It’s that time of the year again, the start a brand new school year! Maybe you’re just starting your GCSEs or moving on to A-levels. Whatever you’re doing I’ve used my many years of life doing exams and come up with my top 5 tips to get you through it all.

1. Be prepped 

It’s always nice to start the year with new stationery, I mean what’s the point in turning up to college with no pen? You’ll need to make a list of everything you will need such as pens, paper, highlighters, and don’t forgot folders or something to keep all your work together and organised. Don’t be fooled, it might sound dumb at the start, but come end of the year when you have a lot of work you’ll be glad you know where everything is. This all may seem obvious – of course, I know I need to be equipped –  but it’s also to be mentally prepped for the year ahead. You know it’s going to be a lot of work and take up a lot of time but when you’re opening your little envelope and you have all the grades you need you’ll be glad you put in all that effort.

  2. Listen to your teachers 

This may seem simple and a bit obvious but all they want is for you to get the grades you deserve. Make sure you take on board any tips they give you and if you’re struggling don’t be scared to ask for extra help. While doing my A-level geology I had one part where I was completely stuck, so I simply told my teacher I was struggling and we arranged a time to go over it 1 to 1 outside of lesson time.

3. Working environment

You’re going to be doing a lot of extra work out of school so it’s important to have the right environment around you. We all have our own idea of what the perfect environment for studying is and what works for your friend might not work for you. While studying I could never work in silence but I couldn’t listen to music as it would just distract me too much; instead I went for putting something on TV or going to the library at college. You can test out what works best for you by trying different methods. You may be like me and need some background noise, or you might have to be in complete silence.

4. Team work

You’re all in the same boat, all having to sit the same exam learning the same thing. Maybe it doesn’t sound the most fun thing to do, but getting together with your friends doing the same course as you can be a big help. You may be stuck on a topic that your friend is good at and they can try to help you get your head around it. Try making little quick-fire questions and take turns to test each other. You don’t need to go into full details, just little things that could help trigger your memory.

5. Don’t worry!

I think this is my most impotent tip. It can feel like failing your exams is the end of the world and the end of your future, and this is only putting more pressure on yourself. What you need to remember that if you don’t get the result you wanted it’s not the end of the world – make sure you have a full back-up plan in place ready. I never do the best in my exams but I’m still on track to get into the career I really want. Don’t get overly stressed and it’s important to remember you’re still allowed to have fun… put the text book away for a day and do something you enjoy!

Did any of my tips help? Or maybe you’ve gone though exams and have some tips of your own. Let us know by leaving a lovely comment.

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