This article was last updated on 9 May 2023.
Exam season is a long road full of twists, turns, highs and lows. One minute you can feel on top of the world, the next you may feel swamped in mind-melting past papers 鈥 stressful! Our Mind Set coaches have been through it all before, we've asked them for some of their top pieces of advice on how to keep motivated and stay resilient during Nationals and GCSE exam season.
Watch our short video, and then scroll down for more tips from Paralympian, and Strictly star, Ellie Simmonds, which may just help you at a time of need.
Video: Being resilient
Our coaches on being resilient
Getting feedback when you're revising for your GCSEs or Nationals can sometimes feel de-motivating, but our Mind Set expert, Dr Anna Colton, says, "A setback doesn't define you. Use the feedback to help you understand any errors or misconceptions and then clear them up. Whatever happens, don鈥檛 panic, there will be an option for you 鈥 even if it鈥檚 not the exact one you were working towards." When Rohan got feedback from his teachers, he just tried to remember that his teachers were trying to better him so that he could get a better grade for his exams. He says that if your feedback isn't always positive, try to not take it personally. Shay thinks that feedback from teachers is really important. He says to listen to what they say and apply it to the questions the next time you do an exam.
If you want to learn how past papers can help you smash your exams, this guide is the place to go!
As this series title suggests, having a positive 'Mind Set' can really help with your GCSE and Nationals revision. Lauren would try to stay as positive as possible to keep her going during her GCSE revision. She would write down five things that would make her happy just before she went to bed 鈥 this helped her to put everything else into perspective. Anxiety Josh says not to forget to celebrate the little wins when revising for your GCSEs or Nationals, and to make sure you reward yourself by doing things you enjoy, like watching your favourite box set. One thing Joe did when he was getting really low was to watch motivational videos online 鈥 this made him want to do the work.
For more amazing advice and top tips on how to boost your resilience whilst studying, check out this guide.
Resilience advice from Ellie Simmonds
Team GB Paralympian, Ellie Simmonds, knows all about how to stay resilient 鈥 here鈥檚 some things she鈥檚 learned along the way!
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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