When should I start preparing for my exams?

When should I start preparing for my exams? Why?

Exam season can be a very overwhelming time, no matter what age or year level you are in. Exam season often brings us a variety of emotions… let’s talk about when you should start preparing for exams and why, with some hints and tips.

Now, I cannot predict what date you are reading this article, but I can tell you the time to start preparing for exams is TODAY. Now don’t stress, let’s talk about this.

Start preparing for your exams today

The easiest way to prepare for exams, is to prepare as you go. What do I mean by this? At the start of the year, start making’ Summary Notes’ in your first week of content. This means notes in your own words, which summarise that week’s content or topic. The easiest way to do this, is to use your learning objectives. In High School or University, teachers or lecturers will often give you learning objectives for every lesson or topic. Learning objectives basically summarise what is examinable and what you are expected to know by the end of that week or topic.

You can collect these summaries throughout the year, revising them as you go. So, if you do this for every subject, every week, then come exam time, you have your exam notes pretty much completed. Utilising your time this way, means that in the weeks or months leading up to your exam, rather than spending it writing out notes, you can spend it focusing on practice exams and other revision, using your notes as a guide. In the time leading up to your exam, spend your time doing as many practise exams and questions as you can. Get used to the layout and timing of the exam. This is your best chance of getting the ATAR you are looking for. Click here to learn more about how ATARs work.

Reading this halfway through the year?

Haven’t done this or are you reading this article a little later in your study journey? Don’t panic. The best time to start preparing for your exam is today. You can still use the above tips. Go through your learning objectives, use them as a guide on what to focus your study on, and write summary notes. This will allow you to have a more thorough understanding of what you are expected to know to start working on some practice exams.

In summary, it is never too early to start exam preparation. The earlier you start, the less stress and more time you will have later down the track. The most important thing to remember is to take breaks, be kind to yourself and do your best. You’ve got this.

Reach out

If you are stuck on what kind of notes you should be writing each week or stuck on a bit of challenging content, or if you would like to give yourself the best chance possible, contact us today on 0409 083 909. Our tutors are not only experienced and achieved amazing results with their own ATARs, but they understand what you are going through, and they can help.