Daniel Andrews didn't always take his studies seriously. Picture: Ballarat Courier

Premier Daniel Andrews

I have to admit, for most of my final year of school, I wasn't exactly taking my studies as seriously as I should have.

A typical teenager in the class of 1990, I was a little distracted by my first set of wheels - doing laps of Wangaratta in my red 1979 VB Commodore.

And as an 18-year-old for half of my senior year, there were probably a few too many afternoons at the local 'Pinno' pub, and not quite enough with my head in the books.

But when exams were a few months off, I finally got my act together and studied hard.

English was my first exam and politics was my last. Everything in between was a bit of a blur.

I certainly remember walking out of the school gates after my final exam and thinking - knowing - that life was going to change.

I also remember the support I had from my teachers, who were always working hard for me and my future - even when I wasn't. We'd be in a lesser place without their dedication. I wish I thanked them more back then.

Soon after year 12 exams, I moved to Melbourne and life did indeed change. I went to Monash Uni, started my career and met the incredible woman who became my wife.

Looking back on that final year of school, my advice to others studying their VCE is to absolutely give it their all - but remember that life doesn't begin - or end - with high school results.

John Safran did stupid things on muck-up day. Photo: Neil Newitt

John Safran, author, radio presenter, documentary maker

There were only 14 students in my year level at Yeshivah College. Near the end of the year we were issued a big threat:  anyone who does anything stupid on muck-up day will have to sit the exams at the showgrounds with the public school kids.

We did stupid things on muck up day. And we weren't sent to the showgrounds, which just shows teachers are always bluffing.

They used to have a controlled muck-up day. We had afternoon prayers in the synagogue. The year 12 kids would be hiding up in the woman's stalls and when the rabbi motioned they'd start throwing lollies down at us. The rabbi would say, "that's enough, that's enough" after a minute and they'd stop.

There was a wall vandalised every year and we were told "do not do the wall or you're definitely going to the showgrounds". To mess with the teachers' heads, I spray-painted the wall with a pro-religion message. I did a giant Jew jumping with joy saying "we want the Moshiah [the messiah] now".

It successfully messed with the teachers heads. The principal said he liked it and left it up.

Luke Ball had to juggle football and school commitments. Photo: Pat Scala

Luke Ball- retired St Kilda and Collingwood AFL player

I remember being nervous and obviously wanting to do as well as I could. I was juggling footy commitments as well as the VCE, and had been drafted to St Kilda at the end of Year 11. I was heading out to training two or three nights a week.

I remember thinking during the swotvac period that I needed to cram as much as possible.

The English exam is the most nerve racking because it was the first one and everyone does it. I did Latin and there was a break of 10 days between my second last exam and my last one. All my friends were out celebrating and I was still studying for my Latin exam. I had to report into training for St Kilda at 9am the morning after my last exam but that didn't stop me. I went out and had drinks and paid for it at training the next year. I was pleasantly surprised by my results (an ATAR of 98.80)

Writer Alice Pung wrestled with a nervous breakdown. Photo: Thom Rigney

Alice Pung, author 

When I was seventeen, I was very unwell, sitting on the floor of our family room at home. I'd lost all my words because I'd had a nervous breakdown, which had been creeping up at me like a malevolent black shadow for some time during the last ten weeks of my final year at school. Reading the newspaper, the print would swarm in front of my eyes. I could pick out each word but they made no sense. I was as responsive to the outside world as a television screen, switched off.

My mother came in and said, "Do you realise what time it is? Don't you have an exam in half an hour?!" My mother – who cannot read or write in English herself, and can barely write in her first language – sped me to the school and I took my first exam. I sat in that exam room, and despite not being able to write or read for weeks on end, and I forced myself to write for three hours.

I did it four more times, and I did okay in those exams, well enough to get me into law school, where I learned that the people who had all the words were also – not coincidentally – the people who had power in society. But I had a mother whose only literature were the Safeway and Target advertisements in our Braybrook mailbox every week. She taught me not to quit.

Martha Brown aka Banoffee found cram studying to her liking. Photo: Sunny Nyssen

Banoffee aka musician Martha Brown

Year 12 was tough on me, but not in the same way as other kids.

I went to a Steiner school, but for year 11 and 12, I went to one far out in Ringwood (I'm a Fitzroy girl) that offered VCE. The move was difficult and although I had friends I didn't fit in well and that much seemed clear to everyone. Steiner schools encourage hard work, but they don't encourage scoring systems – so I wasn't too worried about my exams to begin with.

I got banned from my French class, I nearly failed on attendance for my music classes and most days I'd sneak in and sign the roll then go to my boyfriend's house and watch The Mighty Boosh or go down the river to swim.

My dad even offered me money to study, which I declined - preferring my routine of dodging awkward moments at school by retreating to the river or a cosy bed down the road.

Cram studying was my style and I stuck to it. Somehow I did okay and was very pleased with how it all turned out, but the main lesson I learnt was that it feels good to push yourself and it feels good to surprise yourself.

I got into the course I wanted, I got a score I was happy with – and I quit university to play music! So ehh…thanks a lot VCE?

Lord mayor Robert Doyle achieved his highest mark in English. Photo: Luis Ascui

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle

I did my HSC in 1971. I was very nervous before exams but I was not particularly nervous about my English exam: in those days English did not count in your ATAR score.

The night before the English exam, my friend Ewen Simson decided that we should go to the Corio drive-in in his snappy sky blue Datsun Bluebird to watch the film Mad Dogs & Englishmen, starring Joe Cocker. Screening began at midnight.

I do admit in the car we did have a couple of cans of refreshment. We then drove back and snuck back into our dormitory very late at night: about 3am. So obviously I took my English exam very seriously!

My year it was the first year that English was actually marked: you got a score even though it didn't count! I was more worried about my poor choice of subjects because I wanted to get into law: I did physics, chemistry, pure mathematics, calculus and applied mathematics.

As it turned out, my highest mark was English. I got a special distinction for being one of the top students in the state.

Obviously midnight drive-ins are an ideal preparation for any difficult exam!

Melbourne Vixens' captain Bianca Chatfield always rose early before an exam. Photo: Paul Jeffers

Bianca Chatfield, former captain of Melbourne Vixens and vice captain of Australian Diamonds 

I went to Flinders College on the Mornington Peninsula and in my final year, was already playing for Melbourne Phoenix in the city. My whole year 12 was spent travelling to the city to train (I did this everyday), going interstate to play for netball, and cramming as much information as I could to prepare for my exams between training and matches.

Frankly, it was a stressful year. I learnt I would never get through the year if I was not organised, and my diary was colour coded with every activity that I had to do that day.

I had this habit of getting up at 5am for every exam, and spending the final few hours cramming in as much information as I could, because I found it easier to recall information in the exam when I studied that way. I did this at university too. It's probably not the recommended to do it, but it worked for me.

I learnt that you need to trust that you have learnt as much as you can, and not stress out afterwards - it's exactly the same as sport. Once you've started a game, or an exam, you've already prepared as best as you could and you can leave knowing that.