The secret to top exam results? Practice does make perfect

Want to know what really sets top students apart? Our latest research reveals it's not natural talent - it's how they study that makes the difference.

We've just completed our biggest study yet, analysing data from 37,464 top achieving 2024 Year 12 students in Edrolo science courses. What we found might surprise you - the path to scoring top marks on exams isn't about innate ability, it's about smart, consistent practice.

Note - this data is for students completing VCE Year 12 subjects in 2024. The same extent of analysis cannot be done for QCE and HSC data as data on all top performers is not made public as it is in Victoria. We did analyse the data on Top Achievers in NSW and the patterns were consistent with what we say in Victoria. The full report with details on the data used for analysis is available here.

The numbers don't lie: Here's what top students do differently
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• They complete twice as many practice questions on Edrolo throughout the year - about 450 plus across the year. That’s just 10-15 questions per week, consistently and regularly to build knowledge and master concepts.
• They study consistently rather than cramming before exams.
• They achieve higher accuracy rates (83% vs 70% for other students). By doing more practice they identify their mistakes and misconceptions and improve their accuracy.
• They engage more with exam-style questions. This helps them get familiar with the kinds of questions they encounter on exams.

Let's break it down
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Take VCE Biology, for example. Students who scored top results completed an average of 48.6 questions per chapter or topic, while others did just 32.5. That's 50% more practice throughout the year! You can see this in the heat map below showing top students compared to their classmates - regular, consistent practice is helping them get results.

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We saw this across subjects too - from Legal studies to Maths, Business to Psychology - the patten is the same.

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Quality matters as much as quantity

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Here's the interesting part - it's not just about doing more questions. Our research shows that strategic practice makes all the difference. Top performers:
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• Focus on understanding their mistakes through detailed feedback: Use the fully-worked solutions to questions on Edrolo to pinpoint errors or misconceptions. Get comfortable with your mistakes and learn from them - so you avoid making them again. ****
• Build confidence gradually with progressively challenging questions: Use the marking criteria in Edrolo to self mark your responses and flag questions where you know you need to come back or get extra help from your teacher.
• Use practice questions to reduce exam stress: Time yourself completing questions sets or exam master questions to get comfortable working within time constraints.
• Develop pattern recognition skills for exam questions: Exposing yourself to a wider variety of questions on Edrolo will help you get used to the kinds of questions you’ll see on exams. Familiarise yourself with command terms/ verbs (e.g analyse, explain, justify) and how to frame answers to these.

As one of our students, Josie from Victoria, puts it: "I love the questions that go with the videos, they are structured very nicely as they build up confidence and encourage me to attempt harder questions I otherwise wouldn't have looked at."

The proof is in the practice
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Want some concrete evidence? Over 70% of students who aced Biology, Physics and Psychology used Edrolo in 2024. But here's the key - these successful students didn't just watch more videos (only 10% more than others). Instead, they completed 29% more exam-style questions and 8.8% more practice questions.

Watching videos is great to revisit concepts and catch up on missed classes - but it’s the practice of doing questions, moving yourself from knowledge to application, that will help get you ready for exams.
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Your recipe for success
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The heat maps above show a clear pattern: top performers follow a structured approach throughout the year. They don't cram before exams - instead, they:
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• Practice consistently
• Master each topic before moving on
• Engage actively with the material
• Use feedback to improve

The takeaway? Success in your final exams isn't about being naturally gifted - it's about putting in consistent, strategic practice throughout the year. It’s tempting to think you can cram later, but success really is build on regular practice.
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Kickstart your practice routine to win $100
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For Term 2 we’re running a weekly competition for students. If you Do 10 questions a week, between Monday and Sunday, you’ll automatically be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card.

We know what helps get top results, so this is our way to give you some extra motivation to start your study routine now. Don’t wait till Term 3 or weeks before exams. Start now, practice regularly, and focus on quality engagement with your study materials.

Your future self in a few months will thank you!

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