'Those words just took a lot of pressure off': The advice that helped Ben get through his Year 12 exams

Year 12 exams kick off this month, with students across the country cramming ahead of their first papers and their worried parents doing their best to support them.

In the lead up to the Year 12 exams, 9honey has reached out to past students, psychologists, markers and teachers who offer their guidance on everything from managing stress to study tips to advice for parents wondering how best to support their teens.

Here is the first in our series.

Ben Patman, 18

Ben Patman says he was "quite surprised" by his Year 12 exam results, having sat the HSC in 2023.

"I was actually expecting my results to be a lot lower than they were," he tells 9honey.

He describes sitting his exams as "tedious" more than "stressful."

READ MORE: Tiny Oscar needs round-the-clock care

"It was only around the time of my trials that I began to feel the pressure," Patman says, adding that his parents helped him get through the experience in one piece.

"For me it was definitely my parents, having that person who has gone through exactly what you are experiencing really helps," he explains.

READ MORE: Woman hits back at mum shamers

If he could go back and give himself some advice, he says he would tell himself it "doesn't really matter, at the end of the day it's just another test and 90 per cent of the people I know have already forgotten what they got!"

"I think the best thing my parents said to me before my exams was that they didn't care what mark I got," he says. "Despite how insignificant it sounds, those words just took a lot of pressure off because I personally didn't really care what mark I got.

"I just didn't want to disappoint my parents, and I feel like a lot of other students feel the same."

Patman urges Year 12 students to "just appreciate your final time in high school."

"The memories you create with friends and teachers will be the things you look back on, not the long nights studying," he says.

Ben has completed one semester of a Bachelor of Forensic Science degree and has now taken a semester off to "travel and earn some money" before returning to his studies in 2025.

His top study tip is to "grab a past paper for the subject you want to study and put a timer on for how long the test is."

Layla Walton, 20

Layla Walton remembers feeling "very upset" when she saw her Year 12 exams results.

"I was definitely hoping for a higher ATAR to get into my first choice uni and course," she tells 9honey.

"However, when looking at my actual test results rather than my ATAR I knew I had done my best and those were the results I was expecting and what I believed I could achieve."

Now she has been out of school for two years she realises "how much more flexible university is and how after a year of study you can easily change into other courses."

"Ultimately, your Year 12 results only matter for about 6 months," Walton says.

For Layla, Year 12 was "horrible.

"It was highly stressful in terms of exams and achievements. Additionally, growing up, unsure about your future, what you want to study, what you want to do ... all these questions are coming up while you're trying to get a good ATAR at the same time."

Her "friends and family" were her rock.

"Although you and all your friends are all stressed it's comforting knowing you are all going through it together," she says.

"My family also just helped with everyday things, making lunch or breakfast for me in the morning, chatting, calming you down, putting things in perspective etc."

If she could go back and give herself any advice, it would be that there are "so many different options for your future."

She admits she was told this at the time but "didn't truly listen."

READ MORE: We review the portable blender made for on-the-go smoothies

When it comes to how parents can support their teenagers during exams, she says "the small things are important."

"Making lunch, making breakfast, sending $5 for a coffee ... just having someone do the things maybe you don't have time for in the day."

She suggests Year 12 students take time out to rest.

"Don't let yourself burn out," she says. "Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself. Remember, you are also a teenager, still have fun!!"

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.