03 Sep Year 12 Final exams are coming: what teenagers really need from parents
As Year 12 students head towards final exams, Professor Ken Purnell writes that it can be tempting for parents to push harder on study. But protecting sleep, keeping pressure in check and offering steady support may be far more useful.
For many Australian Year 12 students, October and November bring the final round of assessments and exams — and with them, plenty of pressure.
Parents can feel it too. With the finish line so close, reminders to study harder, stay off the phone or put in a few more hours can easily become part of daily family life.
But CQUniversity educational neuroscientist Professor Ken Purnell says teenagers may need something quite different.
“At this stage of Year 12, parents don’t need to turn their teenager into a study machine,” Professor Purnell says.
“What students need most is a calm environment, good sleep and someone who reminds them that their worth isn’t determined by an exam result.”
Protect their sleep
One of the most useful things families can do during exam season is protect a teenager’s sleep.
“Sleep isn’t time stolen from study — it’s part of learning,” Professor Purnell says.
Sleep helps the brain consolidate and store information, meaning another exhausted hour spent staring at notes late at night may be less useful than going to bed.
Teenagers’ body clocks also naturally tend to run later, which can make early starts difficult, particularly after a late night of studying or scrolling.
Professor Purnell suggests trying to keep the final hour before bed free from both study and phones where possible.
Don’t turn phones into another battle
Phones and social media can easily cut into sleep and concentration, but Professor Purnell says parents don’t necessarily need to become the “phone police”.
Instead, families can make small changes that reduce distractions without creating extra conflict.
That might mean putting phones face-down during dinner or encouraging everyone to keep devices out of the bedroom for the hour before sleep.
“The goal isn’t to create another source of conflict,” he says. “It’s to protect the conditions the brain needs to function well.”
Study smarter, not simply longer
More hours at a desk don’t automatically mean more learning.
Once students are tired, they can spend plenty of time reading without really taking information in.
Parents can help by encouraging shorter, manageable blocks of study and providing a quiet place to work.
Another surprisingly simple idea is to ask your teenager to explain something they have been revising.
“If they can explain a concept to you in simple terms, they probably understand it,” Professor Purnell says.
That can be more useful than repeatedly asking, “Have you studied yet?”
AI can help — but it shouldn’t do the thinking
Artificial intelligence can also be useful during exam preparation when students use it as a study tool rather than a shortcut.
They might ask an AI chatbot to quiz them, generate practice questions or explain a difficult concept another way.
But Professor Purnell warns that AI can confidently provide incorrect information, so students should always check important facts against reliable course materials, textbooks and teacher advice.
Sometimes they need to talk about anything but exams
Parents aren’t the only people who can help.
Grandparents and other trusted adults may be able to give teenagers something particularly valuable during the final weeks of school: a break from thinking about Year 12.
Instead of asking about marks, study hours or how an exam went, talk about sport, music, food, movies, pets or family plans.
It reminds teenagers that there is a much bigger life beyond their final school results.
Perhaps most importantly, recognise effort rather than focusing entirely on the outcome.
“Tell them you’re proud of the effort they’ve put in, regardless of the outcome,” Professor Purnell says.
Parents can’t sit the exam for their teenager, but they can make home feel like a place where they can eat, sleep, recover and know they are supported — whatever happens on results day.
Professor Purnell, is CQUniversity’s Head of Educational Neuroscience
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