Sunday 7 April 2013

Getting ready for exams

Hey Guys,
Okay so as we near the summer, not only are we expecting hot weather and sunshine but we are also a bit skeptical as exams near. Here in England, I am in year 10 (14-15yrs) and because the government have made all exams terminal, this means that I will have three science exams in June. Now this worries me because I should be getting the best grades possible but if I fail just one exam, I will have to retake all of them. Last year, I did my first three science exams and passed with flying colours, so here are a few of my tips for achieving the best grade for you.

1) To start off, YOU NEED revision guides! Do not expect to pass your exams without the necessary books. Even if you have the best teachers, you still need to go over everything you have learnt and if you don't have great teachers (like myself) you must go through the whole topic otherwise you won't know everything you need to!

2) REVISE, REVISE, REVISE! It doesn't make a difference whether you have revision guides or not, if you don't revise, trust me, you won't be getting grades better than a D. You need to space out your time in order to make sure you are ready for every single exam. Whether that means doing 3 hours of revision in the weekend, or doing a 30min revision session on school nights, you must revise!

3) Make NOTES! After you read through one page of the revision guide, make notes of all the main important factors, this will help you remember everything you need to know.

4) Write out your own QUESTIONS! After you write a page of notes, use those notes to make up questions that go along side your notes. This will give you material to practice and memorize important facts and figures. If your revision guide already comes with questions, you shouldn't skip this part as I think writing your own questions helps you remember the answers which in turn gives you a clearer idea of what the answers are.

5) PRACTICE exam questions! This is so vital because this means that you will get an idea of what the questions in the paper will be like and how you should answer them. This will really help you out when it comes to sitting the actual exam! You can easily get these by either going on the exam boards website and looking for past papers or ask a teacher in school.

6) And finally, DO NOT give up! If you don't understand something don't just leave it! Ask a friend or teacher for help, although you might feel embarrassed or stupid, you shouldn't! It's extremely important to ask for help as that will make you more confident when it comes to exams. If you get tired, do not force yourself to do the work, just add extra revision time to another day, just don't stop revising all together!

Well those are pretty much my top tips if I haven't forgotten anything! I hope you guys do great on your exams, if you have any questions, write them down in the comments section and I will make sure to reply as soon as possible!
Thanks for reading,
'till we meet again,
Wow it's Nelly.