SmileTutor Blog Students Exam Tips How to Prepare Yourself Mentally for the Upcoming A Levels Exams

How to Prepare Yourself Mentally for the Upcoming A Levels Exams

With A-Levels around the corner, most students are feeling the heat. Despite going through their revision, A-Levels students always feel burned out, stressed, and exhausted by October.

This anxiety and stress can make students forget what they have read in the past few months.  

However, it doesn’t have to be the case. The following time management tips can help students to remain calm as they prepare for the upcoming exams.

What subjects are tested in A-Levels?

  • H1/H2 Physics
  • H1/H2 Economics
  • H1/H2 Mathematics
  • General Paper (GP)
  • H1/H2 Geography
  • H1/H2 Biology
  • H1/H2 Chemistry
  • H1/H2 Accounting

Develop a Study Plan

Any student who wants to score good grades must have a study plan months before the exams begin.

Exclusive offer for first-time customers only!
Get 15% discount off your first lesson and no agency fees! Choose from a selection of reliable home tutors and keep learning even while at home. Claim this promotion today.

Now is the time to think about creating a revision timetable. Also, stay abreast with the latest update for each subject.

When studying, plan to revise when you are most productive. For instance, if you’re alert in the morning, do most of your studying during this time. 

  • Take at least a 15 minutes break to rejuvenate your mind.
  • Give priority to exams that will help you score a higher grade in a specific subject.
  • Incorporate various tools when studying, such as online video summaries, audio guides, and books.
  • Ask family members to take turns asking you questions. This will help you remember what you have studied.
  • Underline key points in your notes.

Additionally, it’s important to allocate adequate time to all subjects while giving more time to the most challenging topics.

Avoid Distractions by Organizing Your Study Space

Before settling down to study, ensure you have everything in place. Create enough space on your desk to keep your books and notes. Use a comfortable chair, switch off all gadgets, and ensure you have enough lighting.

When studying for exams, you must be comfortable, so that you can concentrate better.

Have a Notebook to Record Revised Topics

In your notebook, write down topics that require thorough revision, completed topics, and the priority that each task requires.

Applying this method will help you stay at the top of your revision. You’ll also accomplish your revision in the order of priority and need.

Make Use of Flowcharts and Diagrams

Visual aids will come in handy when preparing for A-Levels because most subjects require students to understand the larger concepts and details.

There are various diagrams and note-taking techniques you can apply to make your notes meaningful.

Struggling with your schoolwork?
Subscribe to get weekly study guides and exam preparation tips.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

  • Bullet points: It’s key to remembering characteristics or traits related to the main topic.
  • Flow charts: Appropriate for learning processes and procedures.
  • Mind mapping: Develop a strategy that will help you summarize lessons or a topic.
  • Comparison charts: Suitable for learning the differences and similarities between concepts and theories.

Having your study notes in this format will help you remember everything when sitting for exams.

Find a Study Group

Eighteen months might not be enough to study for the GCE A-Levels because of the heavy content. Not forgetting the events and extracurricular activities that will take up your limited time.

The best way to cover most topics is by creating a study group and pool your resources in one place. What’s the advantage? You’ll manage to cover the entire syllabus sufficiently and in a shorter time.

A study group also allows your minds to come up with different ideas. You’ll manage to develop memory tools for resolving doubts and retaining content as you cover different topics.

It’s also a psychological and support framework to help achieve common academic success and provide a better GCE A-Levels experience.

Students Can Ask Parents to Source for a Tutor

Months before the A-Levels can be stressful for both parents and students. 

However, if you feel stressed out, anxious, or you have failed previous exams, you can ask your parents to hire a tutor for A-Levels tuition.

Our tutors are well versed with the A-Levels syllabus and will help you understand key concepts.

SmileTutor has a team of experienced teachers who’ll help students ace their GCE A-Levels by:

  • Helping them concentrate on the most important study areas.
  • Guiding them on how to answer and understand the question they couldn’t answer in class.
  • Relieve part of the academic pressure students experience because they receive more attention and time from tutors.
  • Keeping them on the right track, boosting their confidence, and reassuring them whenever they don’t understand a topic well.

Practice with Past Exam Papers

Answering exam questions requires enough practice because you’ll remember all concepts.

Seek the assistance of your teacher whenever you find yourself struggling to answer questions in the past papers. Afterward, set a timer and practice.

When using past papers to revise, identify question trends, then develop an answer plan on general topics. Ensure you’re using real supporting evidence, relevant quotes, and the appropriate style.

Practicing consistently will provide outstanding results. Other strategies that will help you answer the exam questions accurately include:

1) Read through the entire exam paper and find the guide words as you plan how you’ll tackle each question. After you determine if it’s a summary or an essay report, you can begin answering the question.

2) Understand what’s expected of the content before you can start answering. Try and determine the length of the required answer, the timescale, and what you should include.

3) Be aware of the examiner’s expectations and the best approach you can use to answer the question.

Get Adequate Rest and Eat Healthy Food

Sometimes when you’re studying, you might forget to eat nutritious food and concentrate on processed foods. Eating nutritious foods helps with concentration and memory.

Also, eating a healthy meal on the day of the exam will keep your energy levels up.

Simultaneously, studying and resting is equivalent to sustainable revision. You can take a break by taking a nap, reading a book, or changing to a study app that will help relax your mind.

Conclusion

A-Levels is not only competitive, but it also determines your success regarding the university you’ll attend. Hence, it’s important to make enough preparations ahead of the exams. Having a study guide and enough preparation will see you pass and get good grades.

For the best results, start revising now and seek the help of teachers early!

Rum Tan

Rum Tan is the founder of SmileTutor and he believes that every child deserves a smile. Motivated by this belief and passion, he works hard day & night with his team to maintain the most trustworthy source of home tutors in Singapore. In his free time, he writes articles hoping to educate, enlighten, and empower parents, students, and tutors. You may try out his free home tutoring services via smiletutor.sg or by calling 6266 4475 directly today.