Preparing for exams can be a stressful time but there are some strategies and stress management techniques that you can try out to help stay calm and focused. The more you prepare, the more ready you will feel when it gets closer to your exams, so the sooner you get into exam preparation mode, the better.

Below are some top tips that might help you to feel prepared as you head into the exam period:

What is effective revision?

In order to remember something, you really must think about it. Just reading through notes, watching a revision video on YouTube, or listening to a recording of the key information is not enough. This is because your brain doesn’t have to try very hard. Re-reading, watching or listening on their own are passive activities. For information to stick, you need to actively do something with it – so turn the information you’ve read, watched or listened to into something else. A mind-map, flash cards, a practice answer, whatever works for you! Taking information from a source, processing it, and turning it into something else will help you to recall it better. After an effective 45-minute revision session, you should feel tired – you will need that break!

Self-test, regularly

Research shows that testing in order to recall content is the best way of getting us to think hard. Thinking about and getting the answer is much better than re-reading notes. The more we recall information the better it sticks in our long-term memory. Use strategies such as look, cover, write, check followed by quizzing yourself where possible.

Past Papers

Regularly complete past exam questions without your notes. Simply trying to recall answers to mind is an effective revision technique. After completing a paper, use your notes and add to your answers using a different coloured pen. Finally, use the mark scheme to review your answers and add missed detail. You can use a third colour pen for this purpose. This technique not only makes you think hard, but it also creates a bank of model answers. Over time you will notice the balance of colour change in favour of your independent answers as you become less reliant on your notes and mark schemes. Past papers and mark schemes can be found on any exam board website or are available from your teachers. Completing lots of past papers will also highlight which areas you are weaker on, so you can spend more time revising these areas.

Regularly complete past exam questions without your notes. Simply trying to recall answers to mind is an effective revision technique. Afterwards, use your notes to add key information to your answers using a different coloured pen. Finally, use the mark scheme to review your answers and add any final missed detail. You can use a third colour pen for this purpose. This technique not only makes you think hard, but it also creates a bank of model answers for review. Over time, you will notice the balance of colour change in favour of your independent answers. This means that you become less reliant on your notes and mark schemes. Past papers and mark schemes can be found on any exam board website or are available from your teachers.

Talk to Others

Tell your parents or a study partner what you have learnt or are revising. Teaching others is a very effective way to learn. Once you have explained the information successfully ask them to quiz you on the subject material. You can also share your flash cards of mind maps with a parent or friend and ask them to quiz you using these resources.

Read around the subject

Even if the content is not in the exam, understanding the subject area better helps to build links which may be valuable for those higher-grade questions. Recommended documentaries, websites, TED Talks, exam board resources and can also be beneficial. Your teachers are a great starting point for additional reading.

Space it out

Distribute your practice of different subjects or different areas of a subject. Research shows that spacing out practice aids long-term memory. A revision timetable can also help with this. It allows you to plan out and organise your revision in a quick and manageable way. It allows you to set achievable targets for what you want to cover and helps you stick to your plans!

Learn keywords and definitions by heart

Learning the correct definitions in some subjects will help gain a few extra marks, so long as they use them correctly. Produce memory cards with the key word and the definition on to test them regularly.

Use memory tricks

Mnemonics, such as “Richard of York gave battle in vain” to remember the colours of the rainbow, can be a good trick to remember sequences and lists of information. Invent your own for key knowledge in specific subjects. Making them funny can be a great hook for memory! They can be a good way of helping to store larger chunks of information.

Go easy on the highlighters

Rereading and highlighting key points is not the best way to revise. Limit your use of the highlighter to command words in examination questions. This can help you to focus on the demands of the question and tailor your answer more specifically.

Sleeping, eating and hydration

Exercise is beneficial for wellbeing during examination periods, and you should not ignore this. Exercise and revision can lead to tiredness and learning is hard work, so the brain and body need plenty of fuel.

Build in breaks

Splitting up a study day into short study and rest periods can be beneficial. Remove any distractions such as computers and other media sources, especially mobile phones. These can be a reward for studying hard. It is useful to have a positive learning environment – a dedicated space that is clear and equipped for revising so there is no temptation to procrastinate.

One of our past pupils Jess did a research topic on revision techniques when she was in our Sixth Form – click here to read

Exam preparation support at Gateways

In the lead up to exams you will be working on revision sessions in your classes but there are many other ways we support pupils with exam preparation. The library is  available during school hours for revision sessions if you need to find a quiet place to study and your teachers can help you to find revision resources including past papers and videos.

As our class sizes are small, pupils have plenty of opportunities to ask for assistance with any areas they need extra support with. In addition to this, we run a range of subject ‘clinics’ and revision sessions for GCSE and A Level pupils at lunchtimes, after school and during holidays as necessary.