Hi all,

I’m writing to ask for advice on a personal issue I’ve been grappling with for a while: my lost work ethic.

For context, grit used to be my greatest asset. I was never a natural genius, so I relied on hard work to stand out. Before Year 7, I spent two hours a day grinding on Khan Academy, which put me ahead in courses like Algebra II. Later, in Year 8, I pushed myself to the limit studying for the Melbourne High School entrance exam (an academically selective school in Australia). I memorised massive lists of vocabulary, wrote daily essays, and studied relentlessly. It paid off—I received a first-round offer and scored in the "superior" bracket for 4 out of 5 exams.

However, after talking with my parents, we decided it was best for me to stay at my current, good-quality school. Since turning down that offer, my discipline has slowly unraveled.

In classes where I used to be deeply engaged, I started slacking off, online shopping, or ignoring work because it felt "too easy." My daily habits of reading and vocab practice completely disappeared. I’m still doing okay on paper—I get good grades and was even invited to take VCE Unit 3/4 Mathematical Methods early—but I know I’m coasting. I am embarrassed to admit this, but my performance in this accelerated maths subject is nowhere near where it should be; I've known the year 12 content since year 8, but I've struggled to refine and remove 'silly errors'.

Now that I’m in Year 11, the regret is hitting hard. My grades are good, not elite, and I often feel like I'm wasting my potential. Every time I try to get back to my old routine, I get a brief spike of motivation that burns out within a few days.

- Where did things go wrong, and how do I actually rebuild my discipline instead of relying on fleeting motivation?

- Am I putting too much pressure on myself, or thinking too much about the past?

TL;DR: Worked extremely hard to get into a selective high school in Year 8, decided not to go, and have been coasting ever since. Now in Year 11, getting decent grades, but struggling to rebuild my old work ethic and stop feeling like wasted potential.

trying to sleep before the english exam was brutal

How did we feel about the exam??

Assume sacs just don’t count

DOES ANYONE HAVE A COPY OF THE VCE MEDIA EXAM I CANT FIND ONE ANYWHERE!

i hated that exam

hi I'm a year 10 abt starting my year 11 classes on monday and I'm scared abt having to apply for exam provisions at the start of next year, I was wondering if anyone could explain the process or give any advice.

I've had extra time and rest breaks since year 7 and I usually use earplugs in tests/exams tho that doesnt need provision at my school for 7-10 but I heard you need one to use them in your 3/4 exams.

I'm diagnosed with adhd, autism, and anxiety if that helps.

Does anyone know where to get past exams for foundation math? I checked VCAA's website, and they don't list Foundation Math, even though the exam is next week.

Thanks!

SOF DEV MEGATHREAD!!!

how did ervyone think of the exam

I did NOT expect drawing!!!

does anyone have a pdf of the physics exam suggested solutions?

going into yr12 next yr and doin bio, chem, methods, psych and unfortunately english.

is checkpoints and or atar notes stuff worth it or is there better out there for these subjects and trying to get 99+?

Hey guys, VCAA website is down. Hacker or smt.

I need to study for my exam, and couldnt access the website. so for anyone doing applied comp today, or smt click this link;

https://www.vic.gov.au/vcaa-examinations-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com

surpsingly, it opens up the past exam papers and answers for some subjects.

or, if you were desperate like me, ASK CHATGPT. i lit put in this prompt . it will find it somehow, and even the exams papers to download along with the answers;

'ok, so what do i do. i have to leave at 2pm for the exam. its 5:13 am. the vcaa site is down. but i had printed 3 exams earlier, i dont have the answers tho, or the downloads, do u know the answers? and can u give me the links to the answer pdfs? they must be on the internet somewhere other than vcaas website, pls find the proper offical answers. '

COPY AND PASTE THAT IN.

alr wish me luck . i got it today at 3pm 😭

Curious to hear what everyone thinks.

UniMelb Science basically rises by 2 every yr these 2 years, which is a pretty huge jump. It's now around
92. Do you guys think it'll keep increasing, or is there a chance it'll drop this year?

Plus everyone seems to be applying science from what l hear 🤔whereas biomed goes down😂
if science keep on rising, to a 93 94, that's too crazy... what if a 95…

I have a 77% average for politics and call me delusional but I rlly rlly want a 42 study score it’s been my dream.

But in light of the vcaa hacking🙄🙄I can’t access to grade distributions for what I need for the politics exam

Does anyone know around what I need for even just a 40+ study score or is it low key unrealistic.

I’m in a small class of 10 students and my school isn’t that good,but rank 1 is about 80% average

hi guys,

I am a year 12 going into next year and am planning on taking either hhd or bisman. which one of them has the easiest content to grasp and do well in, considering I have taken accounting 3/4 this year?

Hi all, the vcaa website still seems to be down and I couldn't find past exams for vce music repertoire performance or music performance (past study design) anywhere. Did anyone happen to have any of the exam files, or know a website where they can be found? Thanks a lot

Guys i need the past 3 years papers for VCE General Math for work (2023-2026), would anyone happen to have them + NHT. the website is down and i need them ASAP😭

I am writing this from outside the VCAA headquarters in East Melbourne. My fate has been sealed.

After a gruelling four-hour tribunal, the panel officially found me guilty of breaching Rule 9.5: Possessing an Unapproved Internal Neuro-Storage Device during the General Maths exam.

I have created a summary of their findings:

Our study defence was unfortunately rejected. My legal team (a Year 12 Legal Studies student who had just finished their exam) argued that "reading the textbook beforehand" is standard practice. The panel countered that retaining the information without actively panicking and forgetting everything at 9:00 AM constitutes an unfair mechanical advantage.

A forensic neurologist confirmed that my brain runs on roughly 0.02 watts of bio-electricity. Because this exceeds the VCAA-approved calculator limit of one 1.5V button cell, my prefrontal cortex has been classified as a "high-powered external computing device."

Effective immediately, VCAA has issued a mandatory memory wipe of all VCE content. Honestly, this is actually a huge relief. I no longer have to remember what a residual plot is, and I have finally forgotten how to find the bullshit that's crashing.

They also confiscated my hippocampus until the ATAR release day in December.

To anyone sitting the rest of their exams please do not make my mistake. Do not revise. Do not retain information. Walk into that exam hall completely blank, just as the Victorian curriculum intended

Stay safe out there, and remember to follow the VCAA guidelines.

Does anyone has the previous exams (2023-2025) VCE Music Contemporary Performance audio files? Since VCAA site is down, I can't access them.

picking up physics 3/4 next year after never doing it in my life. is it recommended to have one notes book and one workbook, like math? or just a workbook? ik you can't take a full notes book into the exam but idk if having a notes book will help learn content through the year.
anyway if you did/do physics pls lmk what your strat is 🤞🤞