Students sat either the Mathematics or Mathematics (Extension 2) paper on Monday morning or the General Mathematics exam on Monday afternoon.

Year 12 student at Bowral High Arvi Lehtsalu said the Mathematics exam got increasingly difficult as it went along.

"As you go along, the questions get harder and you have to do questions on time payments and things like that," he said.

Arvi was glad to get out of the exam, but said he felt he'd been able to tackle some of the more difficult questions.

"I was most pleased with the questions on growth and decay. They were quite complicated and I was surprised to be able to work them out," he said.

"I think I still could have done better time-wise. I felt a bit rushed, even though at three hours, it's the longest exam we have to do."

Liesel Zink from Bowral High also found managing her time to be one of the greatest challenges.

"I would have liked to have had time to go over my answers," she said.