Preparing, Tuition & Patience – 3 Tips For People Struggling With Exams

School can be a challenge – whether it’s maths classes, GCSE biology, or music lessons, it’s no secret that education can be a demanding, but rewarding part of life.  For some, however, test taking is what gets them nervous.  Do you sweat before a test or get an upset stomach knowing that a test is coming soon?  It’s natural to feel a little bit of anxiety before an exam, and sometimes, the adrenaline that your body is producing beforehand can help.  Other times, it’s a real hindrance and can prevent you from performing well on a test.

If you’re looking for some ways to stop struggling on exams and start excelling, we’ve compiled some tips to help you do just that.

1. Prepare.
   It seems pretty obvious, but be sure to study as much as you can.  The more you know the material, the better prepared you are for whatever questions you might be asked.  In addition, prepare your body by getting enough sleep the night before. If you are exhausted going into an exam, your brain will probably be foggy and you won’t remember everything you studied. Also, be sure to eat a solid breakfast (with protein) in the morning so your brain is fuelled up and ready to remember.
2. 2.    Get a tutor.
   If the concepts that are being covered in class are simply just not making sense and you’ve asked the instructor question after question, then it might be time to consider finding a private tutor. There are a variety of organizations, such as First Tutors, that have a large team of qualified tutors that are specially trained in their area of expertise.  These tutors have great experience in helping students succeed in specific subjects.

3. 3.    Take your time.
   When the test first starts, write down on the back of the test or on a scrap piece of paper any information that you studied that you think you might forget during the course of the exam.  Dump all the content that you can possibly think of that would help you, onto the paper so you can refer back to it during the test. And as you go through the test, don’t rush.  On multiple-choice items, don’t skim the questions and answers before answering. Read each question thoroughly and make sure that you’ve got it.  After taking the time to re-read questions, you might realize that your initial answer wasn’t right.  If you’re struggling with a specific question, it’s ok to skip it and come back to it at the end.  Just be sure that you don’t use up all your time on the other questions.  Coming back to questions that initially caused you difficulty might give you greater clarity and make it easier to find out the answer in the end. 

Tests are a significant part of the education process, but remember, they aren’t everything.  Understanding and grasping the whole overarching concept is the most important thing, and if you find that you’re just not a “natural” test-taker, don’t despair. There are a variety of ways you can use to teach yourself how to succeed and start earning better grades.  With a little extra work, you’ll develop strategies to become a lifelong learner!