16th January 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
It’s that time of year when the Christmas holidays are over and students are coming back down to earth with a bump - especially A level students. For many, the January exams are fast approaching, and the Christmas holidays are not the most ideal time to revise. However, much as students may be panicking about exams, there is still plenty of time to prepare if you know what you’re doing. As with general approaches to work, quality, not quantity, is the key. The trick moving forward is to do just that; rather than dwelling on the weeks lost watching TV and eating turkey sandwiches, students should look ahead and make the most of time they do have.
The first step towards January exam success is for students to look after themselves, both physically and mentally. That means no recriminations about lost weeks over Christmas – students need breaks. Yes, they might have picked up a book one or two days a week, but that can’t be helped now. Looking after themselves also means starting to eat well and get plenty of sleep, things that probably didn't happen all that much over Christmas! The next thing is to make a realistic revision timetable. Leaving all revision till January may lead students to panic and try to cram in everything they planned to do into 2 weeks. The key to successful revision no matter how long students have is to be realistic and make the most out of the time they do have.
Having a good revision timetable can make all the difference. Many students set themselves up to fail by trying to do too much. Instead, they should focus on the key themes they need to cover, and identify any weak spots. This way revision is targeted, and they will get a lot more done in a shorter space of time. A good timetable also helps with the other tricky part of January revision – getting on with in it in the first place. It can be very hard to get motivated after Christmas, especially when facing looming exams. Setting small tasks can make the process seem far less daunting and aid in helping students get on the right track. Above all, students should make sure they look after themselves after Christmas. Replacing depleted energy reserves can make all the difference in January exams.