What not to do the week before your exams

Let’s cut to the chase, with a week until your exams, you’re looking for any tips and tricks to maximise your marks... and we’ve got you! How you spend your time between now and that start time will make a big difference to your results, so here are a few dos and don’ts to get you as ready as possible for those exams. 💪

Do: Stick to your timetable

Exams are right around the corner. The impulse to hit the panic button, throw out your existing timetable, and just focus on the subject or topic stressing you out the most is real. 💯

But resisting this urge is important. Assuming that your plan has mapped out your study sessions for each of your subjects, sticking to it gives you the best chance of succeeding in all of your exams. Of course, some slight variation might be needed. For example, if you’re feeling confident about History but know there’s a topic or two for Maths that you haven’t quite covered, it might be better to reallocate some of your History study sessions to Maths.

For the most part, sticking to your current study plan will ensure you are sufficiently prepared for each of your subjects.

Don’t: Stay up late studying

When you can count the number of hours you have remaining until the exam on one hand, it can feel like you need to use every second of that time to cram as much information as possible into your head. You can sleep once exams are over, right?

Well… no. Humans are not built to manage without sleep, so the study you think you’re getting done at 2 am is, I’m afraid to say, probably not that effective. The next day, you’ll also lose a lot in terms of focus and endurance. To do well in an exam, you must properly understand and engage with the questions being asked, and remain concentrated throughout the entire exam period. The fatigue you’ll feel from a lack of sleep will deprive you of these!

Make sure you’re getting a good night’s sleep during the week and whatever extra bit of study you think you’ve missed will be more than made up for by how alert, focused, and ready you are when the exam begins.

Do: Stay active

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Sleep and exercise? There are only so many hours in the day!

But getting outside can make a big difference. You’re going to be spending most of your day crouched on a desk, using all your concentration to answer questions and memorise information. Giving your brain a rest and your body a workout will help keep things balanced and healthy, and make going back to study and tackling exams a lot easier. 🧘

Don’t: Forget to ask questions

Any questions you’ve been sitting on for a while, that have just come up, or might even seem a bit silly or insignificant – this is the time to send that email and ask them. Your teachers are here to help and will be keen to take advantage of their last chance to do just that.

Do: Plenty of practice papers

As detailed in our study plans, the two weeks before an exam should focus on answering practice questions. Completing practice papers will ensure you’re prepared for any type of question that comes your way, as well as refining your exam skills and increasing your confidence before going into the exam.

Tip!

You can use Atomi’s custom revision feature to generate practice sessions! Just select what content you want to revise, how long you want to study for and what types of questions you’d like to face, and we will generate a session that matches exactly what you’ve asked for. 🤯

Don’t: Give up

This is an important one. It’s easy to become overwhelmed the week before exams, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by how much you don’t know and how little time you have left. So if this happens to you, take a deep breath, take a break from studying, and when you’re ready, sit back down and get back to it. Don't give up!

You always know more than you think, so using this week to add to that, rather than giving up altogether, is a worthwhile exercise, no matter how desperate the situation seems.

Remember

You won’t be able to learn the entire course in a week, but how you handle this time will still have a big effect on the exams coming up. Following these tips will go a long way toward making sure you’re as prepared as possible 🙌

If you’re ready to get studying, log in to Atomi now, or check out the blog for more tips!