Teenagers with ages between 14 and 16 are overly
stressed before important exams, and GSCEs are no exception. Parents and
teachers put a lot of pressure on their shoulders mostly because these exams
are their ticket to pursuing A-level exams and thus get into a good college
when they’re 18. How is it possible to overcome that stress? Can you score a
high grade without cramming your study sessions and resorting o exhausting all-nighters?
Sure you can; all you have to organize your study sessions and make the most of
your revision notes.
Do you have a plan?
The
key to succeed in your GSCEs is to make a revision plan. This can be hard for
teenagers to understand, since they keep themselves busy with other things, but
planning in advance can work like magic - especially when you’re dealing with a
huge volume of information. Knowing what they have to learn will help students
relax and focus on the content rather than stress themselves and that exams are
excruciating and that they can’t be successfully overcome.
What should a smart revision plan
contain?
To be effective, a study plan should first and
foremost be an individual study plan, based on knowledge, actual competencies,
and learning style of a sole student. A general study plan does not work for
everybody, since students have their own personal way of studying for exams. Here’s
a set of tips and tricks to help you efficiently revise what you’ve learned:
· Always
take notes (use a pen and a pieces a paper and an actual notebook, not a
tablet, computer, etc.) – it’s really important that you write
· Keep
it structural (summarize the information using bullet points, keywords,
mind-maps, flashcards)
· Use
diagrams and charts to help you visualize the information
· Don’t
color your study material, keep it simple and clean – coloring is actually the
least effective method of studying for exams
· Ask
somebody to question you on different exam related subjects (don’t go to a
friend and ask for the help of your parents instead because they will be a lot
more determined to help you study)
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| Avoiding Exam Stress: Flickr - CollegeDegrees360 |
Memory tricks can work miracles
Many
students have problems recalling information, which is normal, especially when
studying for GSCEs. Luckily, there are a lot of tricks you can use to make the
whole study session stress-free:
· Remember ideas,
not words
· Imagine what
you’re reading
· Make diagrams
or symbols to represent notions
· Choose a single
key word to represent a phrase
· Read before you
go to sleep and first thing in the morning
Strategies you can use to remember
the information
Students
should make sense of the information they’re reading for GCSE exams. You can’t
expect to score a high grade through mechanical learning. It will never work.
Rather than forcing yourself to remember dates, numbers, and names, it’s a lot
smarter start slow in order to make the most of your exam revision session.
· Make use of
your own words when you take notes so as to connect with ideas and better
understand them
· Think about
what you’re reading and don’t get distracted – search for differences and
similarities between the information you already know and the things that still
need your attention
· Organize your
study material – break down your study material into sections, make spidergrams
to summarize ideas and don’t forget to write by hand
· Memorize
everything you’ve read and studied – the best way to remember what you’ve read
is to picture images in your mind. Think about that diagram you just made,
associate words with colors or names, and think logical.
There’s
no point in getting stressed over GCSE exams. Yes, they might seem
nerve-wracking and time consuming, but there’s no other way of pursuing
A-levels unless you pass all your GCSE exams. Students are not that fond of
studying when they’re in high-school. Still, acknowledging that your future
depends on these tests is of the utmost importance. Begin an exam revision
ahead of time, gather study guides, notes, and as
much study material as possible. Allocate two hours a day for a study session, don’t
be afraid to ask for help from your parents, and you’ll manage to pass exams
with flying colors.
The
secret to passing GCSE exams is all about balancing your time with your study
session.
