Sophie's top tips for exam season
4 min read.
I hate exams. For context I’m a May Baby so I always had secondary school end of year exams on my birthday, and it was downhill from there. I also messed up my A-Level exams and moved to a BTEC, which was great because BTEC has NO exams. Then I get to university and it wasn’t until I had to re-sit two third-year exams to graduate that I did the sensible thing and reached out for help. For me, revision is all about setting up a positive mindset. My personal experience is that I could nap for England to avoid my problems but then experience extreme overwhelm causing my memory to suck and throw a classic ‘Wobbly’. So, I just wanted to tell you a bit about what I learnt about exams that meant I secured my degree in Aerospace Engineering in the end.
Step One: Tidy your desk you absolute SLOB!
But not just tidy, give it the old razzle dazzle. Declutter and take out the rubbish to give your self the space you need to focus. I also found it helpful to decorate and make the revision period a party. Move away anything you don’t need. For razzle-dazzle I borrowed my flatmates succulent and moved my salt rock to the front for maximum positive vibes. For the best aesthetics, find the ‘Low-Fi Hip Hop Beats to Revise To’ playlist or get out your The XX CD. Instrumental is best if you decide not to work in silence.
Cluttered Desk
-Old take away cups
-Clutter galore
-I’m Claustrophobic Daren!
-Sticky surfaces
Clear Desk
-Zen Garden in bloom
-Big ol’ glass of water
-All the felt-tip glitter pens
-Astronaut statue for inspiration
Step Two: When does it all kick off?
Get those dates secured and engrained in your mind so you know exactly what’s happening when and make a calendar! If you’re a procrastinator, you can trick yourself into thinking this is avoiding work but it’s actually a very important step. Either get yourself a diary or make yourself a pretty page. Mark in your exams, any revision classes and then fill in the gaps with the subjects to revise. 45 minutes of hard-core graft with a 15-minute break worked best for me, set a timer so you don’t have to worry about keeping track and getting distracted. You can also schedule in previous plans with friends but check yourself before you wreck yourself- if you need to cancel plans to focus, do it. If you’re not going to be the person to put your education first, no one else will do it for you.
Step Three: How you do you.
There are so many ways to learn that you must find what works for you. Are you Visual (draw the best graphs and diagrams), Auditory (record yourself reading notes and listen away!), Reading and Writing (get comfy and take notes) or Kinaesthetic (hands on, make a game out of post notes around the flat)? I am a Mind Map girl for sure. Grab the glitter glue, highlighters, and fancy paper, is this a craft session or a diagram of a Ram Jet Engine? You’ll never know! Take a moment to try different things and research so that you don’t waste your time writing lines which is what I used to do. WORKED SOLUTIONS! Practice questions with worked solutions are KEY. There is no point memorising information if you can’t process the exam questions. Write out formulae until you can do it in your sleep. I usually read through very single page of notes from the class highlighting the bits I don’t know then go through and make an ‘everything I need to understand pack’ and then try to condense everything I need to understand onto one page. Also, Microsoft Word has dictation and read aloud settings, use them!
Step Four: Power of Priorities
For the sake of your own wellbeing you must understand that these exams may be gross but not evil and need to be done. Instead of ‘I’m not confident I know everything’ try ‘I can’t wait to show what I’ve learnt’. If you’re not getting on it, try some positive affirmations; I am smart, I am capable, I’m d*mn well near a genius LEGOOOO!!’ and if it gets too much, take a walk. Fresh air and try again in half an hour. Time is a human construct; The sooner you start revising, the more revision you’ll do, the sooner it’ll be over and the sooner you’ll be celebrating your success. Avoiding your problems only makes them bigger. Chip away chapter by chapter, as Tesco says- every little helps.
Go get em, tiger.