As we sit here looking at the leaves gently falling from the trees it’s hard to turn our minds to next year, let alone May/June. However, for GCSE Tutors, A Level Tutors and their students these are going to be vitally important months as it’s when exams are due to be held. Seven months feels like an incredibly long time, and therefore it makes sense that now may seem far too early to start contemplating revising for exams.
However, there’s no such thing as too early. In fact, there could be an argument that now is the perfect time to get cracking. If you want information to be safely secured in your long-term memory, so you can refer back to it during the exams, then it needs to be put into your memory NOW.
Here are our top tips on getting started with early revision for your science and maths exams, whether that’s for GCSE or A Level exams in the summer.
With seven months to go before your exams, you have plenty of time to get lots of high-quality revision done. If you want to ensure you really are focussing on the right things though, it’s worth spending some time in these early stages getting yourself completely organised.
The first thing you ought to do is find out precisely what you need to know for science and maths – if you are working with online tutors, speak to your online science tutor or online maths tutor to make sure you fully understand what’s going to be expected of you as far as the syllabus is concerned. Make sure you have a good understanding of all the topics that are relevant, because the reality is, you can only revise something you already know. The last thing you want to do is spend any time during your “revision” sessions having to actively learn something you never quite got your head around before.
It’s also worth taking the time to make sure your notes are fully up to date and organised. This doesn’t mean spending a lot of time colour coordinating them or making them look pretty – they simply need to be functional and easy for you to understand, follow and absorb information from.
One of the best things you can do at this stage of the process is write out a revision timetable. If you’re studying for your GCSE exams, then you’re going to have a lot more than simply GCSE maths to worry about – so you will need to make sure every subject gets the amount of revision time it needs to ensure you get the grades you want. There may be some subjects you feel more confident with, and therefore don’t need as much time – but you’re still going to want to go over old content rather than taking it for granted that you will do well.
Whilst everyone learns differently, the same is true when it comes to revision as well. Some people find that flashcards are the best way for them to learn, whilst others feel re-reading their notes and textbooks is the most practical method for them.
If you are focussing on Biology, Chemistry or Physics, for instance, it’s not for your online Biology tutors, online chemistry tutor, online physics tutor or your teachers for that matter, to say you’re wrong – but do take the time to look at which methods may work best for you. You may even find that a combination of methods is the right approach.
Going over your notes and reading around a subject may be brilliant – but how are you going to find out how much you know? It’s important you find a way to test yourself – which is where flashcards may come in. Alternatively, you might want to try and write down as much as you know about a subject off the top of your head, deliver a lecture to a fellow classmate on a particular topic or try to do some practice or past papers.
If you leave your revision to the last minute, then the reality is you don’t have any other option but to revise for long periods of time – pulling all nighters and existing on coffee. None of which is healthy for anyone, let alone a teenager. However, if you start early, you can set aside a sensible amount of time to revise per day, without feeling like studying is taking over your life.
One great way to approach revision is to use the Pomodoro technique, which can be used in a variety of different situations. Basically, this approach advocates working for short periods of time, and then taking an immediate break. For example, you may decide to dedicate two hours per day to revising. In reality, what this might look like is a 25 minute session on Maths, followed by a five minute break. You’d then do another 25 minute session on Biology, followed by a five minute break. You’d immediately jump into a 25 minute session on Chemistry, followed by a five minute break, before going into a 25 minute session on Physics to end the study session.
Two hours may sound like a long time, but when you break it up in this way it doesn’t become daunting. Changing between subjects ensures that you do not feel mentally overloaded and overwhelmed, and you can still achieve a lot, Especially if you followed our previous advice and got organised to begin with!
For A level Physics, Biology, Chemistry or Maths, if you don’t already have an A Level Physics Tutor Online, or a biology tutor, online chemistry tutor or maths tutor, then now might be the right time to consider getting one. Working with chemistry tutors, or any other subject tutors for that matter can be a great way to hep you gain confidence and focus on your revision.
They will be able to work with you to identify any areas that need any additional support as well as providing you with practice papers and revision support. 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.
