Exam season is coming
The build-up to exam time can be a fraught and stressful time for the whole family, with young people experiencing the pressure both at home and school. The following suggestions are offered to help everyone survive the revision process, which at the time can feel never ending.
Have a conversation with your young person to understand what works best for them. Are they visual learners or is it more helpful for them to record themselves and listen and retain facts?
Some schools produce blank templates for exam revision that students can print and populate. A week-by-week revision guide of topics might also be available on your child’s school website to help pace the revision process.
Some schools offer after school revision classes and these can be helpful for revving with your teacher or for the completion of coursework. Encourage your young person to make the most of these opportunities.
Creating flashcards can be an electronic or manual process. For some the writing out of facts is helpful: write a question on one side and the answer on the reverse. These can then be used for self-testing. Colour coding flashcards by subjects and topics is also helpful. There are also apps that can be downloaded and used on a phone or tablet that some might prefer to populate by typing when handwriting presents an additional challenge.
Help your young person to create / establish an effective storage system for their revision: folders / boxes and plenty of labelling can help.
Some young people respond well to creating mind maps. Others prefer to plaster a wall with post it notes that can be moved around.
Others use a large white board to test themselves: wipe it clean and repeat. Standing up to do this can help concentration too.
Identifying the best times of day and effective chunks of time is essential. Some young people work best during the evenings and in 30 minute chunks with breaks.
Doing practice papers will give you a really good sense of the length of the exam. Support your young person to use these as part of their revision. It may sound obvious but reinforce trying to make as many points as there are marks available.
Encourage your young person to avoid digital distractions whilst revising. Mobile phones and tablet use can be reserved as rewards during break times. The use of timers for revision chunks will help your young person to stay on track and timers that are visual add an extra motivation.
Remember that breaks from revision are also really important! Help your young person to schedule these in, in order to maintain their balance and perspective. Hydration, regular meals and plenty of sleep are also essential.
We’d like to wish all the young people facing exams this summer the very best of luck.
Rachel White
Occupational Therapist