Whilst many people’s attentions are turned to half term and the unbridled joy of Trick or Treating, many will be feeling a different kind of nightmare looming up on them in the form of mock exams. Undoubtedly, mock exams are not as important as the real thing; however, they are really important for you, and can help you to identify areas you might need to improve on, or topics you may want to get help with. If you are studying Maths and Science, you may decide to work with an online maths tutor or a science tutor to help you to improve your grades ready for the real exams.
Think about working with a biology tutor, a chemistry tutor, physics tutor or even a physics and maths tutor.
Whether you’re taking your driving test or sitting your Maths GCSE, having the opportunity to do a trial run when it comes to important exams is a great way to ultimately improve your chances of success.
If you’re working with a private online tutor, they may well suggest you do some practice papers to help ascertain precisely where you currently are with your studies. Sitting a mock paper in this way can help your online science tutor determine where any knowledge gaps lie, and if there are any particular types of question you may need some additional practice with.
In this way, future study sessions and lessons can be tailored to help address those gaps and focus your attention where it’s most needed. Rather than spending time going over and revising topic areas you’re already confident with, you can laser in on the parts of the course you perhaps feel less sure of. Focusing your time in this way will help you achieve more with the study time you have, and help ensure you’re not feeling overwhelmed with the idea of having to go over everything.
It is also helpful to sit such papers under exam conditions. This means you will have the opportunity to answer the relevant style of questions, without access to your notes or any other help, under timed conditions. When you are studying biology, any A Level Biology tutor will tell you, it’s one thing knowing the answers, but being able to get them down on paper in a coherent and concise manner in the allotted time is a whole other skill entirely. As a result, it’s a skill that does need to be practised and this is where mock exam papers and practice papers can really be a huge bonus to your revision plan.
Now we know that mocks are a great way to improve performance, how can you do everything within your power to not only do as well as possible now, but in the future?
#1 Make sure you have a study plan
You know you need to revise, but approaching any subject revision with only that as your loose plan isn’t going to get you very far. It’s important to take the time to map out a fairly structure revision schedule – considering when your exams are and what opportunities you have available to you to study for them. If you are studying Physics, then working with a good online physics tutor could greatly enhance your chances of securing the grade you are aiming for
It’s important to allow yourself as much time as possible, but it’s also vital that you are realistic. Your A Level Physics Tutor isn’t going to be impressed if you say you’re going to do three hours of revision every night, but realistically can only commit to 30 minutes. The reality is, 30 minutes per night is still a fantastic effort – over a four week period that’s 14 hours! Make sure you’re not over committing yourself and inadvertently causing yourself more stress and anxiety.
#2 Stop trying to memorise your notes
Here at Tutorspot we’ve helped countless students through GCSE and A Level exams, so our tutors know a thing or two when it comes to studying and revising for exams. Our A Level Chemistry tutors tell us that one of the worst things you can do is simply try to memorise your notes. Instead, you should try to make them come alive by re-writing them, in your own words, putting down as much information as you can about each topic.
Depending on your subject area, if may be worth trying to structure your writing along the lines of the five main questions of: Where, What, Why, When, How? This will give you something to focus on as you put down as much information as you can onto paper. Reviewing what you’re written will allow you to quickly see what you don’t know, or are unsure about, thus giving you a better focus for your next revision session.
#3 Studying late at night
You may well believe you’re a night owl rather than a morning lark, but the reality is, studying late at night is not going to be the best use of your time. An extended session at night is going to leave you feeling drained and lacking in energy for the next day – a day when you’re likely to be at school or college and in need of concentrating.
If you’re serious about doing well in your exams, then you ought to set aside some sensible time in your day to day schedule to study or revise. Booking in a session each week with a personal online science tutor may be the focus you need to really start getting into a good study schedule at home.
#4 Not doing practice questions
Constantly taking notes or reviewing any notes you’ve already made may seem like the best way to revise, but as we’ve already discussed, practice papers and mock exams are great ways to highlight any gaps in your knowledge and allow you to focus on your weaknesses. Avoiding practice questions is one of the worst things you can do – if you don’t have any questions to hand, your online tutor will be able to help you.
No matter where you are in your educational journey, working with a private tutor can be one of the most beneficial things you can do to improve your chances of success. Why not use our search tool to find the right tutor for you? You can also find a tutor by emailing us at info@tutorspot.co.uk or giving us a call or text on 07480637128.
