The Winter and Summer terms are most dreaded by hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. Students are in a constant state of anxiety and stress as they navigate through the murky waters of examinations. After what seems like a leisurely cruise through school, being made to do a multitude of exams in a short time period is fun for absolutely nobody. It is the added pressure of time and having set expectations that can make this experience worse, as surely exams are purely a set of unseen questions testing one’s knowledge. This ultimately does not sound terrible, although past experiences may tell otherwise. Therefore, I’ve collated my best few tips on handling examinations from my own experiences over the past few years.

 

Know what you know, and what you don’t!

 

No matter how insecure you may feel with a certain subject, you’ll always have the one chapter that you can manage. In this way, the converse is also true. Taking the time to rate topics in chapters from a scale of 1-5 (1 = do not know, 5 = know very well), or RAG assessing (Red, Amber, Green) subunits, really give an insight into what you need to focus on the most.

 

Get everything down on paper.

 

Once you know what topics to focus on, and even what subjects to spend a longer/shorter time on, write everything you know down. It may be daunting to write a plan/timetable out of nowhere, so this does help. You could make a mindmap for each subject with branches being chapters and successive branches being topics to revise. Since revision varies, write down what you will do to revise for that specific topic. For example, I have two English Literature papers, one on Shakespeare and the other on poetry. Next to Shakespeare I write ‘Requires more time, past papers, key quotes list’, and for poetry I’d write ‘Fairly confident, mindmaps, revision videos and essay plans’. 

 

Another thing to do is to write realistic goals on paper. For me, this was to write a minimum, expected and maximum list of grades I’d like, or to recognise what topics I may do well in compared to others. This is something that can bring you optimism and happiness, and so could motivate you further. Malaikah Zahid, a Year 10 student of Gumley House Convent School, commented on how she feels that "being able to envision my goals and what I have to do in order to get them helps me to start my revision, and looking back at what I've written keeps me motivated".

 

Begin to plan a day-to-day itinerary.

 

This tip is a follow-on from the previous one. Timetables may not always be followed accurately, which is absolutely fine, but making one gives you an idea of what to do and when, keeping you motivated. Some may prefer to make a weekly timetable in which you have a set amount of hours to do revision whilst retaining a healthy balance. Others may choose to write a day’s to-do list on the day itself, or write lists for 2 days in a go instead of a whole week. This was what I preferred, and is truly helpful for people with uncertain schedules. For either option, you could allocate a set time (For example, 10-11am, Chemistry Paper 1 Chapter 4 questions), or you could set a time limit (‘Biology Questions = 2hrs’). Try out a few different methods, and see what works optimally for you!

 

Find out what methods of revision work best for you.

 

Revision could be comparable to fingerprints, no two people have the same ways of revising. There are a plethora of methods out there, and it is crucial to know what you prefer. Some common methods include mindmaps, flashcards and making condensed notes in a way only you understand (I was able to fit the entire specification for some subjects into just a few pages for last minute reading). There is no extremely effective method overall, but as long as the revision consists of active recalling and testing in whatever method, you should be good to go. Do note that you may have to use different methods of revision for different subjects  as learning and memorising for these involve focusing on various aspects of the topics. Using online flashcards may work well for learning foreign vocabulary, mindmaps may be of assistance to use for logical and scientific subjects where one event leads to another. Learning key quotations for essay-based subjects could lead to you repeating quotes and explaining them out loud with little to no help. You may even go as far as teaching a subject to help you revise it! 

 

The internet is your friend.

 

For most of my subjects, I found textbooks and revision guides quite unhelpful. Instead, I’d scour the internet for videos, summary notes, compilation of past questions and past papers to help me revise. There are so many readily available resources on the internet which we should utilise to our full advantage. 

 

Past papers are also your friend.

 

Past papers and questions are unarguably amazing methods of study. New exam questions do not tend to deviate far from previous ones, and mark schemes provide you with exam keywords that will secure you the marks. A useful way of doing past papers is: do the question without the mark scheme; this goes without saying but is quite a common habit, mark your answers honestly; examiners can be harsh and they won’t quite understand what you’re saying if your answer isn’t clear, even if you get an answer right, write down alternative answers when marking; you are more likely to remember an answer to a specific question if you’ve been exposed to various answers rather than remembering one only, on some paper, note down similarities in mark scheme answers so that your final answer is most similar to that on the mark scheme; for example the ‘Bonding’ chapter in Chemistry was dependant on wording, and so it is important to word answers correctly and use technological vocabulary. Spending half your revision time doing questions is quite effective, as exams look for your application of knowledge rather than just what the textbook says.

