Nine Year 12 students are taking the exams this year which run until November 12.

English is the only compulsory subject and was the first exam on Monday, with Aboriginal Studies on Tuesday and the second English exam yesterday.

Year 12 advisor Margaret Morris said the students were nervous but became more confident once the exams were under way.

The Lightning Ridge students are studying a range of subject including English, Aboriginal studies, Textiles and Design, Hospitality, Industrial Technology, IT, Business Studies, Maths, Community and Family studies, as well as the distance education subjects Chemistry, Senior Science and Physical Education.

Among those subjects are Vocational Educational and Training subjects (VET), which focus on gaining practical skills and experience for the workforce.

More than 18,000 students across the state are completing VET subjects this year, which earn them nationally recognised industry qualifications.

The most popular of these subjects are Hospitality, Information Technology and Business Services.

Ms Morris said VET subjects appealed to students who wanted to gain practical training for their future careers.

"There are category A and category B subjects, and you have to do so many category A subjects to get entry into uni, so a lot of kids don't want to chop themselves off from that option. It really depends on the individual kid.

"There are some kids that go for purely VET subjects and that's really appropriate for them, for what they want to do. And there are some other kids that really want to get to uni, so they can only do one VET subject."

Ms Morris said three or four students were looking to further their studies at university, while others were happy in Lightning Ridge and would stay.

"I think some of them are still trying to find their feet."

HSC results will be released just before Christmas.