Bay students get ready for NCEA

Otumeotai College students Robyn Hyland 17, left and Damien Potts, 18 preparing for exams. Photo/George Novak

Some Bay students have been cramming since the end of Term 2 to prepare for this year's NCEA exams - with just eight days to go to the first one.

Final numbers in for the exams were not in yet but in the Bay of Plenty region 9300 students were enrolled to sit NCEA exams in 2015, and 9600 were enrolled to sit them in 2014.

Otumoetai College student Robyn Hyland, 17, said she was sitting scholarship exams in accounting, English, physics, chemistry and statistics.

Ms Hyland wanted to study medicine at Otago next year.

"I knew they were the best subjects I needed to set up for future."

The 17-year-old said she wanted to be a doctor after being in and out of hospital herself, so wanted to give back to those who helped her.

Ms Hyland said she had been studying since the end of Term 2 this year.

"I have the approach of balancing it all through the year to feel less stressed and more comfortable during exam time."

She will sit her first exam on November 10.

Otumoetai College student and head boy Damien Potts said he would be sitting exams in physics, music, chemistry, calculus and English.

He had been studying but was still nervous for the exams, he said.

"The work load is a big step up from Level 1 and 2. Our teachers have got us into our study plan early so I am not completely stressed out but there are a bit of nerves there."

Mr Potts said he used music, hanging out with friends and going to the gym as stress relievers.

Otumoetai College principal Dave Randell said the school was running study sessions before school, at lunchtime, after school and catch-up credit courses for students.

Mr Randell said they also had a tutorial revision programme planned over the next four weeks so that senior students could call in and teachers would be available for either individual or group work.

Exam preparation at Mount Maunganui College began prior to the Term 3 holidays, principal Russell Gordon said.

"In order to support students during this stressful time we have opened up our school whare as a study centre at lunchtime and after school which we have staffed with teachers to support students in their revision."

Mr Gordon said with the internals and external nature of NCEA, a student workload was reasonably constant throughout the year.

The first NCEA exam for the year would be Scholarship Drama on November 9, the last exams would be Level 1 Drama and Art History, Level 2 Education for Sustainability and Drama and Level 3 Drama and Social Studies on December 2.