Revision Tips - How To Stay Calm

Hi guys,

So, it's coming up to the time of the year where we have the exam period. Usually, this results in us getting extremely stressed, staying up til 11pm the night before trying to cram in any last minute information and all in all, isn't a fun time.

I'm hoping these tips I've put together will vaguely help those of you not knowing where to start, and those of you who are extremely stressed. So, let's get going!

1) Make notes YOU understand

This sounds a bit strange, but your revision won't properly go in until you have notes you can interpret. A tip for this - discover what type of learner you are. 

There are a few types - visual (where you take in notes best from mindmaps, flashcards, colourful diagrams), sound (make notes on your phone and listen back to them), and by notes (bullet point lists in biro). To discover what type you are, try and make notes in all forms over a few days, and see which one makes the information go in best!

Just because your friend is making notes in black biro in a massive list, doesn't mean you need to copy them - make it in your own style.

2) Little and often

Don't cram in 8 months worth of work the night before your first paper. Try and do around half an hour of testing yourself, and then relax for half an hour - whether it's going on youtube, playing a game or going out the house for a bit, it'll help free your brain up, relax you and really help in the long run. It is the best way to get that boring information in there, promise!

3) Use colour

I find using coloured pens so useful, as they inspire you to actually look at the page and learn the info, rather than you looking at a load of boring black pen notes (although if you learn in that way, that is equally fine).

I make flashcards with questions and terminology on one side, then the answers/definitions on the other. This means your text is broken down into bits, and is much less intimidating than looking at large chunks of text.

I also find mindmaps are so useful - again, you've got the key information, but it's condensed into a form you can easily take it. Plus, they are quite nice to make and pretty to look at!

4) Breathe.

I am aware this is easier said than done (I myself am starting to feel a bit unnerved as we approach the 3 week mark until my exams), but stay calm. Think positive thoughts - "I can do this", "I know this", "it'll be over soon", "I'm going to smash this". 

When you go into that exam hall, make sure you've got a clear water bottle with you, and just sit down, focus and don't freak out - if you do this, you're likely to mess up or forget something. (I did this in my GCSE's last year - although I somehow got an A in that subject when I did the wrong section on the paper, it is not recommended!)

You'll be great, go smash it! Good luck:)

Love,

Katy x