A-Level Psychology Week 1 Exam Preparation Tips

A Few Weeks Until A-Level Exam!!!

If this is your reaction to realising this, don't worry, my name is Jalisha and I am here to help!

The countdown to exams is nearing closer and closer! I understand that this is exciting, nerve-wracking and stressful all at once.

It's a few weeks until exams… what should I be thinking?

1. So, the first thing you should be thinking is that “I have this!” Trust me, I know that it is difficult to have faith and believe in yourself, but ✨fake it ‘till you make it✨. The worst thing you could do is panic.

2. This brings me onto the second piece of advice I have: breathe. Remember to take good study breaks and to be careful not to overwhelm yourself.

3. Remember, it's ok to be nervous. Adrenaline in moderation can be good for you. Take some time to calm down and take time to validate your feelings too.

So, we got the mental aspect of this covered. Now for study!

1. Create a good exam timetable!

o Don’t timetable every single second of your life! Trust me, from past experience, timetabling every second of every day, I used to feel so guilty when things overrun. Instead, create a list of things you need to cover in a day.

o Remember, if you don’t complete certain things, you can roll it over for another day.

o Have blocks of your timetable where you have space to do this, I call this “buffer times”.

o Also remember to include time to relax… mental health is very important!

2. For now aim to revise all of the content in A-Level Psychology.

o Don’t just focus on the bits you find easy! Do the hard bits first, future you will thank you for this!

o Try making flashcards on Quizlet! (This is personal preference, not a paid promotion!)

o Put up notes or mind-maps up around your house. (don’t frown at it until you try it!)

o Don’t spend ages making super pretty notes or mind-maps. You're not going to be framing these and looking back on them fondly in 20 years! Honestly, just include some highlighting and something legible.

o Use your knowledge from psychology – remember you can only put between 5-9 pieces of information in your short-term memory, and so organise your revision style around this. Don’t sit there trying to remember a page of text. BREAK IT DOWN!

o Read a chapter of content, get a blank sheet of paper and write everything you remember down, and revise the bits you missed.

o Now some people swear by this next tip… sleep with your notes. Some of my friends used to do this, but I think the reason they did so well was because of the revision they did, not because they had their notes under their pillow.

o Don’t just read the content from your notes, you need to do…

3. … PRACTICE QUESTIONS!

o You have been studying psychology for at least 2 years now. You know how harsh these examiners are. You know that even if you know the theories, you won't always get the marks.

o You need to know the mark schemes and what to write to get the top marks and the only way you will achieve full marks is by reading mark schemes and by practice answering exam questions.

o Aim to do at least 2 past papers a week. I understand that you have 2 or more other A-levels, but try to dedicate time to go through 2 exam papers this week. What I did was do my exam papers on Monday and Thursday, and I would go through mark schemes on Tuesday and Wednesday so it gave me a break to maximise how much I could retain in your memory.

o Anders Ericsson, a famous psychologist, has suggested that individuals need extended practice to perform at a world-class level. This required 10,000 hours. I'm not saying to work 10,000 hours, that would be ridiculous! But the point I'm making is that you need to practice!

o Trust me, when you are sitting in that exam hall, you will be so glad that you did practice questions and know the style in which you must write.

4. Avoid getting yourself feel overwhelmed during exams season.

o Take time to practice mindfulness.

o Remind yourself that you have weeks left to solidify your understanding, knowledge, and applications of questions.

Finally, remember, you have done so well to learn the content this year, especially under extreme conditions. We've studied through a pandemic!?

Remember to give yourself some slack and believe in yourselves.

I look forward to you reading my next blog!

Until then, remain strong, calm and confident.

Jalisha.

Have any questions about how to prepare for your A-Level exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Jalisha. Jalisha will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Jalisha will answer them in these sessions.