A-Level Psychology Week 2 Exam Preparation Tips

4 Weeks Until Exams Start!!!

Hello, again! I hope all of you are well.

Like you, I too, am preparing for my exams, which are in 4 weeks.

I am stressed, anxious and nervous all at once. Earlier, I became overwhelmed with exam stress, and I began doubting everything, thinking that I didn’t know the content and stressing that I won't do well.

If you, too, are stressing and doubting yourself, you must understand that you have this. The longer you spend worrying and stressing that what you have done is not enough, the less time you have to actually prepare yourself for your exams.

Now, it's 4 weeks until exams… what should I be doing?

1. You should have already created an exam timetable or a list of things you need to cover in a day, i.e., what you need to finish your notes on.

o If you haven’t already, create one now! It is not already too late, trust me.

o Remember to create buffer periods in which you can roll things that you don’t complete to another day too.

o If you are feeling disheartened for one day, take a break and make sure to cover the content another day

o If you are feeling this way, make sure you know that this is your mind telling you that you need a break. Don’t ignore it and overwork yourself! Take a break 😊

- Here are some motivational quotes!

(And don’t forget to Live, Laugh, Love while you’re at it)

2. Aim to cover one topic a day.

o For example, biological psychology.

o Since you have already revised the topic last week and hopefully written and finalised your notes, do a recall activity.

o Get a blank sheet of paper, and write down everything you remember about the topic.

o Once you have made an exhaustive list of mind map, look at your notes and write things you have forgotten in another colour.

o Then, revise the things you have missed.

o (If you haven’t yet finished your notes, aim to finish them within the next few days, and for the rest of the week, aim to follow the strategy of active recall above)

3. I appreciate that you have another 2 or even 3 subjects to revise for, but practice questions are a good way to solidity your knowledge in psychology

o Once you have finished the active recall of your topic, try to complete questions relating to the topic.

o A good way to find these questions is from the AQA website itself.

o Mark your answers, or you could ask your teacher or even a friend.

o The things you miss in your answer, write down in another colour, and if you don’t have them in your notes, add them.

o The only way to ace these exams is knowing what the examiners want.

o If you practice, you will know exactly how to write your answers, and what the examiner wants.

o If you run out of questions on the AQA website, there are other websites you can use:

- https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/psychology-revision/a-level-aqa/ à this is a website that is organised by topic, which is perfect for what you should be doing in week 4.

- https://www.simplypsychology.org/a-level-social.html à this site has additional notes that you can learn from, and also has questions with answers.

o If you are struggling with exam technique, use resources like YouTube! I have added some links below to get you started:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJoH0nYj0i4 (guide to answering explanation questions)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUTkqRknNok (tips on answering evaluation questions)

o If you are still a bit lost and need some help, ask your friends!

- I found that when I formed study groups with my friends, I learned more.

- This was because I learnt while teaching, and learnt while others taught me.

- Even if you think it's a bit cringe, or your friendship group is less studious, still try to bring it up… it could really help you.

- Even if you don’t do a study group, ask your friends for help or ask them to explain things to you if you are confused

I wish you well in the week to come. Remember that this blog only has tips for revision when you have 4 weeks left for your exams, so if certain things do not work for you, indeed, do what helps you revise.

I look forward to you reading my blog next week!

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.