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Helping with exam preparation and stress

Exams are a nerve wracking, stressful time for everyone involved, including the parents. It is horrible to watch on as your child becomes more and more stressed over impending exams. That is why we have devised a simple list for parents to help you help your children through this sometimes traumatic, but inevitable time in their lives.

Revision tips

There are a few simple things that can help make revision seem like a less daunting experience:

• Encourage your child to revise in 45 minute periods and then take a 10-15 minute break. Most people struggle to maintain attention for more than 45 minutes and in this way revision periods will seem less intense whilst, in fact, being far more productive. In addition they will find that they end up getting more revision done in the day if they use this pattern.
• During their breaks they should get something to drink and a small snack as this will help keep them focused and act as a small reward at the end of the 45 minute period.
• Children should revise at a table in a quiet, well lit room preferably without a television in it.
• They should wear comfortable clothes to avoid any distraction.
• Encourage children to begin revising a reasonable amount of time in advance of their exam, this way the revision will seem less intimidating and they will find themselves under less pressure. A little and often is the cliché that is applicable here!
• Looking over past exam papers and the relevant marking criteria is a great way to prepare your child for the exam they are about to take. Knowing HOW to answer an exam question is half the battle.
• Encourage your child to experiment with different methods of revision before they settle on one particular way. Using colour, big pieces of paper or even post-it notes may be far more successful ways for your child to revise than simply copying notes onto paper.
• Once your child has found a revision method encourage them to stick to it as it will stand them in good stead for future exams!

The day of the Exam

• Make sure they have a good, nourishing breakfast that will sustain them throughout the exam.
• They should make sure they have covered all possibilities for distractions in the exam e.g. they should have a bottle of water, tissues and a spare pen.
• Encourage them to get up and be ready in plenty of time to ensure they have enough time to collect their thoughts and have one last glance over their revision notes. (It is important to remember that they should not be doing last minute revision the morning of the exam as this will be fruitless but one final look at their notes may help to calm their nerves).
• Make sure they know how important it is to read the questions carefully several times before committing to one question and to ensure they fully understand what the question is asking. Many an exam has been failed because a student has not read the question properly and answered a different question!