Preparation time at the beginning of an exam helps students settle, read and review the exam paper and plan how they will approach the exam.

Students sitting a written exam are provided with 15 minutes of preparation time before the exam begins, regardless of the exam length. Preparation time is provided in addition to the allocated working time.

Students must not begin writing answers in the exam paper or exam booklet until they are instructed that working time has started.

In preparation time:

DO:

  • Read the exam paper / answer booklet
  • Highlight or underline key words or information
  • Make notes on the provided note paper

DON’T:

  • Write any text or numerals (or any part of an exam answer) in the exam paper / answer booklet
  • Use a calculator.

Students can read the exam paper / answer booklet, highlight or underline key words or information, make notes on the provided A4 note paper.

The 15 minutes of preparation time is the same for all students. Reasonable Adjustments – extra time, is added to the working time for the exam.

Yes, students may highlight or underline key words or information. However, students may not begin writing any text or numerals (or any part of an exam answer) in the exam paper / answer booklet.

No, students cannot use a calculator during the preparation time.

Yes, students can highlight key words, passages on the exam paper / booklet. However, students may not begin writing any text or numerals (or any part of an exam answer) in the exam paper / answer booklet.

Students are required to follow the instructions of the exam supervisor, including when they are allowed to start completing the exam. or a penalty could be applied under the External Assessment Rules.

Exam rules are to make exams fair for all students. All students participating in external exams must follow the same rules.

In 2022, the former ‘reading time’ arrangements, allowing students to start working on the exam, were replaced with preparation time.

The change followed feedback from marking teams and the External Assessment Advisory Panel that many students were not using reading time effectively. Feedback indicated that students who used the time to settle, read the exam paper and plan their approach, such as deciding which questions to attempt first or selecting questions where choices were available, generally produced stronger exam responses.

Preparation time encourages students to use the additional 15 minutes to organise their thoughts and approach the exam strategically before commencing their responses. The change also aligned TASC’s exam procedures with practices used in other Australian states and territories.