I HATE EXAMS AND REVISION
*breathes* ok, so yeah, it's a rubbish time of the year. My Law teacher gave us a little pep talk:
"Guys, the next few weeks are going to be crap. But in a month, they'll be done, and you can have the whole summer holidays."
Revising is boring and dull, and it feels like you're becoming a walking textbook. It especially sucks since you'll be moving to new horizons and the last few weeks/months left with your friends are being occupied with this.
But it will be over soon, and you'll have time enough :) focus on your goals, aim high (but not tooooo stressful high) and it will be worth it in the end.
Here are some tips for you m'dears :)
Revising:
Distractions/Preparations
- CLEAR YOUR DESK
- Organise your folders and notes
(Unit 2 Economics, Unit 3 & 4 Economics, English Lit, Unit 1 Economics, Law)
- Try and have a certain time/place to revise. Could be in your room, somewhere in the house, school/college/uni or the library - whether it feels it's a work environment. Work when you're most productive
- Get rid of your distractions. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs (I'm looking at you, reader!) or whatever, make it go away. Deactivate your accounts and get back on later. Advertise the fact you're leaving it, so you're more pressured to stay off it.
- If you really feel you can't, then limit your time and when you're supposed to be away, switch off notification and messages sounds, cancel getting texts etc
- Let someone confiscate your phone
- Avoid internet when possible, write a list of stuff to look up later
Planning Revision
- Split the day into 3 chunks: morning, afternoon and evening. Aim to revise in 2 of them
- Vary your subjects or you WILL get bored, no matter how interested you think they are. Also, a good balance stops you feeling you're neglecting a subject
- Make sure you plan rest days :)
- When making a timetable, stick to roughly 25 min segments. Be strict with your timing! I tend to overwork, saying "oh, I'll just do 10 more mins/I'll just finish off this topic..." an hour later I'm still there. You end up burning out in an hour or two, so best stick to the segments and you'll work longer and more productively. Set a countdown timer if you need to!
- Plan 5-10 min breaks in between segments to get water, stretch your legs, go to the loo etc. Be strict with your timing! Too long a break will mean you lose focus, too short and it won't be effective.
(This is what I ended up doing the last time I burnt out)
Revision Time!
Got your glass of water? (NO CAFFEINE -_- put down the coffee) Pens, pencils, highlighters, necessary books etc? Let's go:
- Learn the basics of your subject - have a strong foundation by learnign basic definitions, formulas, diagrams etc
- Break down everything into topics, then little headings and tick off each one as you go, rather than wade through a big chunk and feel you're going nowhere
- If you get stuck on something, just jot it down and move on. Time is scarce!!! Go back later or get help
- Never just read - engage!!! Make up mnemonics/stories/doodles/songs to go with it (the crazier the better), record your notes and play it to yourself. Colour association is pretty good - compare how easy/hard it is to memorise these names & numbers VS names and colours :
Jeff 85642
Robertson 6954
Kimberly 78945
Julia 9745
Marie 12894
Stephen 6544
Jeff
Robertson
Kimberly
Julia
Marie
Stephen
- The best way of revising is to teach it. Get your friends together, even if you think they're better at the subject than you. It won't hurt them to go through it again, and they'll want to teach as well for revision and have YOU as an audience
- Make a little quiz to test your knowledge
- Do past papers. Knowledge is about 60% of the exam - exam skills are so important. I've messed up enough to know the importance of timing and essay structure. Practise, and mark. Even if it's only 1 paper, it's better than none.
- Review the previous revision session before starting a new one
- I can't have complete silence for too long, so I put on music. Instrumental is best - otherwise it's too distracting as you'll want to sing along. Classical is alright, but soundtracks are best. Makes Economics very dramatic. Here's some of my favourites, available on Youtube:
- Sleep well the night before. A few minutes makes all the difference. Your sleeping cycles are 1 and a half hours, so try and plan it to that
- Make sure you're awake - cold water, good meal etc
- Check you've got everything - calculator, black pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, ID card, tissues all in a clear pencil case. Bring a clear water bottle with the label ripped off
- Chew gum throughout the exam if possible. It helps you think, for some reason
- Read all the questions first, underline and highlight key words - find the command words (evaluate, assess, discuss etc) and the content words (topic, themes, globalisation etc)
- Either hit the easiest first, or go for the most time-taxing - hopefully you'll have learnt from those exam papers
- Panicking? Stop, drink water and breathe. Breathe in for 3, hold for 3, out for 3. Do this three times, and increase to holding for 4 etc four times, and increase if necessary. If you're really in trouble, put your hand up and get an examiner to help you.
GOOD LUCK!
I'm taking a study leave from here till exams are over.
Adios! xxx
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