Coping on the day of the exam
Essential Information
Preparing your revision plan
Revision - What? Where? When?
Taking care of yourself
Top 10 revision tips

Coping on the day of the exam.

Read:

• All the instructions carefully so you know how many questions to answer, what they're worth and which ones are compulsory.
• All the questions and avoid leaping on the first 'easy' one you spot.
• And beware questions you recognise from past papers, they may have been subtly changed.

Plan:

• Which questions you want to answer and in what order.
• How much time you've got for each one - put your watch in front of you and try and stick to your timings.
• A quick bullet-list of points to give you a handy structure for essay questions.
• To use any spare time you have at the end of the exam for checking through your answers.

Write:

• Answers to the questions that have actually been set, not the ones you'd hoped to see.
• As concisely as possible. Keep to the point.
• As neatly but also as quickly as you can. Try not to spend too long on any single question, however much you get into it.
• A concise list of what you would have put in your answer if you find yourself running out of time, that way you should still score some points.

When you leave the exam do not discuss the paper with other candidates. They will start to depress you by giving answers you did not give and they may not even be correct answers!

With good planning, thorough preparation and a steady exam performance, you should be able to look back on the exam three months later with both a positive feeling and a positive result!

Essential Information

On the next page you will find the official Examination Rules for all GCSE exams. Most of it is common sense. Here are a few pieces of information that you really need to remember!

• On the day of your exam you should make sure you bring the correct equipment for the exam.

• You should have already looked at the seating plan in the Exam’s Notice Board near the Main School Entrance to see where you will be seated – DO NOT LEAVE IT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE SITTING!

• You should arrive in school 10-15 minutes before each exam and you MUST be in School Uniform.

• When you are allowed to enter the Sports Hall go to the changing room and leave your coat and bag. These rooms are locked during the exam.

• DO NOT take a mobile phone into the exam room.

• IF YOU ARE ILL YOU MUST TELEPHONE THE SCHOOL - YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO GET A GRADE IF WE RECEIVE A DOCTOR’S NOTE WITHIN 2 DAYS.

• IF YOU ARE LATE FOR AN EXAM YOU MUST REPORT TO THE CHIEF INVIGILATOR IN THE EXAM ROOM. IF YOU ARE MORE THAN 30 MINUTES LATE THE EXAM BOARD HAS THE RIGHT NOT TO ACCEPT YOUR SCRIPT. IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER THE EXAM HAS FINISHED YOU CANNOT TAKE THE EXAM.

• We expect the highest standards of behaviour in the Exam Room. If a student misbehaves their parents will be informed and that student may be isolated from others for the remainder of the exams. In some cases the exam board may be informed – the exam board may then refuse to give a grade to that student.

Preparing your revision plan

Well before your exams, set up a revision plan. Your revision plan will help you to know what to do and when you want to do it. It also helps you to enjoy these weeks of revision.

• Use the Planner pages in this guide to help you – there are several for you. Use a new one for each week between now and the first examination.

• Divide each day into sessions with a break of 5 minutes between some and 10 minutes between others. Don’t forget to mark in time for meals and be realistic about how long you can keep going – eight hours a day, even if you behind with your work, is really too much!

• Set some time aside each day for relaxation! Maybe an hour each evening during the week and a little more time in the afternoons at the weekend. Plan some treats for yourself for these times.

• You should go through your notes and the subject guides in this booklet and list the topics which have to be covered. Divide these topics into 2 lists – topics you feel confident about and those you do not. There may be few topics in the first category but your task during revision is to convert topics from the second column to the first.

• Set a realistic number of hours for revision each week and put them into your planner.

Revision - what? where? when?

What ?

Revision is NOT about acquiring new skills or knowledge – it is about going over work that you have already done and (ideally) understood. When you start a session concentrate on the tasks you have set yourself for that session.

Always set specific tasks to complete in a session. Achieving targets gives you a boost. If you find it difficult to concentrate, stop ans try again later. Work in short spells. No one can maintain a high level of concentration for very long. Revision must be active – have a notepad and pen to hand. Use a highlighter on your notes. Summarise your notes until you have a set of key notes for yourself.

Where?

Make sure you have somewhere which;

• is tidy and has a comfortable chair
• has a table with enough room for you and your books
• has a bright table lamp
• has all the books you need
• has a window you can open – a room that is too warm can cause drowsiness and headaches!

When?

You should have started revising by now! If not, you should start as soon as possible. You should have a good idea about what time of day you are at your best to do work. Most people work best in the mornings but this varies. Very few people are at their best at night.

When you do your revision plan, schedule the topics you find most difficult for those times when your learning powers are at their peak. Do not ‘burn the midnight oil’ – you will suffer a reaction to this! Having a lie in is not a good idea either – far from storing energy, this will promote a felling of lethargy for the rest of the day.

