Mojza Blog
10 tips for your exam preparation
by Zamra Fatima | 9 october 2022
It is normal if the newspaper headings like “Cambridge releases exam schedule for the upcoming exam season” seem ugly to you. While this scenario leads to the sudden outburst of fear and panic among some of the student circles, others stick to a properly devised revision plan with great grit. So, here’s 10 revision tips you need to know if you have got your CAIES at hand. Yes, you read it right! These tips will not only lessen your pre-exam burden but will also help you ace your exams. So worry not and just keep reading, we’ve got you covered!
The sooner, the better
I would suggest all my readers to give an early start to revision. Start of the final year of your O/A level is the ideal and stress-free period to kick-start your revision journey. Remember, you only get this chance once . Every passing day gets you closer to your exams, so better get yourself together and start working.
Yes, make a plan
I totally get that it is quite difficult for us all to acknowledge the fact that we are going to appear in exams soon. But it is the need of time when you should finally leave your comfort zone. Keep it in mind that greatness comes only out of your comfort zone. So sit with a pen and a notepad and make a final revision plan, managing your all-day activities and devising a proper schedule for studying. Make it a realistic one and don’t look back.
Read our blog on how to make a study schedule and follow it here!
Keep the “flashcards game” high
From the scratch, you should all have his habit of making one-pagers or flashcards about every topic once you are done studying it (or future use in revisions). But even if you were not habitual of doing it from the beginning, it’s okay. Well now is the time you quickly go through every topic and make a comprehensive flashcard of it so take a quick look right before exam. This will help you to be a bit more efficient, quick and you won’t of course, have to read those long book pages again and again.
A good study space saves the day
This might have looked a bit odd at first sight but while you are to revise for your finals, psychology is that one factor out of many factors, that has a direct impact on all your strategies. In your house, you need to allocate that one corner for studying where no sound distracts you and no side-thoughts kick into your mind. Be it in your own room or in a reading or even somewhere else, but that study space needs to be created.
Grit grit grit
While you are on the go with your revision journey for finals, many thoughts will flash through your mind like “What did I do to deserve pulling all-nighters?” or “Why don’t I delay this to sometime other than this?” or even “Why am I revising things when my friends/classmates are not?”. This is time when you finally realise that you have started this revision earlier than others, for your own ease. When you would be finally prepared to appear in exams, those classmates would be struggling with revision and some of them would even start “selective-study”( of some topics only ) for exams, ending up in a quagmire of workload. This terror might be enough to keep you determined to continue your revision. Therefore, you should neither give up nor look back. Just exert yourself and get over with your exams.
It's okay to take breaks
Exerting yourself does not necessarily have to mean that you can’t even breathe in between the revision process. Remember, efficiency comes with short breaks during revision. Therefore, I suggest all my readers to take it easy and to take breaks whenever they are needed. As a matter of fact, you can even get indulged in a meaningful activity during the break that keeps you energetic to continue your revision. Taking breaks does not mean you are abandoning your revision. It is just for you to relax in the process of revision.
Early to bed, early to rise
While revision is in process, you need to take your health seriously. You should keep it in mind that you don’t have enough time to get bedridden and skip your study sessions . To stay safe, you need to regulate your sleep patterns. Best way is to sleep early and wake up early in the morning the next day. Pause the excessive use of gadgets for some time as these tools take all your focus away. So for a good revision, you need to focus on your sleep cycle as well.
Never skip past paper practice!!!
The most important tool that is going to help you in your exam preparation is without any doubts, past paper practice. Even if you have to pull all-nighters, you should try solving as many papers as possible, daily. Keep checking marking schemes once you are done with one paper. This will not only do an oiling sort of thing to your brain’s machinery but will also correct many mistakes. Topicals are also important but they are to be done when you are done with studying a topic and want to know if you are good enough to attempt questions about that topic in exams. For revision, past paper practice is far more important than topicals can ever be!
Assemble all those friends
While you are on your journey of revision, you are in luck if your friends get inspired and join you themselves in revision. But even if they don’t, it would be a benefiting thing to ask them to join you for the revision of some particular topic. I know that friends’ time gets boring when it is all about study but you can arrange a study session for a shorter topic if your friends do not want to join you. But it is for a fact that group study, that too with friends, does wonders. You all get to correct each other’s mistakes and learn from each other in a friendly environment.
Don't forget yourself
Once you have taken the decision of starting your revision for finals, don’t forget that your own mental health is important too. If you are one of those who don’t go to academies and have to prepare for exams all by themselves, then you might already be going tough on your nerves. If you are one of those who get tons of worksheets from academies to solve for exam preparation, then you also might be having rough and tiring days. In both circumstances, you need to acknowledge your hardwork and be proud of yourself for making it this far. Remember, nothing guarantees success if the candidate is low in spirits. So don’t go hard on yourself, just give it the best shot and you will face no hurdles in acing the exams.
Even if you had not started your revision yet, don’t worry as this might be the perfect time for you. All you need to do is to make a decision and start working it out right away!
Acknowledgements
Author: Zamra Fatima
Mojza
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Published: 9 October 2022
Last Updated: 9 October 2022
Written by Zamra Fatima