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· Times of India
If you have written matric before, you’ve been there. Cramming just does not serve up the goods in the final weeks before matric exams. Matrics who are writing their finals soon should take heed of this, because it’s a truth that many grown-ups have already lived.
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The 2026 National Senior Certificate examinations begin on 13 October and Grade 12 pupils have less than a month to squeeze whatever they can out of their remaining preparation time. But piling on extra study hours and reading notes until they blur may build confidence without necessarily building understanding.
Teneo Online School Phase Head Tracey Clayton said subjects such as Maths and Physical Sciences cannot simply be parroted because concepts learnt earlier in the year become the building blocks for more difficult work later. It’s a layer cake of learning.
“You can’t memorise your way through them. These subjects build on each other; the algebra has to be solid before calculus makes any sense, and if there’s a gap somewhere back in the year, it’s still there in the exam no matter how many times you read the notes,” she said.
Material familiarity can fool learners
The danger, she said, is that familiarity with study material can fool pupils into believing they have mastered it. “pupils re-read their notes, recognise everything, feel ready, and then freeze when the question is worded differently. That’s the gap catching up.”
Do not study and parrot certain subjects. Picture iStockThe 2025 matric results showed Mathematics remaining a significant hurdle to getting through the finals. According to figures cited by Teneo, only around a third of matriculants write Mathematics, while its pass rate dropped from 69% in 2024 to 64% last year.
Fewer than 30% of Physical Sciences candidates achieved 50% or more, she said, and added that pupils still had time to improve their results, but expectations about what could be achieved in the remaining weeks needed to be realistic.
“In your content-heavy subjects, yes, good focused revision in the last few weeks can genuinely push a mark up. In Maths and Physical Sciences, it’s harder, and the marks you can still win are almost all about exam technique rather than new knowledge.”
Poor time management can penalise
Clayton added that pupils who understand the material but lose marks through poor time management, misreading questions or failing to show their working could make meaningful gains through past papers.
“No one can learn a whole term’s worth of concepts in three weeks. So go after the marks you’re dropping, not the ones you never had a shot at.”
She said pupils should also abandon the idea that every subject deserves an equal portion of their remaining study time. Subjects required for tertiary study, those where a learner is hovering around a pass or distinction, and areas where marks can realistically still be gained should receive greater attention.
Panic, she said, could make pupils use their time in the opposite direction of what they need.
“It pushes you the wrong way: more hours, less sleep, a bit of everything and mastery of nothing.”
She said instead they should identify two or three subjects where concentrated work could materially affect results, practise rather than repeatedly read and avoid sacrificing sleep to squeeze additional hours from the day.
“A calm pupil who does three focused hours will beat a frantic one who does six every time.”