How I Went from an 80.2 to a 90.45 ATAR in One Semester (Without Studying More)

In Year 12, I was stuck. I had an 80.2 ATAR, and I felt like I was doing everything right—hours of study, tons of notes, and endless highlighting.

But when I sat my exams, I’d blank out on key concepts or realise I didn’t actually understand things as well as I thought.

That’s when I changed everything.

In my final semester of 2024, I threw out all the traditional study habits and followed a new approach—one backed by research on how learning actually works.

The result?

I went from 80.2 to 90.45 in just one semester.

Now, I’m giving you the exact 8 ground rules that got me there.

Why Most Students Study the Wrong Way

Most students—including me at the time—believe that:

Re-reading and highlighting = learning (it’s not)
Studying has to feel easy to be effective (wrong)
Testing is just for exams, not for learning (false)

The truth? Learning is hard.If it doesn’t feel difficult, it’s not sticking.

Once I stopped trying to make studying feel comfortable and started making my brain actually work, my retention skyrocketed.

Here’s how.

The 8 Ground Rules That Took Me from 80.2 to 90.45

1. Passive Studying is Useless

I stopped re-reading notes and started testing myself daily.
If you don’t try to recall what you’re learning, you’re not learning.

2. Struggling Means You’re Learning

I forced myself to answer questions before looking at the solution.
If a topic felt hard, I knew that meant it was actually being stored in my brain.

3. Quizzing = Learning

I did a quick recall test before every study session—even if I got things wrong.
Every time I retrieved information, it became easier to remember later.

4. Learn First, Get Explained Later

Instead of watching videos and taking notes first, I tried to figure things out myself.
Then, when I checked the answer, I was already engaged in the problem.

5. Spaced Practice Beats Cramming

Instead of focusing on one subject for hours, I mixed topics and spread revision over weeks.
This made me remember more with less effort.

6. Teach Back Everything You Learn

After every study session, I pretended to teach a younger student (or just explained it out loud).
If I couldn’t explain it clearly, I knew I didn’t understand it yet.

7. Tie Everything to Real Life

I found real-world examples of economic concepts, mathematical principles, and historical events.
The more connections I made, the deeper the learning.

8. If It’s Uncomfortable, You’re Doing It Right