Structural Formulae

[Chazef]

Should I bother learning how to draw the tetrahedral formation of hydrocarbons when it comes to structural formulae, because it seems like there are a heap of rules to it which the textbook never mentions (such as where the hydrogens go depending on the position of a carbon in the chain). I can't really visualise how to get maximum repulsion between all the atoms and I'd  much rather use the non-tetrahedral form.

[brightsky]

I'm pretty sure you are not required to do so. Usually, drawing simply a straight chain of carbons with hydrogens attached will suffice.

[Graphite]

Should I bother learning how to draw the tetrahedral formation of hydrocarbons when it comes to structural formulae, because it seems like there are a heap of rules to it which the textbook never mentions (such as where the hydrogens go depending on the position of a carbon in the chain). I can't really visualise how to get maximum repulsion between all the atoms and I'd  much rather use the non-tetrahedral form.

It's usually very simple unless you are referring to using wedges and dashes to show 3D orientation. Tetrahetral is simply the chicken feet orientation in 2D.

I'm not quite sure if it matters because Faye Jeffery once said "you're not really showing the orientation when drawing straight chains" but then she is an assessor and not the examiner.

[Reckoner]

Straight chains are fine; I did them and wasn't penalised.   

[Hancock]

I can vouch that straight chains were fine for VCE even though NEAP said that they weren't. Skeletal formula (couldn't remember the name, but wiki'd it) is used in University Chemistry.