Exams, exams, exams. Drawing nearer to that deadline and still have not covered the whole topic you are being tested on? Feeling stressed because you feel like you know the topic well but still might not do so well in the test? Well, this month's article is focusing on the best ways to revise for your exams with advice from year 10 students from “Walthamstow School for Girls” who are currently preparing for the upcoming GCSE examinations in year 11.  

For starters, it is good to revise not only when you know you have a test coming up, but whenever you feel you need to freshen up on the subject. If you prepare for a test even a few weeks earlier, you will have more time to remember everything and will be less worried about whether you have enough time to learn it all. From experience, I know that it is best to focus when you are in class; learn the topic in school and revise it at home. For Sara, one of the students who was interviewed, the best way to revise is by “making notes on the topic (could be on a cue card or in a notebook) and continuously go over them.” This indeed is a particularly good way to revise, as you can take the cue cards anywhere you go and can revise them in your spare time. Now, it is true that you can lose motivation to revise and become exhausted, that is why it is vital to take breaks. Furthermore, Sara believes you should “My best advice is to try and keep motivated, revising can be draining but if you understand what you are studying and you learn, it's worth it.” The internet can also be immensely helpful for your revision as there are many past papers out there that can prepare you for questions that are like the ones that will end up on your test; the four students interviewed both recommended watching the “freesciencelessons” YouTube videos since they are excellent in explaining each element of the different topics you will cover in science – it also includes triple science lessons. To add to this, two of the students included the website “Seneca” as a go-to for revision- you can find every course there from French to history to maths! One of the students who advised you use this website, named Lily, also admits to revising “hardly ever” she says, “a couple of days before the test is when I start”. However, when she is later asked about helpful tips, she says “Start early and commit- don’t just write notes look at them and try to learn/remember some stuff”. 

 It is true that we all have our ways of revising but it is never too late to try something new and to improve on this skill; like all things, you will get better at it with time, and it is important not to worry too much- it is all right to be nervous but do not let it get the best of you. As Belgian- American poet May Sarton once said, “Revision is not going back and fussing around, but going forward into the process of creation.”