The UK exam season started in May and it will end in June.
Children up and down the country will be worrying about how to get the best grades and how to study for these exams.
University of Newcastle graduate, Tom Merson, spoke in great length about how he prepared for his Music theory exam.
Here are five top revision tips to help you through this period:
1. Write a revision plan
It is important to try and organise yourself in such a way that you can allocate your time to each of your subjects to an equal amount.
Creating a timetable of when you should focus on each individual subject can be the make or break for your overall results.
Tom adds, “It feels like a job – having this timetable feels like a commitment to follow, which was so important for me during my preparation for this exam.”
2. Have an idea on exactly what it is you are getting assessed on
Making sure you know exactly what you should be focusing upon for your exams will make it a lot easier.
If you go into too much detail on something that might not be necessary, you are wasting valuable time where you could be doing important revision.
Merson stated that “doublechecking what I needed to write about for my exam allowed me valuable time for my revision, but more importantly, it allowed me more time for myself.”
3. Use online revision resources
Utilising sites such as BBC Bitesize or Quizlet will allow you to fully prepare for your exams.
BBC Bitesize will allow you to easily access digestible facts at a sudden notice.
We all know revision isn't easy, here are some ways you can support your teen through this time.
— BBC Bitesize (@bbcbitesize) May 21, 2023
Quizlet is a great tool for creating online flashcards to note down this information.
“It might sound odd, but watching YouTube videos and writing notes from what they say was crucial to me achieving my degree.”
4. Have a go at past exam papers
Pearson has multiple tests that you can take from previous academic years for your subjects.
This will give a good idea on what style of questions could be asked during your actual exam.
“I used a site called ABRSM that gave me access to multiple music theory tests.
“Making note of the structure of the questions and looking at successful answers was very important for when I actually took my exams.”
5. Practice time-management
There are many written exams that require you to write a large amount of words in a shorter period of time.
Make sure that you time-manage so that you don’t waste too much valuable seconds on each section of your exam.
Practicing time-management effectively will allow you to relieve some stress for your actual assessments.
“Personally, I am awful at time-management and it is definitely something I would recommend to anyone doing their exams.
“Although I still achieved a 2:1, I feel like I could have done much better if I practised time management skills.”
These tips should take a huge load of your back and this will allow you to destress in what can be a difficult time for students.
