Hint and tips for exam revision

Dec 17, 2011 by blackbook

For those teenagers taking exams in January; GCSE & A-level, the Christmas holidays may not be something to look forward to. With all the revision to be done plus GCSE essays and A-level essays to be written for their coursework there won’t be much time to enjoy the Christmas break.

Revision isn’t that hard, if you have the right approach to it, below are some tips for successful revising:

Set a revision timetable and stick to it as much as you can
If you need silence to concentrate then go somewhere quite to work and tell family and friends too
If music helps, make a suitable playlist which will last the time you need to revise
Revise sections at a time, topic by topic
Take a break when you need to or set, break times in your timetable
Don’t get bogged down with details, learn key points but don’t ignore topics if you struggle, take more time with these if you need help ask for it, you can easily check details online with teaching aides.

If you have both revision and coursework to do, then timetable them so you’re doing a mixture. A break from intensive studying with coursework will give you a break and will also mean you don’t get behind, leaving either the revision or coursework to last. Just like revision you need to be organised with your coursework, so before you start you need to ensure you have all the information you need and references. Don’t be tempted to copy from the internet, this will be noticed, if your struggling to write, check out some online sample essays to give you guidance.

Finally before your exams make sure you are thoroughly prepared:

Get enough sleep the night before, last minute cramming won’t help if you’re tired it probably won’t sink in
Try not to worry about the exam or over think it, stay relaxed
Make sure you have everything you need for the exam, before you leave the house
Put on a watch so you can always keep on top of the time
When in the exam listen to/read the instructions
Work out the time needed for your questions, especially if there are essay questions so you don’t rush
If you are struggling with some questions leave them to the end and answer the ones you know, then you can spend time when you have answered the ones you can looking at the ones you don’t remember

Good Luck!