The future of the HSC exams is under the spotlight as the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) calls for an end to state-specific matriculation exams.

The IEAA said a standardised test would provide easier avenues for students to study outside their state and that states are currently competing against each other for international students.

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Dubbo Christian School acting principal Leighton Brown said he was unsure if standard end of high school tests would work.

"Standardised testing across Australia has its merits, but we can't get our states talking to each other about COVID," he said.

Mr Brown said he would however like to students' assessment and portfolio work to contribute towards a greater proportion of their final mark.

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Since half-yearly exams were axed a few years ago he said Year 12 students have less opportunities to become familiar with an exam setting and associated stress.

"Now it's just the trial exams and then straight into the HSC," he said.

"Not every kid is going to perform well under exam conditions.

"If they [HSC exams] were worth 25 per cent instead of 50 per cent that'd be good."

St Stanislaus' College head Lindsay Luck agreed that a more holistic approach to a students' abilities could be gained if exams were not such a large proportion of the overall mark.

"The COVID-19 pandemic was a chance for authorities to re-think the HSC exams entirely," he said.

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"This is an opportunity to look at what we get out of the final exams in such a short space of time.

"We could look at doing different assessments and a portfolio of work.

"The government has seen fit to return some autonomy to schools and the best person to make judgement of a student's growth is their teacher and their school."

While James Sheahan Catholic High School principal Peter Meers said there was a place for HSC exams.

"I still think it's good to have a HSC and it's important to have a leaving credential that's recognised in NSW and across Australia," he said.

"A lot of parents want their child to have an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank], but really it's only relevant for the first few years out of school."

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Mr Meers said a good ATAR result has become less relevant to some universities with many of them accepting students based on interviews, aptitude and school records.

"It gives a holistic view of a student and it can reflect their contribution to the community and it gives a broader recognition of their abilities," he said.

"The place of an ATAR is now being questioned."