5 Study Tips to Survive your Exams!

You're well into your first term of the year and some of you will already be starting to think about studying for your exams. Whether it's your mocks, resit exams or the real thing, some of you will probably have questions about how to study for them.

If the word 'exams' fills you with dread and anxiety then stop. You don't need to worry anymore! In this post, we are going to share 5 of our best study tips that you can start using straight away so your exams are as stress-free as they possibly can be.

1. What type of learner are you?
It's important before you even start studying to know what sort of learner you are. By understanding how you learn, you can tailor all your revision to exercises so they will be most beneficial to you.
There are 3 styles people learn best in which are:

Visual (SEE it)
Auditory (HEAR it)
Kinesthetic (DO it)

  If you don't already know which type of  'learner' you are, you can ask your teacher for advice on what they think or take a quick test for yourself here.

Study tip for Visual learners:

A mind map for a visual learner. 

Make a mind map about what you are studying. It's very important you take your time to make it look visually pleasing because this will help you remember it. Drawing pictures next to each point should also help because your brain should automatically link it back to the visual image, allowing you to recall the information easily.

Study tip for Auditory learners:

Reading aloud is great for Auditory learners.

The best tip for you is to read out loud. It's very helpful being an Auditory learner because you can always read out loud meaning that this tip applies to all your subjects.

Whether you read the book out loud, record yourself reading it or listen to someone else reading it, the more times you hear it the better you should be able to retain the information.
Study tip for Kinesthetic learners:

I'm sure you know, this learning style is perfect for subjects such as Science or Drama because they are essentially 'doing' subjects. How can you transfer this skill to subjects like English or History, though?

Students putting on a puppet show.

Acting out what you need to learn is a great way for a Kinesthetic learner to study. If you've got a new book to study, you could perform it with your friends. Or, you could make the props and puppets and put on a puppet show!

2. Study Goals
It's always a good idea to plan your revision each week so you can complete everything you need to do on time and stay on track.

Set achievable goals that fit your pace of learning. It's important to study regularly but it's also so vital that you don't put pressure on yourself by doing too much work. If you don't give yourself any breaks to relax then you will find it harder to retain any information.

Another tip is to start revising as early as possible. If you feel ready, you could even start now. Exams come round quicker than you think and you don't want to be left with tonnes of work to do 2 weeks before!

Spread your workload into even, manageable chunks so you can stay as calm as possible when it gets closer to exam period. We have included an example of an evenly planned study schedule below.

3. Study spaces.
Where you study will definitely have a big effect on how much you take in.

Everybody is different and will study best in a variety of environments. For example, some people will prefer to study in complete silence where others need to have music blaring for them to be able to take the information in.

You will probably already know how you work best so your first step is finding somewhere that suits you, If you don't know how you learn best, try studying in different environments to see where you prefer.

Your best learning space isn't always going to be at home. For example, if you need silence to study well but live in a busy and loud household, you may be best staying after school and finding a quiet place or even going to your local library.

4. Past exams are your friend.
It's the day of your exam. Imagine how daunting it will be if when you get into the exam room, you've never even seen the layout of an exam paper or what type of questions you will be asked. Not only will you have to waste your time flicking through the paper to learn the layout, you will probably make yourself extremely anxious and stressed about answering the questions.

This is why it's so important that once you understand the material, you go through and answer some past exam papers. If you ask your teacher, they would probably be more than happy to mark it for you and let you know what grade you are currently working at.

Answering past papers will also help you understand which aspects of the subject you are great at and which you need to put a little bit more work into.

Always remember to write your name on your exam paper.

*Top Tip: Remember to write your name on the front of the paper. You will be shocked how many people forget this due to exam nerves.

5. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. 
Although this is a tip that is relevant to your whole life, it is particularly important during your study period. By eating 3 healthy and balanced meals a day your brain will be fuelled so you can reach your full potential.

Breakfast is a meal that is regularly missed but is the most important. You wouldn't set off in a car without making sure it had fuel in it so try and think like this about your body.

This simple recipe for egg and soldiers is perfect for breakfast. You can get on with other things whilst the egg is boiling and they are full of protein, perfect for the brain.

Eggs are a great way to start the day.

1. Place the egg in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover it. 

2. Place over a high heat until it starts boiling.  

3. Turn down to a medium heat when it starts to boil and simmer for 3 minutes (soft egg), 4 minutes (medium egg), 5 minutes (hard egg).                               

4. Pop your bread in the toaster and cut into soldiers when it is done. Enjoy!