Note: the information below is based on UK exams (GCSE's and A Levels). Different countries have different exam schemes which means some of the information such as the ages and year groups won't make any sense. The advice and tips will though :)
> Revision
It's pretty obvious that, in order to do well in exams, you need to know as much information as possible on that subject. Otherwise, there's no hope. Unless your Einstein. But I bet he still had his weaknesses! Anyway, the most important thing to do is revise. Yet, what you shouldn't do is cram lots of revision in the night before. Studies have shown that the brain doesn't fully understand - or remember - the facts given at night, or even the day before exams. Too much information can cause the brain to forget everything, leaving you with a "mind block" in the exam. To prevent this, it is best to spread your revision out over several weeks. This ensures that, not only do you remember the information, you know and understand it in depth. It also becomes common knowledge.
If you are taking GCSEs in year 10, I would recommend revising three to five prior to the exam. When taking GCSEs in year 11 (the final year), I would recommend study at least twice as much, for twice as long. This means up to ten weeks prior to the exam. Most schools spread out the number of exams in GCSE level over two years; with the most in the final year. Yet currently, less than half of the exams take place in year ten. For me, I'm taking eight GCSEs this year which means I'll have twelve next year.
Most people take on average two to three subjects, sometimes four depending on the course, at A Level. These are the subjects the student is most passionate about and could be possible future careers. So, does fewer subjects mean less revision? NO! A Levels are defiantly much harder than GCSEs as they go into much more depth than the year ten/eleven exams do which means more studying. When you get into A Level you're already studying for your most important exams which means that, everything you do in school such as homework and in lessons counts as revision. This is different compared to GCSEs as most of the information learnt is brand knew.
Overall, the more revision you do the better. Yet the secret is not to cram it all in at once - break each subject into sub-topics, create revision cards and go over the cards as much as possible. If you have a half-term or study leave to prepare for an exam, I would revise around eight hours a day (an average school day). Revision is boring, but it's the only way to succeed.
> Taking the actual exam
All of the revision you've done all leads up to the exam. The final test. In the current school curriculum, most subjects are not based on a single exam which makes up 100% of your final grade. Most have several short exams (roughly an hour and a half long) or a few exams and coursework. Some even have 100% coursework - the only one I can think of is ICT! For reference, coursework means short assessment done in class. Common subjects that have coursework in are geography, art, textiles, history and english. Subjects that don't do coursework include maths, science and sociology. The subjects that don't have coursework are normally the most challenging as it completely relies on knowledge.
There are some tips and advice I can give when it comes to taking the actual exam. Whatever the length of the exam is, whether it be an hour or three hours, take water in with you. You'll have to take off any labels to ensure there is no cheating, but having water - even if you don't need it - is vital. If you start to panic, water will most likely calm you down. The most common advice given is take your time and don't rush to which pupils reply "but we're on a time limit!" It's hard to balance out the time scale, but it's something we all have to do. Another tip is to always check the time. All exams have a clock at the front, but I'd recommend to wear a watch. Checking back on the clock means you are aware of how long you've got until the end of the exam. In addition, if you are finding a question difficult move on and go back at the end. If at the end of the exam and you are still unsure about the answer, the best thing you can do is to take a guess. You won't get any marks for leaving the space black yet you might pick up a couple marks if you write something down. Whatever it is, obviously related to the subject - perhaps define what a key word used in the question is - is better than writing nothing. If on any question you have made any notes that are near the answer box, make sure you cross these out neatly. You don't want the examiner marking the wrong answer just because the way you have written is unclear. Yet you don't want to loose marks because of removing the working out. To prevent this, make sure you do all your working out away from the answer box. My final tip is to breathe and stay calm! Take each question as it comes and tackle it to the best of your ability.
Good luck!
I really hope this was useful. And again, I wish you all the best.
Suzanna xoxo
