| Do
you get stressed-out at the mention of the word ‘Test’
or ‘Exam’? Here are some great tips for helping
you to do your very best.
Ask
your teacher for a copy of an old test to practice on. Apart
from making your teacher think that you actually like the
subject and maybe scoring a few points in her good book, you
will actually be doing yourself a favour. Most tests are re-used
time and time again so chances are you will get a few repeat
questions. And it will give you an idea of what to expect
in a test.
Revise the easy way – Take a blank book and head it
up ‘Revision subjects’. Take a few pages for each
subject and write down everything you learn along the way
so when it comes to revision, you can just grab your trusty
revision book and revise from that rather than going through
lots of books. As long as you have kept up to date you should
have all the important facts.
Use the web. There are some great sites on the Internet that
can help with revision, fact finding and assignments for homework.
Prepare yourself mentally by saying ‘All the information
I need is within me… I have learnt my subject and I
will do my best in the exam’.
Tell yourself you are ready… revise your subject daily,
think positively… say things like ‘I can do this’
and ‘I will do my best, and my best is always good enough’.
When you are studying or writing a paper, don’t be afraid
to take a break and give your brain a rest for a while. Listen
to your favourite music, go for a walk, call up a friend for
a chat, Even if the break is only five minutes of daydreaming,
do it. Studying with small breaks in-between is much better
than studying for long periods of time without a break.
On the exam day, plan to get to the exam 10 minutes early,
find a comfortable seat, and take a minute to relax. Try closing
your eyes and having 3 deep breaths … in through your
nose and out through your mouth. This will help to return
your body back to its natural state of calm.
Don’t try ‘last minute revision’ before
the exam; your time is much better spent taking a few deep
breaths and getting into the proper mindset.
Study tips to help revise for your exams
If
you revise something tonight, by this time tomorrow you’ll
have forgotten at least some of it. So take another quick
look at it tomorrow, to refresh your memory. This doesn’t
take long to do, and is usually quite comforting – you
feel good because you find that the stuff looks familiar each
time you look at it; because it is quick you can easily fit
it in with all your other revision.
Look,
cover, write, check!
This is probably the way that you learned spellings in Primary
school.
1) Read it.
2) Hide it away
3) Write it out
4) Check to see if you got it right.
This technique is useful and really works. And when repeated…
the revision is reinforced!
Remembering
labeled diagrams
Draw a copy of the diagram – but without the labels.
Then try to fill in the labels from memory.
Highlighting
Go through your books high-lighting key words and key ideas.
Not only does this make it easier to revise later, but the
act of scanning through your books looking for the key stuff
helps you to remember it.
Tip
for revising
-
Speed read everything you have.
-
Leave it for an hour or two then read it again but this
time a bit more thoroughly.
- Leave
it for another hour then go back and make notes on all the
really important bits like key words and phrases.
-
Then leave it for a day and go back to it. Separate the
topics and spend a couple of days on each one.
Exam
problem-thoughts - REFRAMING
Sometimes
we can get into negative thought patterns about exams which
leave us thinking or feeling that we can not possibly do well
in exams.
Some
thoughts people have about exams are…
'I try to revise for my exam but I can’t remember
what I’ve learnt'.
'When I look at the question, my mind just goes blank'.
'I always seem to run out of time and never get all the questions
done'.
It
really helps if you think in a positive frame of mind. Instead
of putting yourself down, try thinking nice thoughts, thinking
and feeling that you are doing your best. A positive mindset
is always helpful.
Here
are some thoughts people have about exams which have been
reframed…
‘I
try to revise for my exam but I can’t remember what
I’ve learnt’
Reframe...
?
'I can learn when I feel relaxed. My unconscious mind has
all the information I need stored in there. I just need
to relax and it will come to me'.
‘When
I look at the question, my mind goes blank’
Reframe...
?
I know the answer to this. It is in my mind somewhere and
I can access it easily.
‘I
always seem to run out of time and never get all the questions
done’
Reframe...
?
I have plenty of time and I am doing my best. I can take
deep breaths and think about the question and if I get stuck,
can move on and come back to it later.
When
we think negatively it may make us feel physically uncomfortable
in our body. It is human nature to put ourselves down and
think that we are not as good as the next person but it is
a simple fact that you ‘feel what you think’.
During a test or exam, you are more likely to do well if you
say to yourself "I am doing my best".
Ways
to prepare for an exam so that you feel physically well:
Get
a good nights sleep
Have a good breakfast
Drink plenty and take some water with you
Practice some relaxation techniques before you start
Take some deep breaths to oxygenate your brain and to calm
yourself
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