A-Level Psychology Week 4 Exam Preparation Tips

Hello, again!

I hope all of you are well, and I hope my blog thus far has been of use to you!

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I wanted to share with you a mistake I made when I was studying for my A-Levels…

So, there were around 2 weeks until my exams and all I could think about was how I will not do well. I stressed myself so much and didn’t allow myself to take any breaks. So, my days all blurred into one long continuous revision session.

And the revision I was doing wasn’t even sinking in. It was like I was just reading my revision notes, and it was going in one ear and out the other.

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Moral of the story: don’t repeat my mistakes. If you take anything at all from my blog, take these pieces of advice:

· Take time to rest from revision

· If you feel like nothing is sinking in, it isn't because you are stupid, or not trying hard enough, it's your body telling you to rest.

Now, you know the drill… it's 2 weeks until exams… what should I be doing?

1. So, you should have, by now, formed a revision timetable (or lists of what you should do every day) and you should be in a routine with it all.

o As I have said previously, make sure to take breaks!!!

o I know as exams are upcoming, you need to remember to take time to do things that relax you, especially now

2. Your revision this close to the exam should be application orientated.

o This means practice questions – look online at your exam board website or even YouTube, where you can find teachers or students go through questions and answer them

o Go through past tests you have done in your classes, and do the questions again. See if you have improved, and if you haven’t, that’s ok. This is a learning process: write in another colour the bits of information you have missed and revise this.

o If you don’t want to write answers out fully, plan it! It's less time consuming, and it’ll help you remember what you would write in your answer if you got the question in your exam

o Also, if you come across questions in your revision that you don’t know, use your notes! You could use your notes to plan the answer, and you can put the notes away and then write the answer without your notes. That way, it isn't just copying out your notes onto an exam paper, it's doing something with it.

3. BE PROUD OF YOURSELF

o Don’t be hard on yourself if you get things wrong, it's all a learning curve!

o If you got everything right, what would be the fun in that? There’s no sense of accomplishment or achievement in that

o You have completed 2 years of A-Levels! That, in itself, is an achievement!

o You have worked so hard given everything about Covid-19 and all

o Here are some ‘be proud of yourself’ quotes:

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

“If you can look in your mother's eyes and she's proud of you, then you're a champion.”

“Be proud of your choices, not your gifts.”

“Good for you and be proud of yourself because you have your priorities in order. Be proud of yourself if you are responsible, reliable, persistent, and take your job and education seriously.”

“Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take towards reaching that goal.”

“If you want to feel proud of yourself, then do good. Take action that will make you proud. And if you really want to feel proud, then do something to help someone else.”

So, guys, my key takeaway in terms of revision is to do lots of practice questions. Trust me, it might be boring when you do it, but it will help you in the next couple of weeks. Also, keep your morale and motivation up by taking regular breaks when you need them. And be proud of everything you have achieved so far, and everything you have yet to achieve. Try to do things that relieve your stress and I hope you all have a motivated and stress-free (or as stress-free as it can be) week.

I look forward to you reading my blog next week!

Until then, remain strong, calm and confident.

Jalisha.

Have any questions about how to prepare for your A-Level exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Jalisha. Jalisha will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Jalisha will answer them in these sessions.