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The Exam Series: A Week Before The Exam

3 years ago

It’s a week before your exam. Nerves are probably high, as is stress. But regardless of whether you’re on your 28th practice exam, or your third consecutive season of The Office, we’ve got you! Here are our top tips for nailing your exam, no matter where you’re up to now.

Last-Minute Study Tips

While we definitely don’t endorse leaving all your revision to the night before your exam, there’s no reason why you can’t make the most of the week leading-up to your exam. Here’s how.

Focus on active recall. Instead of skimming over huge amounts of content, aim to retain and recall information.

You won’t have access to your notes during your exam (and even if it’s open-book, chances are that you won’t have the time to rely on them), so make sure your revision mirrors that.

One proven way to work on your active recall is doing practice exams. Don’t have access to many practice exams ? No stress. We’ve created RESN Quizzes, a database full of exam-style questions (and answers!) for each subject.

Practice exams are also a great way to identify any gaps in your knowledge. Find these gaps and focus on the content you feel least comfortable with.

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Plan Your Time

Yes, this may be the most boring piece of advice, but yes, it will also save your exam-ridden life.

Exam periods are a juggling act. Make sure you know how much time you have until each exam, and you’re aware of how much more work each subject requires. Break it down into hours.

Strike a balance between studying for your next exam, and the other exams that are coming up. Making a study plan can help, especially if you take into account things like when you focus best, and how long you can focus for.

Remember, study smarter not harder. Maybe there’s one subject you enjoy more than the other? Use it as a reward for getting through a practice exam for your least-favourite subject.

Keep it realistic. There’s no point in creating a study plan that sees you revising for 16 hours straight. You’re human and you need breaks, so plan for it.

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Calm Down (seriously though)

Exams are stressful. Even if you’re the world’s most organised student in the school. But, science shows that stressing is the worst thing you can do in an exam.

When you experience anxiety, the part of your brain that helps you access memory closes off. That’s definitely not what you want during your exam.

Instead, try to calm yourself down with some simple steps:

Don’t focus on what other people are doing, it can be distracting and intimidating. Keep doing you, and don’t get caught up in comparison.

Ask for help when you need it. Chat to your teacher or a friend if you don’t understand something. Submit a question to us, or arrange a Zoom consultation with us.

Look after your mental health. Studying doesn’t have to be the only thing you do during your exam period. Striking a study-life balance is always important, so go for a walk with a mate, or play video games for an hour as a reward.

You’ve got this!

Words by Ella Katz

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