Almost 1700 students in the region will walk into exam rooms tomorrow morning for their first written test in the 18-day HSC period.
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Day 1 kicks off with English papers, and the calendar will wrap up on the afternoon of November 11 with textiles and design, and design and technology.
Students have been getting in their final hours of preparation, including Tamworth's Brody Edmonds, from Peel High School, and Ryan Wheatland, from St Mary's College Gunnedah.
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Brody, 18, said his study had been "going really well" but he was "incredibly nervous" about the exams.
"I've handled it well so far," he said.
"I do need to take time to socialise with my friends ... and I either read or draw [during breaks]."
Brody said the subjects he was most and least confident about were, respectively, art and investigating science.
Ryan, 18, said he was "not feeling too bad at the moment" about the exams.
"But that will probably change once I get in there on the day," he said.
"It's alright ... we've done plenty of them before at school, so it's just this one final one to make it all count."
According to NSW Education Standards Authority, which oversees the HSC, there will be 123 written exams totalling about 350 hours.
In the New England and North West - which comprises the Gunnedah, Tamworth, Narrabri, Moree, Armidale, Inverell and Tenterfield areas - 1683 students will sit exams this year.
About 330 students will sit HSC exams overseas.