For those of you reading this who are sitting the exams this year - good luck! And for all those people behind the scenes egging you on - well done for getting to this point!

The HSC starts tomorrow and the feeling in the air around me is nervous apprehension, excitement at the impending relief that will be felt once this ordeal is over and lots of the fear of the unknown.

The truth is that most of the kids writing these exams will never again know as many facts about as many topics. Their heads are filled with information, most of which they will never need again.

The question this raises is how relevant are these exams and should there be an HSC at all ?

I remember the pre-exam nerves, the sleepless nights and the sweaty palms making it hard to hold your pen. I remember the night before-cramming and the feeling on the morning of each exam, almost of defeat, where the voice inside my head said, "well, if I don't know it now, I will never know it".

The flip side of this is the sheer freedom you feel when you finish writing your last exam. Enjoy this feeling, there are very few times again in your life when you will have such little responsibility. Between ending school forever and embarking on your career is the short breath of holiday that will never be repeated.