In today’s blog, I will be sharing 4 top tips for exam success.
As we dive into the final episode of our Studying 101 blog series, I am keen to share with you 4 final tips that will help make your exam season more manageable, successful, and maybe… just maybe… even enjoyable!
A quick reminder that all of our Studying 101 blogs can be found here:
Table of Contents:
- The study habits that are counterproductive (I dish the deets on why)
1.1 Re-reading
1.2 Highlighting
1.3 Summarising/Making notes - How to remember more: Encoding
2.1 Chunking
2.2 Mnemonics
2.3 Self Referencing - The study methods that do help
3.1 Spaced Repetition
3.2 Blurting - Organising your time
- How to overcome Performance anxiety
- Dealing with anxiety
4 Top Tips for Exam Season Success
#1 – Set healthy boundaries for the exam season
You don’t need to become a Zombie while revising for your exams.
Many students fall on either side of a spectrum: ‘I will not study until the end, then I will cram’ or, ‘I will only study and forget about everything else.’
The first thought will not allow you to succeed because cramming is trying to memorise information. This is a poor method for retention, as learned in the blog Studying 101: 3 Encoding Skills You Need To Know.
The second thought can make you feel resentful; it might even have you making sacrifices for your own wellbeing. If you are not happy and healthy, your brain can not function at its best and you will still not excel in your exams.
So what can you do?
Set healthy boundaries.
Understand what these exams mean to you.
- Do they all hold the same weight?
- Are you realistically trying for a 9 or just a 4?
- What is the impact of these exams on your future? Your legacy?
Understanding these questions is the start of creating healthy boundaries.
Download the ebook to help create a healthy and happy exam season
#2 – Make a plan for exam success
The plan may or may not be the one you stick to, but making a plan will help to provide direction and structure.
Great things don’t happen because of motivation.
The greatest difference between failure and success is one more try.
So have a plan that maps out how long, when, and what you’ll be studying.
Check out our suggested exam planning tips on our previous blog: Top 3 Practical Tips to Smash your GCSE Exams
#3 – Reflect on your studying preferences
Make it an enjoyable setup.
If you know that you will crave a calm and solitary study space, then opt-out of study groups and make your desk a solitary haven.
If you know you would go crazy if it was too quiet, find a space that provides minimal background noise with no distraction.
Bring in some plants for something of interest to look at and reflect upon.
Ensure it has the right lighting and a comfortable seat.
Use the pens and notebooks that you love.
Have a healthy snack and a drink with you to avoid unnecessary procrastination.
#4 Start where you need to – not at the beginning
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed in preparing for GCSEs because we acknowledge that it covers content from Year 9…
Immediately we think that we need to go back and revise everything.
Don’t fall into this trap!
You don’t need to study something you may already know.
Instead, begin with a practise test.
This will highlight what it is you feel super confident with and can leave for longer-spaced revisions.
It will also become clear what you don’t know and need to spend time learning and encoding.
Conclusion
There you have it, our top 4 tips to enjoying exam season.
If your child is preparing for an upcoming exam and you’d like to discuss 1-1 tuition, please feel free to get in touch.
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