Getting Through Exams
I finished my exams on Friday 16th June 2017, and they have by far been the hardest part of my educational career so far. Although I have been studying all ten of my subjects intensively over the past two years, I still did not feel 100% prepared for the 24 exams which faced me.
In secondary school, I studied these ten subjects: English Literature, English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, PEARS (Philosophy, Ethics, and Religious Studies), Business Studies and IT&Computing.
My favourite subjects have been Biology, Chemistry, French, and English Literature. I am really grateful that I have a passion for school, and that I can actually enjoy the subjects that I study. This has meant that the actual doing exams has not been any easier, but the revision process has been less 'painful' and more rewarding.
Revising for twenty-four exams is never easy (unless you're some sort of super-human), but when you enjoy what you are doing, the knowledge seems to go into your brain so much easier.
Panic I remember a day before my Chemistry 1 exam freaking out that I did not know anything. Somehow I never feel prepared for Chemistry. It was then that I could feel the panic start to set in, and I just had to remember what my Chemistry teacher had told me... "Panic doesn't help. It just confuses your brain and then you will definitely forget things!" So, I started writing messy mind-maps about each topic, and it all started coming together once again.
Small gains are the key. Take everything topic by topic, and remind yourself that you do actually know things!
Rough notes in whatever form you want to on a subject can really help to make all of your knowledge come together, and allow you to consolidate all that you need to know for the exam.
Planning For me, if I do not have some sort of plan in place, I find it really difficult to do anything productive. Firstly, I wrote a list and questioned myself 'What do I need to do in the next eight hours?'.
My school did not have study leave, so maximizing my time in school and at home was extremely important. I created visual timetables to show which exam I had when and stuck it on my wall so I could always see what I was doing when. Through doing this, I could look at what I had coming up and how I would allocate my time to what subject.
Then the list came in.
So, I found that having a visual calendar showing when exams are really helped. In partnership with a list, I think this technique for planning out time is really useful!
Focusing on other things Something my parents and teachers have always told me is to 'not burn myself out'. This year I have not only taken on exams, but I have also been Head Girl. This has meant that my time has been shared between organising leavers hoodies, putting together a yearbook and revision.
It was always in the back of my mind that I should make some time for myself so that I didn't 'burn myself out' because I was becoming exhausted. Although I would say revision is the number 1 thing to do to prepare for exams, I would say that time for yourself is a close second.
On the weekend I would try and go shopping for a couple of hours (one of my favourite things to do!) or I would go to the cinema. The cinema is one of my favourite places to go, because you can just shut off from anything and everything and relax for a couple of hours, which not only gives you a break... but it gives your brain a break too!
And also... DON'T FEEL GUILTY FOR TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF TIME OUT OF REVISION! I felt guilty quite a lot, but as long as you have achieved your goals for the day, and you know you have the time, spend some time away from the books! Remember that there is such a thing as overloading your brain!
Thanks for reading, I hope it helps with any exams you may have coming up...
Francesca <3