uk-studying:

Welcome to the season of blood, sweat and tears! (if you’re a kpop fan, I love you) 
As the dreaded exam season approaches, we’re all becoming anxious about if what we’re doing is enough for our exams or that we’re not going to pass and that our lives are a failure. Take a deep breath.

We’ve got some tips on a good way to approach your exams which can hopefully help you feel more at ease. (We’ve even put times on them!)

One Month Before:

• Make sure you have your notes written or re-written. If you haven’t finished your course yet, ensure that you save time to get those notes memorized as well.
  
• If you don’t have a study group, try and form one! They’re a great way of keeping each other on track while the exam season approaches.
  
• Look on your exam board for past paper questions and mark yourself against mark schemes and examiner reports. You can also take them into your teachers to get marked as well. It’s important that they’re done under timed conditions, it will help you get used to writing them in the exam.

One Week Before:

• Make smaller, concise notes such as flashcards or a quiz to remember the fundamentals and get friends/family to quiz you.
  
• Focus on the topics you find hardest, rather than starting at the beginning of your course.
• Ensure you have a calendar prepared for when your exams are, it will be a lifesaver to know the days you can use to revise.
  
• MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL EQUIPMENT, if not make sure you buy it now. Chances are they may not have something you need in your exam. 
  
• Make sure you are regularly taking breaks, please don’t forget to take care of yourself when your exam season starts.

The Night Before:

• This is your ideal time to panic. Flush it all out!
  
• Don’t cram, it will fly out of your brain faster than you try to put it in.
• Drink some tea/coffee and get an early night’s rest. Put on your favourite netflix show, make yourself feel comfortable. It will help your nerves in the morning.
• Again, make sure you have your equipment. If you’re missing something, your local supermarket will be open in the morning to run to.

The Morning Before:

• Eat breakfast and try to get to school earlier than you usually do.
• Check your equipment again, make sure you have everything for your exam.
  
• Pop in to see your teacher for some last minute words of wisdom and encouragement. They also can remind you of something you might struggle on during the exam.
  
• Go over some last minute info that you think you’ll need for your exam. Don’t break out all your notes.
  
• PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PEE. (Cool story: I sat through my Religious Studies GCSE with a full bladder, wasn’t fun!)
  

During The Exam:

• Listen to what your chief examiner is saying before the exam begins. They could say something vital to the exam such as an error that needs correcting.
  
• CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT IF YOU HAVEN’T. This is probably your last chance to get something without disturbing your exam time. Layout all of your equipment on the table so that it’s easily accessible.
• Take deep breaths, take a cool mint and drink some water. It’s vital that you are somewhat calm before the exam begins.
  
• Focus on the questions you find easiest first. It will help you build confidence with the exam and think about harder questions as you go through.
  
• Writing assessment objectives and essay plans next to questions can help as you can cross them off as you write.
• If you’re working with time constraints, make sure to keep an eye on the time once in a while. Otherwise, don’t bother looking at the clock.
  
• If you do find yourself getting stressed and it affects your reading of the question, you’re allowed to ask an invigilator to read the question for you.

Whether it’s GCSEs or A Levels, we wish you the best of luck with your exams and we know what you’re going through too. We can all do this!

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