GCSE Revision Advice.
Exams are a bit like cake. You get out what you put in. Undercooking it will lead to a bad outcome. Overcooking it can do the same. Success will taste delicious.
The GCSEs can be a daunting experience for a student. Unlike cake, it can be hard to find a simple and easy-to-follow recipe that works. No one formula suits every taste, but here is the GoConqr recipe for GCSE exam success.
- Plan your study. You know what day it is today. You know when your exams will begin. What is the best way for you to maximise your time between now and then? Create a Calendar. Make a plan. Try and stick to it.
- Now, you are almost ready to study. But where is the best place to concentrate? Some people find the library to be ideal. For others, a quiet space in their own home is best. The important thing is to find a place that is free from distractions and promotes sustained concentration.
- Let’s talk learning methods. There are a number of techniques students can use to learn. Social learning and Spaced Learning are currently very popular in education forums. The important thing is to find a method that works for you.
- Note Taking. The human race has been doing exams a long time now and we’ve developed more than a few ways to make a note. Flashcards, Mindmaps and Slides are great methods to revise material. My dad still writes on his hand though and he almost never forgets things, so whatever’s working for you, do it.
- Mock exams are an important tool in preparing for exams – not only for the question, but also for the time-frame involved. Practice these and the sight of the real test-paper won’t freak you out on the day.
- Video – the explosion of video learning deserves a mention. With Youtube and Vimeo, it can be difficult to find good academic material, but there are suitable sites out there. The BBC website, for example, contains a number of well-crafted video resources.
- It would be unrealistic to expect this – Avoid phones, late night study, cramming, procrastination, sunshine, windows, circuses and all other forms of fun. But at least try to keep them to a minimum in the run-up to exams.
- Check out GoConqr’s dedicated GCSE Portal for more good advice and access to great learning resources.
Now go bake a cake. (Note: This is a metaphor, unless you are preparing for a Home Economics project)
To help get you started, here are some GCSE courses created on GoConqr –
- Chemistry – Water
- English Literature – The Merchant of Venice
- History – Medicine & Health in Britain
- Geography – People of the Planet