Take study breaks
Have a box or basket filled with small treats that you like (e.g. funsize chocolates etc.) and have it to hand. Use your phone timer and after 20 mins take a break and have a treat.
Organise your study area
Find a quiet place and stick your flag in it for the duration of the exams. Say this is my space and set up camp there. You may be in a situation where you can’t have the space the whole time (like a dinner table) so get a nice box to pack everything quickly away into. Leave a post-it on the top of where you left off, so when you unpack for your next revision session you know where to start e.g. page 27 book 3 ex 4 and so on.
Tell everyone
Put a revision list and an exam timetable on the fridge and tell everyone you know that you are doing exams and do not want distractions. Tell clubs that you will be away for a couple of weeks while you focus on your important study for exams.
Plan
Make sure you have a plan of what to revise, for how long and when, be nice to yourself if you don’t stick 100% to it. Things crop up, situations happen and aim for 50%, anything above that is a bonus.
Organise getting there
Make sure you know which hall, which day, which time and how you are getting there. The adults in your life may need telling more than once, reminding that they are dropping you off somewhere at a certain time.
Practice Positivity
You are going to need lots of positivity, avoid toxic mood hoover types who want to moan and rant. You don’t have extra positivity to give, so avoid if you can and just be nice. You can go back to being their sounding board after the exams. Right now, yes, it’s all about you. Phrases such as “I’m sorry but I’ve got to go” work well, are polite, non-specific and help you to exit stage left when you need to be getting on with your revision.
Study buddies
Yes, find study buddies, this works well they can test you and make you laugh and help you to take plenty of rest breaks. Just avoid the mood hoovers who spend 90% of their time saying “I can’t do this”. You have not got time for that!
Fun activities
Sleep
As and when you need it. Concentrating can make you sleepy, so go sleep. And get off your phone. That’s not sleeping.
After the exam
Learn to quickly move on: your exams will come thick and fast and bunched together. Put your feelings about that exam to one side and focus on the next one. A bit like a runner in a hurdles race does not stop to look at a hurdle they knocked over, they just carry on and try to jump the next one and so on.
You got this.
