Despite the fact that exams aren't the most important things that will ever happen to you, it's natural to want to do well in them. It can be so hard to stay focused on everything and actually have the motivation to work hard- so here's a selection of tips that seem to have worked for me in the past!
ORGANISE your revision. It's never a bad idea to make a revision timetable- this allows you to plan your time effectively and leaves less chance of getting distracted too much. There are plenty of ways to make a revision timetable- you can make one yourself on paper, use Microsoft Excel or use a site such as
Get Revising - whichever you choose, make sure to stick to your plan as far as possible.
USE every reliable resource you can find. Books from your local library, practice papers and notes from your school and websites like
Get Revising and
BBC Bitesize can all help you- so use them!
ASK your teacher questions. If there's anything that you're the slightest bit unsure about, don't hesitate to ask your teacher(or, if they're unavailable, an alternative teacher from the same department). Even if you feel like it's a small question, get help! You never know, that small part you're unsure about may come up in the exam!
ELIMINATE distractions. Turn off your phone, log out of social media on other devices you might be using for revision and try to do your work somewhere quiet- if home is too loud, your school or local library could be suitable.
REST between blocks of studying. Studying non stop is worse than not studying at all- your brain can only concentrate fully for around 45 minutes. Plan your revision in blocks, taking a 15 minute break for every 45 minutes you work. It's up to you how to spend your break- you could get something to eat, listen to music, or if you've done a bigger block of revision to complete a practice paper, taking a walk to get some fresh air is a good idea.
MAKE revision materials. Invest in some cards so that you can have physical flashcards- these are perfect for learning pretty much anything- in particular quotes with analysis for subjects such as English and definitions of words for subjects like biology or business management. I use
these cards, as they aren't too expensive but have plenty of room and are quite sturdy. Another good revision material you can easily make is posters. However big or small they are, posters are a really good way of bringing together all your information to one place. The majority of my posters are made on A3 paper- which you can buy
here. Colour coding your posters and flashcards can work really well- for example if you're studying a novel and make a poster on characterisation, use one colour per character.
