by Deborah Lees

Created on: June 08, 2008

Yay, exam time again with all the trimmings: Pressure to do well, to beat your older sibling, to get into the world's most amazing college that everyone else is going to. Plus there's all the excitement of getting away from the world of GCSEs which is just within your reach but there's something holding you back... Millions and millions of exams. Getting down to the hard core revision sometimes is really overwhelming. Questions driving you insane. What do I do? How can I start? Followed by...I should have done this ages ago. These mental blocks hold you back and prevent you getting the results you want.

How should I revise?

Revision techniques work differently on different people - we're not all robots as some teachers would like to think. Some people are excellent "Parrot learners". They read and remember with ease but if you're not one of those people then I highly recommend flash cards. These amazing but simple to use cards can challenge you to remember by forcing you to think for yourself. These can also be made to be fun by using them as part of a game for instance GCSE millionaire. It's no trip to Alton towers but it means you can have social interaction and revise at the same time.

I don't want to revise... It's really boring.

Sound familiar? OK. So you've got your technique. You know what you've got to do yet the weeks are flying by. Got yourself in a real slump completely unmotivated and feeling particularly lazy for not doing it? Getting started is as rough as a kick in the teeth and a quick motivation tip is in order. My personally favorite way to tackle this issue is to make revision the best option. Give yourself a choice between revising on 30 mins or sitting watching the blank wall. It won't take long for you to realize which is more boring...

Didn't work...

Well I've got another one. Pick your favorite TV program, computer game or a special treat for yourself. Tell yourself you can't have it until you've done the work you set for that day. This technique works best when you have an annoying parent or somebody watching your every move and enforcing it. As annoying as it may seem I assure you it will work. Really how long can you live without your favorite things?!

Finally...

Be prepared! Build routines and make them your habits. Revise everyday at the same time and have regular breaks from your work - though make sure you don't break so much you do nothing. Sleep well every night and get up at the same time everyday. It's no good sleeping in on the day of the exam.

All that's left to say is... Good luck.

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