Aberdeen Private Tuition Agency

Revision, revision, revision – start your revision as early as possible. The more you do, the more you will learn. However, if you know you should have started earlier, don’t panic – that’s the worst thing you can do. Any revision is better than none at all.

Be organised – create a revision timetable and prioritise. Your tutor will help you with this. Make a list of the topics that you are more confident with and those you need to work on but be realistic. Take a 5-minute tea and toilet break every hour and study when it suits you best. If you are morning person, start earlier in the day, if you are a night owl, start in the afternoon. However even night owls will not be revising at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night – so make sure you stop when you know you have exhausted your concentration!

Work on a good revision technique – find the best way you retain information. Do you prefer writing notes out again and again? Perhaps you prefer making mind maps or roping in parents and siblings to test you on quotes/formulae/facts? Or how about sticking post-its around the house? There is something to suit everyone.

Ask questions – use your teacher and/or tutor to the best of your advantage. If there is something you don’t understand then ask them. Remember – they want you to do as well as possible too. Keeping things bottled-up and crossing your fingers that you won’t get asked about it in the exam is leaving too much to chance.

Stay calm. You are not superhuman. No one is expecting you to spend 24/7 glued to your desk. Keep your hobbies going – if you go to a dance/drama/sports class, don’t quit. Everyone needs something else in their life to provide a motivation to study. It is always a cliché but exams are not the be all and end all. Stay positive – it’s doing your best which counts. The fact you are even taking exams is an achievement in itself.

Finally - good luck!