HSC students across the Riverina have wrapped up their first exam as the end of their schooling draws near.
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Thirty-four HSC students from Wagga Christian College were among those from across the region who commenced English exams on Wednesday.
While there were some nerves for Dickson Nshimirimana, he was happy with how it all went.
Dickson completed English Paper 1 and said he used a reading technique his teacher taught him to plan out the exam.
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"I was really nervous at the start but as soon as I got in ... I used the reading time to prepare for the entirety of the exam," he said.
"I used a reading technique one of my teachers taught me to set my pace for the exam."
With the first test down, Dickson is confident heading into English 2 on Thursday.
"I feel more prepared for the rest of the exams," he said.
Classmate Hannah McDowell was confident and in good spirits coming out of the exam.
"I knew my text well enough and had some solid quotes ... so I'm pretty happy with how it went," Hannah said.
Looking to English 2 on Thursday, Hannah is feeling OK about how that will go as she counts down her five remaining exams.
Fellow student Skylah Rankin said while she was nervous going into the first exam she was glad at how it went as she prepares for her five other exams.
"It was a very good start to my exams and felt surprisingly calm inside the room," Skylah said.
"I'm not sure it will be that way for the rest of my exams, but hopefully it will be like that again."
Will Carmichael found the first paper "pretty good" but "would have liked more time".
He's now hitting the books for the rest of his exams and wraps up with PDHPE on October 30.
Jemima Nugent said while she was "a bit scared" going into the exam, it went alright.
Jemima wraps up her exams with Business Studies on October 24, more than a week before the final exams takes place.
"I'm pretty happy with that," she said.
Year 12 English teacher Carly Johnson said while the cohort had some nerves going into the first exam, they were "well prepared" and "well supported".
"I think they will do very well," Mrs Johnson said.
"I'm very proud of them and everything they have worked towards."
Mrs Johnson hoped the students would do their best heading into the remainder of the exams.
"We're proud of them no matter what and we know they'll do well, not only in HSC but also in life," she said.
As a parting piece of advice, she reminded her students to "breathe and not stress too much".
The school's head of secondary, Catherine Clarke, also wished them the best going forward.
"Our students are all looking to the future and what that means after this and we'll certainly be supporting them in that," Ms Clarke said.
On Thursday, students will sit English Paper 2 and Music, while the school will wrap up exams with Food Technology on Friday, November 3.
The cohort joined almost 70,000 HSC English students across the state sitting exams as they prepare to wrap up 13 years of schooling.
When the exams come to an end on November 3, some 68,689 Year 12 HSC students will have sat more than 400,000 unique exam sessions.
All students will receive their HSC results and ATAR on December 14.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the first day of exams was an important one for HSC students and wished them well.
"All of NSW is behind you as you enter this exam period," Mr Minns said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car said it was a "big moment" for senior school students that has been years in the making.
"Trust in your abilities, reflect on all that you have learnt, and enter every exam room with confidence and determination," Ms Car said.
She encouraged students to balance their exam and study schedule with downtime, to connect with friends and loved ones and get plenty of sleep.
She also thanked parents and teachers for supporting the students to reach this milestone.
"They have inspired, educated and nurtured a love for learning in their children and students," she said.
Students can visit the Stay Healthy HSC hub for advice and resources on taking care of their wellbeing during exams at education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/stay-healthy-HSC
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