Some things I found helped me get through my exams

Today, I have just finished my exams! I'm not going to say too much about that as I know some people still haven't finished their exams. So I thought I would let some of you know some of the things I found useful and some of the revision techniques I wished I used.

The subjects I took at GCSE were:

• Performing Arts
• History
• PE
• French

Obviously, I also had to do Maths, English, Science, RE and Citizenship.

Some of these subjects I really regret taking, but at the time I made my choices, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I was older, so kept my options open.

Some things I found helped me cope during the exam period

Revising in the garden I found more bearable than looking at my bedroom wall




1. Make time for yourself - I know you spend most of your time revising in your bedroom, but I found making time for myself really helped me relax and, for a few minutes, forget about the approaching exams. A few things I did to help me relax and actually treat myself for a change was to have a bubble bath. I found that when I was in the bath I could pamper myself and I would feel better in myself. After I had my bubble bath I would sometimes put a face-mask on, as I found I was getting spots from stress and bad eating as I would eat sweets, chocolates and crisps as 'revision snacks.' This also helped me relax but it also helped clear my skin. The last thing I did was on the weekend when there was a little gap between exams I would go shopping in the morning, as I found this was another thing to help take my mind of the exams and it was a little treat to myself.
2. Make sure you have revision breaks -  When I was in year 10 I didn't really know much about how to revise, so I would sit at my desk for hours trying to learn a 1000 word English essay and then getting really annoyed if I forgot a line, this was purely because I didn't have a break and my brain just couldn't take it anymore. I was advised by my school to spend about 30 minutes revising and then to have a 10-15 minutes break, so not too long in case I would forget everything I just learnt.
3. Revise in a quiet area - There is nothing worse than revising in noisy surroundings as it's basically impossible to concentrate which can lead to getting distracted. So try find quiet, peaceful surroundings for example a park, library or even your garden.
4. Get a good night's sleep - This is one thing I wish I did more frequently as, when I did get to bed early, I would wake up feeling more refreshed and in a good mood and would find revision more bearable. Say, if I was to go to sleep late, I would wake up later, and usually with a headache, and it would make revision more of a task than it already was.

Things I wish I did more off

1. Make a revision timetable - A revision timetable allows you to help organise your revision. I tried making a revision timetable but found it hard to stick to it as I wasn't strict enough on myself. If I could go back I would ask my parents to check up on me to make sure I was sticking to the timetable and was actually revising.
2. Keep work in one place - I found that when I started my final GCSE exams (in year 11)  my school had given me loads of past papers and revision books to revise from. I didn't know what to do with it all so I kept it on my desk which made it look messy and really unorganised. So, I went to a stationary store to get a folder so I could keep all my revision notes and past papers in one place which made it easier and more organised as I knew were everything was.
3. Use revision cards - I found just reading a book didn't help me revise as I would forget it by the next day, so I was told to read the book and then write down key points  that  would help me remember what I needed to. I only started doing this at the end of year 11 and wish I did it sooner, during my year 10 exams, as I feel this really helped me remember key topics and dates, especially in history. Using revision cards stopped me from copying the book but made me actually read it and then take in information and make brief notes from it. I found using mind-maps great as it's easy to read and you have all your information in one map which you can revise from.

I'm not saying if you do all of this it is going to guarantee you pass your exams, I just hope it helps with the stress as I know how stressful they can be! I hope if you are doing exams or reading this while your exams are going on it may help a little, and good luck!