How To Tackle Exam Season & Live To Tell The Tale

Not everyone has to deal with exams, but those of us that do suffer. I'm in my final year of a English Literature Degree and I absolutely unashamedly suck at exams. 

When I say suck, I really do mean that I am dreadful at them. 

So you may be thinking Wow Emily really selling yourself here, if you are so rubbish then why should I be taking advice from you? 

 Well young grasshopper, through my awful exam experiences, I have also picked up a plethora of advice from tutors, friends, family and the good ole' interwebs. 

• Revise Early - Most of us will have our exams in May- June time and it can be tempting to leave of revision until April. Don't. The earlier you start with revision the better. Make charts, post it notes, or lists and place them around your room/house and take a few minutes a day to read over them. It won't even feel like revision but it will all help once the big day comes around. February/March time is the perfect time to start revision!
• Don't Stress - Being stressed out about exams is so counter-productive and can really kill all your motivation to revise. Instead plan a certain amount of time a day to revise a topic. Create a timetable for yourself so you know what to revise and when to revise it. Make sure you also plan yourself days off, breaks and nights out (or in) to relax. You don't want to burn out!
• Find what works for you - Some people are visual learners whilst others find that they are better at physically doing something to learn it. Find out what makes you tick and create a way to revise around that. Make it fun though, you don't want to be revising something in a way that bores you as nothing will go in. I personally like making posters, notes and family trees/timelines (particularly helpful when you're revising novels). 
• RTFQ - This is my Dad's go to piece of advice when it comes to exams. Read The Fucking Question. This is so ridiculously simple but I can't count the amount of times friends of mine have lost marks because they didn't actually read the question properly. When the exam begins take 10 minutes to properly read and think about the question. Make sure you really understand it and then quickly paraphrase it in your own words on the question paper. This will help you when you start to answer the question as you will be 100% sure on what you are meant to be saying. 

If you do have exams this year then good luck! It won't be as bad as you think and you will almost certainly surprise yourself!