How I Survived A Level Exams

Since making my new year's resolution to blog every week, I have never missed a Sunday upload completely. Posts have been delayed, altered and compromised, but never missed... until last week. Last Sunday I had allowed myself a weekend off revision. I'd just sat 3 exams in the last week and my final exam being a week away, I'd let myself have a much needed break. So on Sunday night, as I relaxed into bed feeling rested and refreshed; I was suddenly shocked with the realisation that it was blog day. I debated grabbing my phone and quickly throwing something together but my head was crammed with Russian history facts and critical readings of The Duchess of Malfi, nothing creative could have come out of that. So, for the first time in about 6 months, I gave myself a week off blogging. 

 I hope you don't mind. 

 Today I thought I would commemorate the end of my A Levels by revealing my secrets to how I dealt with exams. This isn't my revision tips, it's not my methods or a lecture about the beauty of flashcards, I've had enough of all that. This is how I made my revision period as stress free as possible... which was tricky. 

 One thing I realised when going into my first exam was the mistakes I had already made in my revision process.

 My mood was odd that day, I didn't feel myself. And when meeting up with my classmates before our Russia exam I realised why; going to that exam was the first time I had left the house in about 5 days. 

 I wouldn't recommend doing that to anybody. Fresh air and clarity is so important and after that exam I tried to make sure I sat outside for a little while each day, even if just for twenty minutes or so. 

 My daily structure for revision would be pretty similar every day, depending what time I woke up. I didn't set alarms to wake up. If you're revising from home, there really isn't any need to. Your body will wake up when it's ready and the more rested you are, the better you will concentrate. If I woke up 'early,' so between 8-9:30, I would get dressed and washed, make a coffee and let myself have some TV/phone time until 10:30-11am. If I woke up later, so between 9-10:30, I would start a little later, 11:30-12. This might seem like a late start for some people considering the school day starts at 9am. 

 It's important to remember, you're not at school. Study leave is your time to figure out how you work best, ignore what people 'recommend' if that's not what's right for you, but be disciplined at the same time. 

 Once I'd started, I would spend the next 6 hours or so solidly in my new office working. I would break for lunch between 1:30 and 3, depending when I got hungry. I would let myself work until my parents got home and dinner was ready. Some days I could work 6-7 hours easily, some days I struggled to focus and if you have those days, it's important to let yourself stop. If you're not focused, nothing will go in anyway so forcing yourself to study is a waste of time. Lack of focus is your mind's way of telling you to take a break. 

 I would recommend working hard enough throughout the year and on your good days that you are able to have a day off if you need it without it being stressful. 

 In order to work for a full 6 hours a day, you need to have a relaxing environment and regular breaks. 

 Don't take breaks on your phone. 

 When taking breaks from revision, you need to keep your brain working. Watching TV or going on your phone will kill your focus. On my 'bad days' I had usually let myself watch a YouTube video or something while taking a break and from then on, I couldn't focus. On my 'good days,' I would have a break by reading a few chapters in my book or playing guitar for twenty minutes or so. This keeps your brain working so that when you go back to studying, you're able to get back into it. 

 I find that having scented candles burning helped me study a lot because I began to associate the smell with revising. That might sound a bit odd but the atmosphere in the room can affect your mood massively. Now when I go into my office and smell the caramel popcorn in the air, I feel like I should be sitting down to study; it was really effective to get me focused. 

 The most important thing is your environment. 

 I did all of my studying in one room which worked for me because I felt focused there. If your someone who needs a change of scenery, try setting up a work space in a couple of different rooms so that you can feel refreshed if you lose focus. 

 Don't revise with your phone in the same room; if you use revision apps, try to have self control or find a version of it on your computer instead. 

 Little things like keeping hydrated and having snacks is really important. Whilst I love coffee, too much would make my brain work too fast and stopped me focusing on one thing for too long. 

 If you lose motivation easily, try setting yourself little rewards. For instance, I let myself have my second cup of coffee once I'd filled my minimum goal of 5 hours per day. I also let myself have a little sweet after I'd finished a deck of flash cards or done a mock exam question. 

 It's also handy to have a big reward in mind for the end of the entire process. Before I moved house, I was going to book a holiday for the end of exams but having to leave my job killed that plan! Instead, I put together a shelf of books I have been dying to read so that I could tell myself, after exams, you get to read all of those books. 

 The promise of a great night out also works a treat! 

 As a kind of conclusion, the most important things are your motivation and your environment. If you struggle with revision but are thinking of going on to A Levels, try these methods out next exam season and see how it helps! Be creative with your revision process, it doesn't have to be awful.