May marks the start of the GCSE period, as students all over the country prepare to take their most important exams to date; and as the date of the first exam looms closer, stress levels begin to rise.
But the stress can be managed! Here are some top tips:
1) Keep calm - try to minimise stress by meditating or doing some mindfulness when you have some free time.
2) Balance your social life and revision so that you don't feel overworked or too stressed. Make sure that you allocate yourself some time to relax or go out with friends.
3) Take revision breaks - studies have shown that the majprity of people cannot concentrate for more than 20/30 minutes at a time. To make your revision sessions more productive, make sure that you have plenty of breaks so that you take in information more easily.
4) Do not focus on the number of hours you spend revising in a day, try to focus more on the quality of your work.
5) Make sure that you get enough sleep - do not try and cram or pull an 'all-nighter' in order to study for an exam; you are more likely to do less well in an exam because your brain has been overworked.
6) Set aims for yourself when revising, and reward yourself when you have achieved them!
7) Finally, DO NOT panic! - although GCSEs are important they will not necessarily limit your opportunities if they do not go to plan, but rather they will enhance them if they do.
Two months of exams will pass by very quickly and once they do, then you can say that you survived your GCSEs!
By Giorgia Merighi
Francis Holland School SW1
