sleep schedule together. They can also help their teens understand between sleep and learning and the importance of reducing screen time before bed.

Maximising study quality

The nature of Year 12 exams means students must study for multiple subjects at the same time.

This means the quality of study is especially important. Students should select study strategies that actively support memory and learning.

Many students report using , such as rereading and highlighting. These strategies are passive, meaning the brain does not need to do anything with the content.

Active strategies, such as (a version of “retrieval practice”), are effective because they require the brain to actively draw knowledge from long-term memory. The relevant knowledge must then be arranged into a response. This strengthens the memory pathway and the knowledge becomes easier to recall in future.

You can help your teen to study by encouraging different types of retrieval practice. This can include practice tests, but can also mean asking them to explain new concepts or to put arguments into their own words.

You could also encourage your teen to design a study schedule that includes a little of each subject, multiple times per week, rather than cramming on the final day.

While teens may be inclined to cram before the exam, studies have shown stronger learning outcomes when the same amount of study is spread out over a . This pattern, called “spaced learning”, gives the brain more opportunities to retrieve the relevant knowledge from memory.

A useful amount of stress?

Stress has a “” relationship with performance (sometimes known as the ).

A little bit of stress is useful at exam time because it motivates study. But too much stress can by inhibiting learning pathways and brain function.

Up to one in four Australian teens experience in the lead-up to final-year exams. Perfectionism, female gender and parental pressure are risk factors.

When the consequences of not doing well are emphasised (“if you fail your exams you won’t get a good job”), it’s not helpful for teens. It is important to keep things in perspective.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) has long been the primary selection tool used by universities, yet many also offer places and . This means students who do not achieve the ATAR they were expecting still have plenty of opportunities to pursue their chosen career.

Parents can support their teens by talking with them about taking time to connect with friends and family, emphasising the importance of calm and consistent study, and by not catastrophising about their teen’s future. Parents about exams will have teens who are more likely to do the same.

, Head of School of Education and Professor of Educational Psychology, and , Senior Lecturer in Educational Psychology and STEM,

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