10 Tips & Tricks Exam Success :
1. Motivate yourself!
What are you goals? Remember why you are doing this. Write
down what you want to achieve and think about how it would
feel to achieve this.
2.Manage your time well
Make a plan. Write it out. When will you study, for how long?
Stick to your plan and make sure you have ‘spare/extra study’
sessions to cope with the unexpected.
3.Choose your study time/place well.
Know yourself, when and where can you concentrate best?
Avoid distractions.
4.Break it down.
Divide your study topic into ‘chunks’ or sub-topics. Decide
how many to tackle in each study session. Try and study by
topic not time.
5.Study effectively.
Choose your topic. Write your topic heading first. Scan the
topic material you need to learn and write down the sub-
headings or sub-topics. Now quickly read the material but
don’t take notes. Check your sub-headings; are they right
or do you need to add/remove some? Now, re-read and take
notes using your preferred method. Try a mind map!
6.Test your knowledge.
Work through some past paper questions. Which areas need
improvement? How is your time? Do you know how long you
need to answer a question?
7.Know how and when to unwind.
Make sure you take plenty of short breaks during study.
20 minutes is often considered to be the upper limit for
unbroken concentration. But make sure you don’t break for
too long. Do an energiser exercise during study to refresh
your concentration and take the occasional longer break for
snacks and meals. Most classes do not last longer than 90
minutes for a reason! Know what works to allow you relax.
8.Get regular sleep.
It is important that you try and get some sleep not just the
night before your exam but also that you are generally well-
rested. Most people will sleep better if they try and keep to a
fairly regular schedule.
9.Prepare the night before.
Get ready for the exam the night before by sorting out your
clothes, any materials you need and making sure you know
where essential items such as your keys, wallet and mobile
phone are.
10.Leave yourself enough time on the day.
Make sure you leave in plenty of time for the exam so you
are not rushing. It can be helpful to try and clear your mind
before the exam (many people find listening to music or the
radio good for this). In the exam, try not to get stuck on
difficult questions. Glance over the whole exam. Know how
many questions there are and how much time you have.
If you get stuck on a particular question, move onto the next
question; and return to the difficult one later.
