The NSW Board of Studies is expecting hundreds of illness and misadventure applications from HSC students disrupted by bushfires.
Chief executive Carol Taylor says students have had to endure school closures, mid-exam evacuations and interrupted study since the bushfires began.
Some have suffered health problems as a result of the smokey conditions.
But she added students struggling to get through their exams in the midst of the emergency are learning important life lessons.
"They're getting a first-hand experience of having to prioritise things and that their wellbeing, their safety, their family comes first," she told AAP.
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"The kids appear to be coping very, very well."
Maths exams were held on Tuesday, with foreign language and industrial technology to follow on Wednesday when conditions are predicted to turn diabolical.
All schools across the Blue Mountains will be closed on Wednesday because of the forecast conditions.
A spokeswoman for the Board of Studies said students in the area can sit their exams at any school.
However, if they are isolated or in danger they should stay safe, miss the exam and make an illness and misadventure application.
