NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Wednesday her intentions to see students receive "more face-to-face contact" with teachers from the beginning of the third week back.

With the term due to begin on April 27, that would place the physical return around May 11. Until then, students will be encouraged to continue online learning via virtual classrooms in the hopes of staving COVID-19.

The uncertainty has been difficult on all age groups, but none more so than students in their senior years.

Lily Hamilton from The Riverina Anglican College is one such student, who has just begun preparing for the HSC.

"[The return date] is not definite, so I try to not believe anything I hear until the school says it's time to come back," she said.

"The thought of doing another whole term online is difficult to think about. That's a long time."

But the Wagga 18-year-old told The Daily Advertiser the biggest challenge she faces is staying motivated to study when so much is still unknown about her upcoming exams.

"There wasn't a lot of clarity at the beginning," she said.

"It was so much stress not knowing what would happen."

The transition to online learning has been full of significant challenges and stresses to overcome, Miss Hamilton said.

"The main thing about being at home is that being in year 12 we're expected, and it's necessary to do a lot of study outside of school hours," she said.

"So I sit for six hours during the school day, and then I sit at the same place for hours afterwards, there's not much to differentiate my own study with my school work.

"It's hard to keep motivated that way so I've been trying to change my location every so often.

"I really miss going to the library or being able to study with my friends."

In particular, the 18-year-old has faced the biggest challenges studying chemistry, biology and Advanced English without the input of her peers.

"Learning new topics has been really hard because you don't get those incidental answers to other's questions you would normally get in the classroom," she said.

"Explanation is a big part of the study, it's not just reading the content and learning it.

"We don't get to have those discussions that would come up when someone asks a question."

But the brave new world of online learning has not been all bad.

"It does depend on the class though. In maths, when I don't have my friends around, I can get stuck in and get more done at home," Miss Hamilton said.

"But then my mum and my sister are home too, so there's always a distraction.

"If they're getting a snack or something, we'll stop and chat then it's hard to get back into it."

For now, at least, Miss Hamilton is preparing to make it the new normal.