A study timetable can be useful to help high school students plan time each week revising work covered in class. Download our sample study timetable (DOCX 49 KB) for a Year 11 student.
Make your own study timetable
Download or print our study timetable (DOCX 47 KB).
Fill in regular activities such as school, sport, part-time jobs and so on. Don’t forget to include meal times and time to travel to activities.
Students should discuss how much time to spend studying with their teachers. Older students will be spending 1 to 2 hours on each subject each week. This will increase as they get closer to the HSC.
Think about the best time to study. Some prefer to get straight into it after the after-school snack, to get it out of the way. Others like to chill before dinner and get into their school work in the evening. Identify the most effective time.
Block out chunks of time on the timetable to study at the identified most effective times. Some subjects will require more time than others – use the advice of the class teacher. Don’t forget to consider the school timetable when you are creating a study timetable – it might be a bit much to do 2 hours of physics on the same day as a double period. Don’t forget any subjects – even the ‘easiest’ will require revision in Years 11 and 12.
Colour code the chunks of time for different subjects.
Allow a break of at least 5 to 10 minutes each hour.
Trial the study timetable for a fortnight and see if it is realistic. There’s no point having a study timetable that isn’t followed.
Be realistic, some days there will be a pile of homework or family events which means a day off study. If your child can stick to their study timetable 70% to 80% of the time, they are on their way to success.
Study bank
An alternative to a study timetable is a study bank. This may be better for senior students who have changing work rosters. It requires more independence and commitment to studying and therefore a fair bit of supervision to help students keep up with the hours at the start.
Students should discuss how much time to spend on each subject with their class teachers.
Add up the hours suggested for each subject and that’s the bank. For example, if there are 2 hours of study for English, maths and legal studies; 3 hours for modern history and Japanese but only 1 hour for senior science, the bank will be 13 hours study each week.
Start the week on Monday. By the time the student goes to bed on Sunday night there needs to be a record of the 13 hours of study, across the subjects as identified. Keep a track of how the studying is going through the week so there isn’t a mad rush to do it all on Sunday.
If your child can’t plan their own studying to fulfil the suggested hours, using a study timetable may work better.