How To Prepare For The Christmas Exams

It’s that time of year again when thousands of teachers are creating their Christmas tests. Try out iRevise’s tips to make sure you achieve the highest grades possible.

1. Do not stress too much

For most students, the Christmas tests are the first real indicator of how well (or not !) you’re doing. It’s important not to get too stressed. Try to relax while doing the exams and you will do a lot better.

2. Don’t let the Christmas tests disrupt your overall study plan

If you’re doing the junior or leaving cert this year then it’s important not to get distracted by Christmas tests. It’s more important to focus on preparing for your mock exams rather than focusing on Christmas tests. Many teachers only examine topics covered this term so it is only a quarter of the course work. Make sure you make a good study plan to organise out how you will allocate your time on each subject.

3. Study the topics that will come up

Using iRevise’s exam builder, you can study each topic using questions from past papers. The marking schemes are a great tool to use to learn how to pick up extra marks in your answers.

4. Study efficiently

If you are going to put your precious time into studying, then make sure you not wasting your time. We advise you to always try to study in short bursts and take regular breaks (also known as The Protégé Effect). We’ve given you some advice on how to use this method to help you study.

5. They are not a waste of time

Christmas exams mimic the exam conditions. The more you familiarise yourself with these conditions the more comfortable you will be in the exam hall in June. The silence in an exam hall is deafening and can be difficult to concentrate when unfamiliar with it. Treat the Christmas exams as a trial run for the exams in June. See what works for you, what doesn’t work and how you should manage your time per question.

6. Focus on getting the basics of exam technique right

Get the basics of exam technique wrong and you stand to lose out on easy marks. Make sure you read the question carefully, highlighting any keywords. If you’re struggling to answer a question, draw a mind map and jot down keywords. You’ll be surprised what comes to mind when you do this.

7. Don’t get too worried about your result

The results of these exams, while they give you a good guideline of your knowledge of the topics covered this term, they are not an accurate indicator of how you will perform in the exams in June. If you do poorly, there is still plenty of time to improve on that grade. If you do well, you’ve learned what’s working well for you and continue to do what you’re doing.