More than 18,000 students today lift their pens this morning, 20th October, for the first Higher School Certificate written exams of Business Studies and Classical Greek Continuers.

A further 29 exams ranging from agriculture to Indonesian would be held this afternoon.

Today heralds the start of a month of challenges for a record 69,261 HSC students who are embarking on some of the most important tests they have faced in 13 years of schooling.

All students are encouraged to keep accessing the available online and telephone support services as they continue to revise.

Students are increasingly turning to online resources to help with their study and have this month downloaded more than two million copies of past test papers and HSC syllabuses.

In just the last month, students have also completed more than 360,000 practice multiple choice tests and answered over nine million questions – on Sunday night alone more than 20,000 multiple choice tests were completed.

HSC Advice Line - 13 11 12 – which provides advice on 20 major courses after hours and on weekends, will remain open until Thursday 5 November.

For the cost of a local call students can check their preparation with an experienced HSC teacher.

HSC AT A GLANCE

• Last exams are on 13/11/09 - French Extension, Information Technology (VET) and Textiles and Design.
• English – only mandatory subject with 65,171 students
• Maths - most popular elective subject with more than 52,400 students.
• Around 44 per cent of all HSC students are studying at least one science course.
• More than one quarter of candidates are enrolled in at least one history course.
• Almost 19,000 or 31 per cent of students in Year 12 undertaking vocational education and training framework courses.
• HSC results available via the internet, SMS message and automated telephone services from 6am on Wednesday 16 December.
• Students will receive HSC results summaries in the mail on Friday 18 December.
• Full credentials will be received on Tuesday 12 January 2010.

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