Exam season can be an extremely difficult and stressful time for many students, particularly when there is pressure to achieve a certain set of grades. However, hopefully as a university student who has been through the emotional rollercoaster of A-levels and exams, I can offer you some useful tips and tricks to help get you through what can feel like the most important years of your life.

Firstly, keeping on top of deadlines and assignments throughout the whole of your A-levels will set you up in the best position before you even get to taking the exams. The best and easiest way to do this is to write down or make a note of all these deadlines and due dates for your coursework etc. at the start of the year or as soon as you are given them. By writing this down in a diary or even on a post it note that you can stick on your wall, you are already minimising the stress of remembering this information on top of all the content and other bits of information you are being faced with during your A-level years. By meeting these deadlines from the beginning, will also minimise how much work you will need to catch up on when it comes to revising, ultimately minimising workload and maximising the efficiency of your revision. Although this seems obvious, it is so easy to fall behind or get deadlines mixed up, especially when under lots of pressure leading up to exam season. Simple organisation tips like this will make a huge difference in the long run, keeping your A-level experience as stress-free as possible.

Alongside this, it is incredibly important to maintain a good balance between studying and taking time for yourself. It is more common than not for students, including myself, to experience burnout during this time. Particularly when it comes to exam season and revision, I would highly recommend you make a revision timetable which includes free time in it as well as study time. This will help you not only structure your revision clearly but also ensures that you are scheduling regular and substantial breaks to allow you to stay refreshed and reduce the risk of total burnout due to overworking yourself. It is totally normal to feel guilty or worried that you’re not doing enough when you’re taking a break but in reality, it is actually more sustainable for you to give your brain time to recover from the intense studying during exams. Finding a hobby or even just taking yourself on a walk everyday is a good way to force yourself to switch off from studying and give yourself time to rest. This alongside sleeping well should be a priority throughout your A-levels and will make a big difference to your success throughout these years of study.

By using these tips alongside simply trying your best, your A-level journey can even be enjoyable, as crazy as that sounds! Yes, there will always be times of stress, but by looking after yourself and staying organised throughout this time, you will set yourself up for success and make it through what may initially seem like an overwhelmingly daunting time. Take everything in your stride and enjoy the process and the hard work will pay off!

Written by Kara Dillon. 

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