Thursday 2 April 2015

Exam Panic: REMAIN CALM!


It's that time of year again when those of us with exams approaching start to panic as everyone around us seems to have already started revising. Have you started yet?

Luckily I only have four exams this year but there is an awful lot of things of remember: every single little feature of ten pieces for Music (why, oh why, is there no scores or tracks in the exam for these?) plus general theory; a bunch of case studies with theorists, key scenes and characters for Media Studies; quotes, criticisms and terminology for Literature; frameworks, theorists and concepts for English Language.

So here a few tips that I use to make it all seem feasible.


Flashcards

Who knew small pieces of paper can be such lifesavers? Condense an entire year's worth of studying onto a few cards and suddenly it seems as if there isn't quite so much to remember! 

Posters

This one is quite the handy trick if you have a subject broken into modules or topics. You can fit an entire topic onto one A3 sheet of paper, stick it up on your bedroom wall and it's in your sight almost all the time. 

Textbooks / Class Resources

If you know there is an affordable revision guide or textbook out there, get it! Most of the time exam boards publish specific ones for their courses, which means you know exactly what they want you to know for the exam. Although, sometimes this isn't always possible so that's where class resources comes in. It's always a good idea to make your notes useful in class so most of the work is done for you. Your school might have an online site with folders containing powerpoints and everything else - use it! Use it all!

All The Colours!

Don't write all your revision in boring black and blue pens. Get some funky coloured pens to make you look at your revision more. Try highlighting keywords to make them stand out. 

Re-reading

You might think you know your texts inside out but there's always something to find when you re-read. This goes for re-watching or re-consuming texts such as films and magazines for media-related courses, too.

Mark Schemes

Find out exactly what the examiners are looking for. Even the subjective subjects have specific things to catch you out on. I recently found out that for Literature, there are specific terms that have to be used to get the higher grades. Sometimes there will be little things that you never get told in class but will get caught out on - it can be easier to find out for yourself.


Comment below with what you do during this period of year.
Thank you for reading! 

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