Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks. Slow down. Breathe. Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose.
Remember, revision is just that – it is about seeing something again and refreshing your knowledge. It is not about new work. If you have worked at a steady pace throughout the year, revision will be relatively straightforward.
The most effective way to study is attend class regularly, take good notes, do your homework, and otherwise be an active student. If you have done this, you are already way ahead of students who have not been doing this.
You’ll study better if you take care of yourself. Make sure you eat well and get enough sleep and physical exercise. Don’t reward yourself with too many sugary or fatty snacks or push yourself to study late into the night, and make sure you drink plenty of water.
It doesn’t matter where you study as long as the space is quiet, comfortable and distraction-free. Wherever you choose to study, put up motivating quotes, pictures, or anything else that makes you feel good.
Monitor your energy during the day. Arrange your most difficult tasks for periods of high energy and the easier, more routine, tasks during periods of low energy.
Find the easiest way to do something properly.
If you didn’t do as well on a mock or practice exam as you would’ve liked, ask your teacher to go through it with you and find out where you can improve.
In some exams you can choose which question to do. Look at the language carefully, so you know how to give a complete answer, then pick one that allows you to show what you know.
Aim to spend 5-10 minutes at the end of an exam checking over your work, to see if you can pick up extra marks.