 

Be sensible with your routine.

 

As you may’ve already noticed, great revision includes keeping equilibrium in all aspects of it. Something that can be quite overlooked is your mental health before and during exams. Do not overwork yourself, this can be quite counterproductive and lead to even more procrastination. Taking healthy breaks in which you may do something to alleviate stress, for example, going on a walk, eating an energising snack, listening to music that makes you happy, can motivate you even further and allow in a positive mindset towards revision. If you picture revision and exams as something terrible, this can put you off doing them, which isn’t the best way to think as you will have to do the exams regardless. Doing a past paper then taking a 30-60 minute break allows you to have an attention span similar to that which the exam requires you to have, but also gives you a chance to rest. Therefore, plan fun activities to do throughout the weeks, and if your situation allows you to, have a few days of no work to fully reenergise. 

 

Similarly, try to avoid a situation that may cause panic before an exam. For example, you want to go out for an entire evening but have two exams the following day which you are not too confident in and would like to have a decent try at them. Do not fully restrict yourself from fun, instead of the full evening, go out for an hour then return for last minute revision. This way, you are less likely to miss out on much needed sleep.

 

Sleep!!

 

We have all been in the situation where the clock has just struck midnight, and you still have heaps of work left to do. Whatever may have lead to this situation needs to be ignored as the past has disintegrated away. Cramming can work for some in emergency situations, but when you have to choose over sleep or work, it is wise to choose sleep. If you just have 20 minutes of revision left to do on a crucial topic you are sure will come up, you can stay up for that time, but then go to sleep straight afterwards. It is always beneficial to enter the exam hall with a clear and rested mind than with a foggy, sleepless brain. The odd five hours of sleep night may not be harmful, but repeating this behaviour will prove to be tiring and unsuccessful.

 

On the day of the exam.

 

It is ok to be nervous, everyone is. This is a time for last minute consolidation, such as reading from your mark scheme guides. It may not be best to learn a new topic the day of an exam, as this can worry you even more and have potentially negative impacts. I’d usually take in one/two sides of A4 paper with the topics I find the hardest to remember in the simplest ways I can represent them to keep my mind clear. Being accepting of the fact that you still find a topic confusing is better than stressing over it, as this happens to us all. 

 

When doing the exam, it is worth it to read the full question, as the questions often give hints as to what to write as your answer. It is also a good idea to spend the amount of marks in minutes for each question. If you cannot answer something, circle the question and come back to it later, for this is far better than wasting time on something you cannot answer straightaway. Returning with a clear mind and starting over may just get you at least one mark, which is more than none. If you have time left over, check the questions you could confidently answer to secure marks. Then, check other answers and see if you have done anything wrong or could make your answer better.

 

Once you have left the exam hall, it is a common occurrence to be swarmed in multiple conversations about the test. If you are happy with talking about it, go ahead and do so! If not, you can walk away from the conversation or simply state your wish to not discuss the paper. Even if you are subject to hearing/discussing answers and have begun to doubt yourself, remember that you cannot change the paper or what you have written. So instead of stressing, take pride in the fact that you did the paper, and that you look forward to the next few papers! Don’t forget to treat yourself either, this could be watching your favourite movies or going out to eat something you enjoy. 

 

Do not hesitate to seek help.

 

Exams are masters at causing worries, and this can have an adverse effect on us at times. If you are having difficulties with the idea of exams, or just want to speak to someone about them, it is advisable to do so. Sometimes having someone to listen and/or offer advice can make you feel a lot more comfortable with the idea of doing something such as exams. This can include asking teachers to go over topics a few times, or getting teachers to mark work. This could also be speaking to a trusted adult or friend in times of need. Seeking guidance is never a bad thing, it is highly recommended!

 

Be proud of yourself and enter exam season with a positive mindset! Be resilient, and you’ll get through these exams! Wishing all exam takers the very best of luck.