Read on for Tips about Exam Preparation

May 8, 2017

• Effective Revision

Exams are a stressful time for everyone, for yourself, your parents and even your teachers. The key to make it less stressful is to make yourself as prepared as you can for this period and feel confident about your abilities.

1. Although exams start near the end of the academic year it is important to start your preparation early. From the very beginning of the year make sure you work hard, do your homework and ask questions about things you don’t understand. If you miss lessons for any reason make sure you catch up as soon as possible. You do not want to start revising and realise you don’t have all the notes you need.
2. Start early. The early you start the easier it will be for you later. Don’t start too heavy though, ease yourself into revising gently and don’t go too long without a few minutes break.
3. Get all the stationary you need before you start. One trip to the shops to get pens, highlighters, flashcards, etc. at the beginning of the revision period means less time is wasted later. Ensure you have all you need before you start a revision session.
4. Eat healthily and drink lots of water. Eating the right food can help you concentrate for longer and so work more efficiently. Keeping hydrated can also have a similar effect. It may be worth having a class of water and a healthy snack next to you whenever you are revising.
5. Keep doing sports. Revision time is not a good time to stop doing sport. You should try (within reason) to continue being active. Not only should you take it as a good relaxing break but it has been shown that those who exercise work more efficiently. It is not the time spent doing revision which is important, what’s more important is how efficiently you use this time.
6. Make a schedule. Get an overall view of how long you have before the exams. Make sure you know when the exams are and so you have plenty of time to revise before them. Plan each week and know what you are going to do each day.
7. Split each subjects into smaller chunks. This makes it easier to learn as it is in smaller sections and helps ensure you do not spend a large chunk of your time on the small subject. It is good to swap regularly between them for the most efficient revision.
8. Practise exam paper and techniques. Most schools will give you access to past exam papers and it is worth doing them in timed conditions to see how much time you have in exams. If you do essay subjects, it worth practising writing essay plans and making sure you can write them well in the time allotted. If you can get hold of examiners reports and answers t is again worth your time to look through them to see the type of thing they look for in your answers.
9. Find out what type of learner you are to get efficient revision. Some people learn best from simply reading and writing the things they have to learn. For others they have to physically do something, kinetic learners. Work out what suits you best for efficient revision. Also make sure you have some variation on your revision techniques so you don’t do the same thing over and over. It will make it more enjoyable if you do different things. If you enjoy what you are doing you are more likely to remember what you are trying to learn.
10. The night before the exam, pack everything you will need for the exam and prepare the clothes you will wear. The less things you have to work about in the morning, the less stressed you will be in the exam.
11. On the day, start with a good breakfast. You don’t want to get to the exam and be hungry throughout. Also, try and avoid people who are too nervous. This will only make you more nervous and less likely to perform well in the exam. It doesn’t matter how much time other people have spent revising. What counts is how much time you have spent and you are happy with what you have done.

Exams are a stressful time, it’s completely normal to be nervous about them. But of you take these tips and use them well you should be prepared for the exam and hopefully achieve what you are capable of.

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