I personally would have never thought that this pandemic would ever lead us to have online exams, especially since we haven’t talked face-to-face to our teachers and classmates in a very long time. I understand that it must be very overwhelming for everyone to properly prepare for the assessments so here are some tips which we hope will help you get that A* you’ve been working really hard to get!
- Take notes during/after class
It’s always best to take some notes during or after class as it can be extremely helpful during exam season and it’s best to take them earlier as you’ll be less under pressure. Note that taking over-complicated notes isn’t going to help you in any way whatsoever. Instead, try and take notes that make sense to you, it doesn’t matter whether they’re long or short. You’ll definitely thank yourself when the time comes.
- Review your notes before your lesson begins
If you have time, quickly try and skim through your notes before your lesson begins. It refreshes your memory and better prepares you for your lesson. It’s also a great way to keep yourself up to date with all of your topics.
- Stay organized
Ensure that your workspace is neat and tidy and that you remember where you placed everything. Also, make sure that you’re up to date with all of your assignments. At the end of each school day, I always like to make myself a checklist just to remind myself of the homework assignments I need to complete throughout the week. Trust me, it really helps.
- Avoid hanging out with friends too much
You might want to try to avoid any sort of gatherings with your friends for the time being, and instead, perhaps use that extra time to revise and ensure that all your assignments are completed.
- Avoid the use of social media/video games
I know that going on social media and playing video games can get a little too addicting, especially when you’re supposed to study, so perhaps you could set a time limit, e.g an hour or so per day. I know that for some of you an hour may seem too little, but the only way to really get good grades is to keep revising, and you want good grades, don’t you?
- Spend some time reviewing the subjects you’re not confident with
Make sure that you set some time aside to review the subjects you’re struggling with and don’t be afraid to ask your teachers questions about the topics you’re having difficulty with, they’re there to help!
- Work on some past papers
Past paper questions help you understand how the questions are structured and what is expected of you in the exam. It really helps to go through some of them so that you’re familiar with the important questions when it comes to the exam.
- Quiz yourself
Once you have finished reviewing your notes, try quizzing yourself just to test how well you really know the topic. You could also get someone else to quiz you if it helps!
- Take a break!
Stop putting so much pressure on yourself! Take a break and relax, it’s going to be okay, you’ll get through it. If you’ve spent a good amount of time revising and reviewing your notes then there’s really nothing to worry about!
- Make sure you get enough sleep
It’s obviously really hard to get the right amount of sleep when it’s our exams period. I don’t think everybody understands how important it is for our body! Lack of sleep has a very negative impact on your memory, causing you to slowly forget what you have studied the night before. In addition to that, you won’t be able to concentrate on your exam questions; especially the ones that require a lot of thinking. Sleep helps the mind absorb and retain all the information you reviewed during your revision session. Get yourself some rest and set an alarm to remind yourself of your bedtime. No excuses! It will be very useful if you’re willing to perform well.
We wish everyone the best of luck! 🙂
