This article was last updated on 4 May 2023.
It's okay to get stressed and feel like your head is about to explode during GCSE or Nationals exam season, especially when you have so much to remember and all your exams ahead of you. Don't worry 鈥 we've got you.
Take a breath, step back from your revision for a few minutes and watch our short video containing advice from our Mind Set exam veterans. You never know, there might be a small tip or piece of advice that you take on board that will make the difference in one of your exams.
Video: Exams and assessments
Our coaches鈥 top tips for your exams and assessments
Milly treats assessments during school time as if they're the real thing. She says this helps get rid of the stress when it comes to your real exam. She recommends using past papers in your revision and checking with your teachers what topics you should be covering. Similarly, Joe says that past papers are the best thing to get you ready for GCSEs as they help familiarise you with the questions, style of exam and time conditions you will face in the real thing.
Past papers are such an important part of your exam prep that we've got a whole guide on them! Check out our 5 essentials for past papers here
Being prepared in advance can help you feel less nervous for your exams, Shay found it really helpful to pack his bag the night before an exam. This was one less thing for him to stress about in the morning. Daniel says, "going into the exam room with clear thoughts and confidence can boost your performance." If you're feeling stressed, we've got you with these stress-relieving tips for the run-up to exams.
If you are worried about your exams, and have additional needs, make sure you speak to a teacher. 狈耻苍驳鈥檚 school were really supportive 鈥 they were able to adapt to her needs and help her by allowing her to use a smaller room rather than the exam hall. She says you should never be afraid to ask for help. Baxter has dyslexia and his school was really helpful 鈥 they gave him extra time for his exams, which really helped him as it made him less stressed and more able to focus on the exam paper.
If you struggle with time management, Iain suggests to calculate how long you have with each question in the exam based on how many marks each question awarded. This helped him to not spend too long on one question. He says that you should use every second you have in an exam. Sekani says that some of the more difficult questions with higher marks are at the back of the paper, so it鈥檚 important to spread your time out evenly. Rohan's top tip is to check back through your paper, "If I finish early, I always like to look back through the exam at least once or twice to make sure that I haven鈥檛 missed out anything and to check through my answers. There might be something that you鈥檝e missed that will earn you an extra mark."
Have a gander at this guide for some more useful do's and don'ts in your exams.
Top tips from Ellie Simmonds
Team GB Paralympian Ellie Simmonds knows a thing or two about preparing for big events. Here, she shares her advice on how to stay calm.
Top tips from Dean McCullough
And here's Radio One DJ Dean McCullough on how you can use music to get you in the right frame of mind on exam day.
What is The Mind Set?
The Mind Set is two things: a series of films to help support you through your GCSEs and Nationals and a group of amazing young coaches who appear in the films.
Our coaches have been through their GCSEs or National Qualifications already. They come from all different backgrounds and all corners of the UK and they鈥檝e all faced different challenges in getting to grips with exam revision. What they鈥檝e got in common is that they all have heaps of exam revision tips, advice, helpful hints, hacks and wonderful words of wisdom they want to share with you.
In the series, we also hear advice from mental health professionals like Josh Fletcher (AKA 鈥淎nxiety Josh鈥) on how to look after your wellbeing and stay resilient during revision and exams season and we have top revision hacks from our very own memory expert, Dr Vanessa Loaiza!
Explore the Bitesize Study Support pages for more information and revision support.
This article was last updated on 12 October 2023.
If you need support
You should always tell someone about the things you鈥檙e worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you鈥檙e doing.
If you鈥檙e in need of in-the-moment support you can contact , where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are more links to helpful organisations on 成人论坛 Action Line.
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