Olivia from our Sixth Form shares some tips for exam season.

As the exam season approaches, I thought I would share tips and tricks that I have learnt over the years.

I have found the best way to get everything done is to plan it out before you start. This should not take up much of your time and doesn’t need to be too complex however it needs to be realistic. Don’t say you will only need an hour on notes for a subject if you haven’t even started on the notes. This may be too late to say now but write your notes as you go or else it can be very overwhelming throughout Half Term and also leads you to focus too much on notes. 50% of your revision time should be spent doing practice questions and past papers and the rest on notes and corrections.

If you are studying languages the best ways to revise it is to constantly listen to music or watch movies in the languages, you are studying. This really drums it into your head, and it is more fun than q cards, so you are more likely to sit down a watch a film. Another good resource is Quizlet which allows you to create your own q cards online.

For subjects such as the sciences and maths, the main recommendation I would give is exam practice. This allows you to easily identify which topics you lack knowledge in. Geography requires you to know many case studies and facts therefore a lot of recall in required this is more easily revised with a family member using q cards or fast fire questions. History and RS is time pressured therefore practising essay questions under a time limit will help you excel in the exam and maybe give you more time to plan before you start writing.

Whilst you are revising there are few things you should remember that will keep you productive. Always take breaks to go on a walk, eat food or just relax for a bit, if you don’t take breaks this will lead to you struggling to focus and be motivated.

Stay positive and keep working! Good luck everyone in their exams after half term.