As the term begins for 2023, whether you are still in school, sixth form college, or university, you may have those mock exams or final exams creeping ever closer. So how do you start preparing for exam season early?
This is not the time for stress. There are weeks if not months before the final exams that count towards your final grade or degree.
However, acknowledging that they are coming, and starting to put in place a plan to get the best results you can achieve, is a great way to kick off 2023.
If you know your exam dates, then writing those down on post sticks or posters and sticking them on your wall will ensure that you have a goal to work towards.
If seeing the dates everyday add to your anxiety, then purchasing a 2023 planner and writing down your upcoming dates may the best course of action for you.
Preparation is key. Seeing when you want to start your revision timetable, and tailoring this according to the amount of work you have to do and how long you have to do it, will allow you to gage a realistic timeframe.
Breaking up your revision into three parts can help you feel less overwhelmed by the content you have to cover.
This could be Initial Stages, Main body, and Final Go over.
Initial Revision Stages
This could include laying the groundwork to get your head around some of the main ideas or themes you need to know for your exams.
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The best and most efficient way to achieve this includes flash card apps such as Brainscape.
Whether you prefer apps, or writing them in person, spend time doing this now, and then every morning and evening going over the ones you write weekly.
This will ensure your knowledge grows and stays in your long term memory, rather than cramming in the final weeks. It is one of the best ways to prepare for exam season early.
Middle Main Body Stage
This could involve making mind-map posters with the most important information from your flash cards, just in more detail.
Writing these out and then reading them in your spare time will enable you to picture them (and the associated flash card) in your final exam.
This could be the most detailed part of the revision you do for this subject or module. But it will ensure you prepare in time for the knowledge you need to know.
Final stages
This would usually be called the cramming stage. However, that implies that you haven’t done stages one and two to ensure your best chances of passing.
So instead, this final stage is just the one where you dedicate time to going over all the work you have already achieved.
This can relax you as the date for your exam draws closer. Instead of trying to get all the information to sink in over the last few weeks, you would have been building and growing your knowledge over months.
Good luck for all going into exam seasons, and remember they are just steppingstones to the next chapter of your life and where you want to end up.
They do not always go how you hope, but there is always help on hand in your school or university if you ask for it.
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