The Exam Period
The words ‘deadline, ‘exam’, ‘revision’ and ‘essay’ are amongst some of the words that are part of a student’s life that may fill them with a feeling of unsettledness or dread. As a university graduate who has undergone the education system, I understand how daunting these words may be and how time constraints can increase the pressure.
From my personal experience, I know first-hand how it may feel to be lost with regards to tackling these words. Although your teachers are teaching the correct theory and skills you need for an exam or essay, it is often difficult to put what you know into concise snapshots that will give you the maximum marks.
The methods of learning are so diverse; It’s about finding a method that works for you and to use this to your advantage and giving the examiner what they want which best demonstrates what you have learnt. Preparation is always going to the key when it comes to success.
Plan Ahead
The correct preparation will ensure the best results. Staring at reams of information for hour after hour will work for very few if anyone at all. Giving yourself enough time to plan, revise and practice will give yourself a better chance at doing the best for yourself.
Repetition and reinforcement are what ensures information remains in your long-term memory; therefore consistent practice is essential. It is the best way to solidify a concept or piece of information that can be retrieved later. The initial difficulty that one may face when learning a new skill can be challenging and it’s about overcoming that first step and developing the belief that it is possible to become significantly better over time. Learning from mistakes and taking on board something positive from them will help you push further.
Avoid comparing to others
Comparing yourselves to others in general is never going to make you better at something or improve your self-esteem/belief. I use to envy my friends who could simply read a section of material, highlight it in beautiful colours and know it pretty much off by heart after one sitting. This was simply not me – and is the case for most people. In fact, what I was giving myself was a ‘huge bowl full of procrastination with a side of panic’, as time flew by and the dreaded hand in or exam fast approached me. I had to find my ‘technique’ which was best for me. Tailoring your learning to your strengths and needs is what is important – seeing as it is you that has to complete the task at the last hurdle!
Instead of feeling the frustration of a plateau in grades or coursework. Negativity towards our efforts and achievements isn’t going to make us improve. There is always room for improvement. Being hard on ourselves for not doing better – or as well as we previously have – is just going to have a snowball effect and make the drive to try again, harder to sustain and obtain. Try a new system or method; switch things up. Perhaps you are a procrastinator, a crammer, a colourful notes person or maybe you are doing ‘textbook’ revision but beating yourself up because you can’t see why you aren’t smashing your goals.
Develop a Technique
Science has shown that simple revision techniques that you can either create yourself or look online, can improve your way of learning, remembering and revising. If you want to do the best you can and aren’t afraid of working hard to get there, then I fully believe you can achieve what you want to achieve. We all have information so freely available especially in this digital age; it’s up to us to choose if we are to use it, how we use it and what we do with it. When using the internet, it is advised that information is from an authentic and reliable source.
Work With a Tutor
Working with a private tutor can significantly and drastically improve the quality of your learning experience and competency. A private tutor can often anticipate the road ahead, organise your time with the end in mind and keep you accountable. Sometimes the overwhelm of trying to figure everything yourself can put a lot of pressure. Working with someone who has the results you are looking for is undoubtedly an incredibly effective way of getting exceptional academic results. Furthermore, sometimes at school, our teachers may not be able to deliver the content in a way that we can necessarily relate to. Having a personal tutor who is almost like an older ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ can make the task of revision and study that little bit more manageable and enjoyable.
By Bethany W, private Maths and Science tutor in London
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