How much do High Achievers really study?

Lots of us have high expectations for ourselves or for our kids, but how much are we really asking for? Let’s break down how much work high achievers are really doing.

First of all, we should keep in mind that there will always be outliers. There are going to be some people who can get top marks without studying at all, but we can tell you that that’s extremely rare. Many high achievers who report studying only a small amount, don’t realize that their perception of a normal amount of study is much higher than the true normal.

Secondly, study is going to look different for every student: some watch instructional YouTube videos, some re-read notes, some use flashcards on their phone. There’s more to the story than what happens at your desk at home. Most importantly, how you use class time matters too. Quick students might complete their homework in class, reducing the independent study they need to do.

Taking all of that into account, how much work do the top students do? In my experience, the high achievers are doing barely anything besides study — it’s as problematic as it sounds. Our top students and multiple of our tutors (when they were at school) study 6-7 days per week for multiple hours each day. Let me tell you what it was like for me.

A normal year 11 or 12 school day for me was almost always followed by a couple of hours of debating training. As Debating Captain at my school I competed in my own team and coached several of the younger teams. It was usually about 5:30pm when I got home because I lived close to school. I’d relax for a bit until dinner, then get to work. I’d study from about 8pm to 11pm most nights, working until midnight or later if assignments were due or I was spending longer at training before important competitions.

Friday afternoon was the only afternoon I didn’t study. I’d finish debating, head home, and relax, usually alone. On Saturdays, I played netball and would allow myself to wait until after that to start work, about 3pm. Sundays would be entirely spent studying, often more than 8 hours of actual study time.

With a study schedule this intense I was sacrificing a lot. I would rarely see my friends outside of school, debating or netball. I developed knee pain when running because of long periods of sitting down without movement. I was sleeping 5-7 hours per night and compensating with caffeine.

Let’s be clear, this was unhealthy. Fortunately, this was a lifestyle I imposed on myself with almost no direct pressure coming from any figures in my life. There is no world in which this kind of routine should be forced onto a child.

Thankfully, I eventually realized how punishing this lifestyle was and half-way through year 12 eased up a bit. I joined a gaming group on Wednesday nights, and often wouldn’t study afterwards, giving me another night off and some much needed social connection outside of competitive environments.

If you tally it all up, I was probably studying about 30 hours per week in addition to the time spent at school. Did it “pay off” in my marks? Maybe. I graduated with an exceptional 99+ ATAR and, in general, very much enjoyed my school years. However, the degrees I graduated with only required an 80 ATAR to enter. Moreover, I found myself ill-equipped to navigate many social situations in my first years of university due to my limited social experiences outside of school. Crucially, I eventually sought professional help for mental health issues which had arisen during my final years at school due to perfectionism and stress.

Being a very high achiever is aspirational to many people, but we should remind ourselves of what those great marks cost. Here’s my advice: to our students — if you care about it: throw yourself into it, and if you don’t: keeping up with the average is probably enough. To parents — there are many contexts in which your child can learn diligence, hard work and determination besides schoolwork. See our article: 50% of Students are Below Average (coming soon).

To conclude, shining a light on the incredible workload of high achievers should help with two things. Firstly, for all students to set their expectations fairly. Your classmates really might be working this much, so if you have a more balanced lifestyle and enjoy it don’t be sad that you aren’t achieving top marks; you are investing in yourself in other important ways. Secondly, if you are working this hard you must carefully consider the cost. School is important, but it is not more important than your health and happiness.