Monday 07-12-2020 - 10:28

Hey Everyone, Cal here.

 

This time of year is hard enough, and with various government lockdowns and social restrictions being imposed on our lives, it’s going to be harder for some than ever.

 

And when you throw exams and revision periods into the mix too, it’s easy to see how stress levels might go through the roof.

 

What I’m saying is, it’s important to take care of yourself and make sure you’re in a place that you can work in. And despite what you think, it is possible to manage stress during the Winter break leading into January exams and deadlines.

 

Below are some tips that have made my own revising easier and stopped me from stress-eating myself into a carb-fueled perma-sleep.

 

 

 

 

One Exam at a Time.

 

In the January exam period you may have a couple of exams in a very short period and the temptation to bulk revise will be there.

 

But trust me it won’t end well.

 

Having a schedule and a plan (download one of the SU schedules for a head start!) of how to attack your revision is half of the battle. If you dedicate a full day of revision with breaks so you don’t burn out on a day to day schedule, you’ll be half way there.

 

Which brings me onto my next point...

 

 

 

 

Please. Take. Breaks.

 

I feel like when it comes to revision windows and sessions, we may have the best intentions of studying for eight hours at a time according to strict parameters.

 

But it’s perfectly fine to be more realistic with your planning. And actually, it’s better for your revision if you’re not so hard on yourself.

 

If you work better with a focused window of 30 minutes and then a 10-minute break, that’s fine. If you work best with a 60-minute working window and a 20-minute break, do it.

 

The important part of revision schedules, other than the actual revision itself, are your breaks.

 

 

 

Hobbies

 

After a day of revision, it’s important to reward yourself. If you enjoy writing or drawing, why not block off a couple of hours so you can do that and fully put your mind into it?

 

If you enjoy watching films/tv shows, set aside time so you can indulge.

 

I know I’ve mentioned it a few times now, but it’s so so important to take time to recharge and reset.

 

If you’re stressed beyond belief before your exam and focus on the stress, rather than your revision, you’re going to take those feelings into the exam which will spoil all your hard work.

 

 

 

 

That’s all for this blog post and a glimpse into how I prepared for exams as a student. The most important point that I can drive home is that if you do not take care of yourself during exam periods, you will be doing yourself a disservice.

 

Try your best and prepare as well as you can. You’ve got this!

 

 

 

Need a hand with planning your revision? Check out our full suite of revision and exam resources on our Keep Your Cool page!