Taking care of yourself

Eating a variety of healthy foods doesn't just give your body a boost, it also benefits your brain cells. Skipping meals may well give you extra cramming time, but it can also leave you hungry and unable to concentrate. So, eat regularly and sensibly. Think wholemeal sandwiches and fruit, rather than cakes and biscuits!

Brain Fuel

• Bread, pasta, cereals and potatoes are filling and packed with starchy carbohydrates, which release energy slowly, meaning you can keep going for longer.
• Fruit and vegetables give you essential vitamins and minerals. Aim for at least five portions a day.
• Food like pasties, chips and crisps are high in fat. Unless you want to emerge from your room looking like a whale, keep them for treats.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Dehydrated brains don't think clearly and water is healthier than sweet, fizzy drinks.
• Meat, fish, pulses, milk and dairy foods are good sources of protein. Moderate amounts are essential for a healthy diet.

Exercise

Staying hidden away in your bedroom can often seem like the best option when revision time is short. But a bit of the great outdoors can blow the cobwebs away and help you relax. If you can't get out, at least get up and out of your chair for a stretch and a wander. Better still, go for a swim or put those trainers on and give your mind and body a workout.

Five Ways To Beat Stress

• Organise a night out with your mates.
• Put your favourite music on and pump up the volume.
• Rent videos, order pizza and crash out on the sofa.
• Go shopping and treat yourself.
• Do some exercise or sport.

Under Pressure? Five Golden Rules

• Stick to fulfilling your potential, not other people's expectations.
• Ask for help if you need it.
• Take time out and relax, it will pay off.
• Focus on yourself, not on what anyone else thinks or does.
• Believe in yourself, you've got no reason not to.

The night before can be hard. Don't start revising completely new things, it'll just freak you out. Instead, stick to key points and summaries, rather than big chunks of text. If it feels like nothing's going in, don't worry. Whatever revision you do now will pay off later. Finally, get a decent night's sleep and you'll perform better. Here's how:

Kip Tips

• Try and go to bed and get up around the same time each day.
• Avoid caffeine-packed coffee, tea and cola late at night.
• Taking a long soak in the bath can really help you wind down.
• Going to bed on an empty stomach makes sleeping harder

Top 10 revision tips

Success in exams is never easy, but there are strategies which will greatly increase your chances of achieving the grade you want.

1. Know what you have to do
First you should go through your notes and list the topics which have to be covered - your own study checklist. Also, make sure you know exactly when your exams are and how many papers you will have to sit.

2. Make a revision plan
Well before your exams, set up a revision timetable. Many people don't do this, but it is essential. Set a realistic number of hours for revision each week. Plan to work through each of the topics in the period up to the exam, leaving a few weeks for final revision. Regularly review your plan and make changes in the light of your progress.

3. Revise effectively
Find a quiet private place to revise (try the library if there's no room at home), with a suitable, well-lit table or desk to work at and always have all the equipment you need at hand - class notes, Study Guides, calculator, etc. Work for a set period (30-40 minutes suits most people), and then have a 10 minute break away from your desk.

4. Revise actively
Don't just read through your class notes - revision needs to be more active than that if it's to stick. Make your own revision notes, draw diagrams to summarise points, make up word games to help memorise key points and, above all, keep testing yourself (or get a friend to test you).

5. Practise exam questions
Start to look at past papers for the syllabus you are taking. Get used to the style of the questions and the words used by the examiner. It is most important to answer the question set and not one you would prefer to answer.

6. Handling stress
Start revising as early as possible. If you start late, don't panic, but make a plan of what you have to do and stick to it. Do lots of exam questions practice, so you know what to expect. Take regular, scheduled breaks. And make sure you get some exercise and fresh air. Most importantly, keep a sense of proportion - there is life after the exams.

7. The week before
You should have kept this time to go back over essential or difficult points, rather than studying new material. However, if you have fallen behind your schedule, you can use a few days of this time to catch up.

8. The night before
Don't rely on a lot of last minute revision. It's OK to revise a couple of things the night before the exam, but don't get into a panic about things you don't know. Convince yourself about how much you do know. Get all the things you need ready the night before - pens, pencils, ruler, calculator with spare battery, etc. And try to get an early night.

9. In the exam
Arrive at the place of the exam in good time. When you start, find a question you can do well and do it straight away, even if it is not the first question on the paper - this will build your confidence. Keep a careful eye on the time and keep on schedule to answer every question you need to - if you find a question you struggle to do, leave it and return to it later.

10. Be positive
It is very easy when you are revising to get despondent and to think about all the things you cannot do or find difficult. It happens to us all. You must look back at your original plan, from time to time, and realise the progress you have made. With determination and the right approach, you can succeed!