The AberSU team have prepared some handy revision tips to help you prepare for these exams:
- Before you begin, make a full revision timetable. This will help to keep you calm and stay focused.
- Get creative; try using a variety of techniques such as spider diagrams and writing key words in different colours to help recall information.
- Take frequent breaks! Everyone’s ability to retain information falls over time so we recommend taking regular breaks every 45 minutes to keep refreshed.
- Eat and drink healthily! Your brain needs to keep its energy levels up so eat fresh fruit and vegetables regularly and be sure to have a proper breakfast the morning of any exams.
- Get plenty of exercise! It is one of the best ways to deal with stress.
- Make sure you give yourself time to relax and sleep well. It widely recommended to get between 7-8 hours’ sleep!
- Recognise when you’re stressing out. A break or chat with someone who knows the pressure you’re under can often put things into perspective.
- Avoid comparing your ability to others and make sure you’ve chosen the revision that works best for you!
- Make use of past papers and other revision resources provided by your department, and don’t be afraid to ask for some where not.
- Reward yourself and build treats into your timetable! Plan something exciting to celebrate your effort at the end of your exams and assessments.
During the exam, itself…
When you get into the examination room try not to panic. Take a couple minutes to compose yourself, read the questions/sections a few times and then allocate time to each. If you don’t think you can answer a question put it out of your mind and tackle it last.
Once you leave the exam try to forget about it. Analysing answers with friends and worrying about how you did will increase stress and could impact on your performance in other exams. More often than not you may have done better than you think!