publication date: May 14, 2008
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author/source: Anne Coates
The examination period and the time leading up to it can be a trying and stressful time for both pupils and parents. Some teens need more help than others in planning their time and keeping focussed.
Here's a list of tried and tested tips to pass on to your teens:
- Plan ahead – make a timetable dividing your revision sessions into 45-minute slots (research has shown that the brain works best within this time-frame), allowing for a short break in between.
- Make notes – it has been proved that we have much better recall of things that we have written down.
- Be creative - use different colour pens and draw images to help you remember things.
- Spidergrams can be very useful. Write the topic in a circle in the centre of a page and then things you need to know radiating out from it and making links between them.
- Revise with a friend – swapping ideas and testing each other can really help.
- Sitting GCSEs? - try the revision tests on the BBC bitesize website: bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize
- Exercise – anything from a walk in the park to a swim. This will improve your mood, relieve stress and will help with concentration and focus.
- Drink water and plenty of it – your brain needs to be hydrated. Don’t have too many caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee and fizzy drinks.
- Eat fruit and vegetables and avoid stodgy, fatty foods. The healthier and fitter you are, the better you will be able to revise and then sit the exams.
- Listening to some music or watching a favourite TV programme when you’ve finished revising and before bed will help you wind down.
- Turn off your computer and your mobile phone before going to bed.
- Get enough sleep – if you have difficulty “turning off” and your mind is buzzing with facts and figures, have a warm bath, and try adding some lavender products.
- Relax – learn a breathing technique to calm yourself. Breathe in deeply to the count of ten (check this by placing your hand on your abdomen and feeling it rise) hold for a second or two then exhale slowly to the count of ten.
And on the day!
- Be punctual - make sure you arrive on time and at the right place!
- Try not to panic especially when you are actually taking the exam. Use the breathing exercise above.
- Read the paper carefully and make sure you follow all the instructions and answer the correct number of questions!
