How to prepare for your GCSEs - 4 tips to smash your exams

GCSEs can be a stressful time for any student. Not only are you trying to fit in all the content that you’ve covered over 2 years, but also attempting to maintain other hobbies and interests outside of education. After sitting the exams myself, and then moving onto A Level and now a degree, I have come up with a list of helpful tips that can be useful for any GCSE student! 

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• Try and start early: Something that helped me massively during my own exams was trying to make notes as I go along. This made it easier in the last few months before exams as I was able to just focus on solely memorising and understanding the information, rather than creating resources.
• After covering a topic, use exam questions to test your knowledge: This is what I did when I was doing my own exams and something that I have done with my own students. By testing your knowledge, it makes sure that any topics you have revised have been fully understood and that you are learning things to the spec. 
• Use flash cards for specific facts/ memorising: For some topics, you will need to fully understand the information and then memorise some key parts. In order to do this, I would recommend writing these facts on flash cards and reviewing them 3x a week. The information will go into your long-term memory and you’re more likely to not forget it on the day of your exams. 
• Take time out for yourself: This is one of the most important tips I can give. By looking after yourself and doing things that make you happy outside of school you are able to maintain a positive mindset which is extremely essential for over the exam period. 

Good luck with your examinations!