Described by three pupils at St Johns College as an intense subject choice, the exam focused on four different units and took three hours to complete. Students Amy Armstrong, Belle Haycock and Emily Hayes were positive about the paper and said their teachers had prepared them well.

"I quite liked the exam, but it was hard to study for PDHPE because there was so much content,' Ms Hayes said.

"Half the things we studied were not even asked."

Ms Armstrong was the only one of the three who asked for another answer booklet.

"We had a page for the multiple choice, a booklet for the short answers and one for the extended response," Ms Armstrong said.

"I think I write big and had so much to write, it was just 'word vomit' at the last question, I just kept going."

Each of the students said they felt the 'sports med' questions were among the more difficult to answer. Ms Haycock said it was challenging to write at length about 'one little dash question given it was worth 12 marks'. Although the three students had completed their compulsory English paper earlier this week, they were nervous prior to yesterday's PDHPE exam.

Ms Haycock described herself as a 'huge stresshead'.

"My heart pumps and I get really nervous, but once I am in the hall, sit down and set my desk up I'm fine," she said.

The girls do not have any more exams scheduled this week.

Ms Armstrong will be back in the exam hall next Monday for modern history and Ms Hayes sits her mathematics exam on Tuesday. Ms Haycock has a fourteen day break before her next exam.

For Dubbo year 12 students who study Legal Studies, Dance and Engineering Studies the HSC continues today.