12 Most Effective Preparation and Revision Tips for GCSE Exams

The academic pressure and competition in schools increase with each passing year, with more and more students experiencing extreme stress and anxiety during exam season. While the UK may have revolutionised the educational system with GCSE Exams and A-Levels. According to statistics, 15% of GCSE students fall into the category of being ‘highly test anxious. (Putwain and Daly)

The anxiety levels in students increase when they don’t feel like they are prepared enough for the exam; the less confident students are in their exam preparation, the more anxious and nervous they will be. As students, the best way to combat this issue is to feel confident in your exam preparation. 

Wondering how you can feel confident about your exam preparations? Here are five preparation tips for you to ace your GCSEs exams. 

• Consider online tuition

As the academic pressure escalates, many students are turning towards online tuition in London, High Wycombe, Manchester, Redbridge and many other cities in the UK. Online tutoring can offer a range of benefits for students, especially during their exams. 

With online tuition, you do not have to worry about making your lesson plans, setting your timetable or preparing your self-assessments. A tutor will be there to worry about everything; all you will have to do is concentrate on what is being taught.

Currently, there are many excellent online tutoring companies that have the most expert faculty to facilitate the students. Many of those offer free trial sessions through which you can try their free services for some days and discontinue if you don’t find it helpful. Adan Khan Tutoring is most recommended and trusted online tuition platform by parents in the UK for GCSE English, Maths and Science Tuition. 

• Be an early bird

If you think you can prepare for your GCSEs without any help from a tutor, then you must be efficient enough to start as early as possible. GCSEs are competitive exams; the stress surrounding them can be nerve-wracking at times. Therefore, to avoid having a mental breakdown, start preparing for your exams months and not just days before the actual exam. Starting your preparation early will also help you identify concepts and lessons that you might have trouble understanding. With more time in your hands, you can easily practice more and overcome the difficulties that you might be facing in any subject. 

• Make a timetable

Having a timetable and a schedule to follow can make you more organised and less stressed. During exam preparation, it can always feel like you are forgetting something or you have skipped a chapter. Therefore, the best thing you can do is to make a timetable for yourself and for each subject separately. Dividing the time of the day and hours that you will be spending on each subject. Marking and updating your timetable every day will also rid you of the constant worry that you might be missing something. 

• A quiet corner

A quiet and distraction-free space can do wonders for your learning. Make sure that you at least have one corner in your home where you can study and prepare for your GCSEs in peace. However, suppose you cannot find even a single space in your home where you can focus and learn without interruptions. In that case, it is always a good idea to study in your school’s library or any other public library. 

• Put your phone down.

While you might think that you have strong willpower and keeping your phone near would not affect your learning, but sadly, it is not true. The constant buzzing from WhatsApp, Instagram or Snapchat can take your focus away in mere seconds, hence, causing you to waste hours without even realising it. Secondly, more screen time can make you tired and even cause headaches in some people. Therefore, it is advised that you keep your phone away from you while preparing for your exams.

• Practice papers 

Students have a higher chance of acing their exams if they are already familiar with the type of questions, patterns and answering techniques used in the exam. Therefore, familiarising yourself with the exam questions by looking into practice papers can help you prepare better for the GCSE exams and increase your chances of scoring high. 

• Flashcards 

There are many websites on the internet that provide students of all classes with the most helpful flashcards and quizzes for free. While making your own flashcards is always the preferred option, if you feel like you can equally benefit from the flashcards on the internet, then there is no harm in utilising them. Dividing information into titbits in the form of flashcards can make your brain absorb knowledge more quickly and readily.

• Sticky notes

Remember the old saying, ‘out of sight out of mind’? Unfortunately, that is how the human brain works. If we do not see things for extended periods, our brains tend to forget about them quickly. When you are preparing for your exams, the last thing you want is to keep forgetting the older things as you acquire new information. To avoid this problem, try putting sticky notes around the house with the most important points that you need to remember for the GCSE exams. You can stick your notes on your cupboard, on the fridge or anywhere you spend most of your time including, your bedroom, bathroom mirror, around the living room or even the kitchen. 

• Call a friend

While some might think that group study can waste more time, especially in a group of close friends, it never hurts to try and see what works best for you. If you think your friend can help you with a Math problem, there is no harm in calling them over and studying together. This might even help to keep you motivated as seeing your friends working hard to achieve a goal can have a positive and encouraging effect on your brain. 

• Try new methods

Preparing for your GCSE exams using only your notes and textbooks can become tiring and boring after a while. To tackle this, try watching informative and educational videos or presentations related to your course content. You can even listen to your school’s podcast or watch your recorded lectures if you have any. This way, you can easily prepare without getting tired of looking at the same textbooks for hours. 

• Take a break

Studying continuously without any breaks can do more damage than good. Therefore, it is important that you take short breaks between learning sessions. If you have planned to study for three hours, taking a 15 minutes break twice can increase productivity and eliminate exhaustion. So, remember to add breaks to your daily study schedule. 

• Exercise, eat and sleep.

And lastly, you cannot achieve any of your goals if you are not healthy, well-fed and well-rested. Therefore, make it a priority to do a little exercise daily like running or swimming to keep yourself active. Similarly, it would help if you consumed a healthy diet that consists of all the necessary proteins and vitamins. And, to stay fresh during the day, it is crucial that you get eight hours of sleep every night. Only then will you be able to study and prepare for your GCSEs.

In a nutshell, preparing for your GCSE exams does not have to be scary. With these preparation and revision tips, you can easily pass and score high in your exams.