A-Level Psychology Week 5 Exam Preparation Tips

Hello, for the last ever time! (*Sobs*)

I hope all of you are well leading up to the exams. For the last blog, I wanted to focus on some tips for the exam room itself and how you might want to spend your last week leading up to the big day!

Tips on revision for the last week before the exam:

1. Focus on the things you struggle with. If you have been doing the thing where you write down all of what you know on a blank sheet of paper, and then in a different colour write the things you have missed, focus on the things in a different colour. Focussing on these difficult topics will help you in the exam… don’t fall into the trap of revising the easy stuff just because it's easy. Trust me, from prior experience, revising classical conditioning over and over again didn’t help me in the exam. It was revising the hard stuff that helped

2. This brings me to the next point… guys, don’t ignore research methods. I know it's so tempting to ignore it because for most, it is the most difficult or *cough* boring (but you didn’t hear that from me). Try to do some work on research methods because it carries so many of your marks. One way to do this is…

3. Practice papers! Of course, try to do topic related questions for the modules you are revising, however, I would like to stress that at this point, practice papers are the way to go. It's the way to get used to the actual exam and manage your timings for the real thing. In the past few weeks, if you didn’t time yourself when you did past papers, that’s ok – it isn't too late to get a feel for the real thing

Tips before the exam:

1. Don’t stress before the exam and try to revise everything and try to do questions hours before the exam and then stress because you can't find your notes or misplaced the mark scheme and then stress because you don’t know which room your exam is in and then worry and get anxious that you don’t do well. Basically, BREATHE. Honestly, it will clear your mind. If you feel your mind is racing and a million thoughts are pacing through your head, breathe. Sit down, take a break and breathe.

2. There are things that can help you to destress à meditation, exercise, phone a friend, talk to your parents or family… the list goes on. Just do what works for you and what helps you to relax and destress.

3. I would advise you not to go through the whole specification before your exam because that will burn you out. Save your energy for the exam. If you want to go through some topics, do so. But don’t overdo it.

Going through exam techniques can also be super helpful! Knowing what question objectives are needed for what question is going to be a big old help in the exam room to help you craft the best answers possible and maximise your marks!

Now, time to get down to the nitty-gritty… my advice to you for the actual exam:

1. Read the question 2 times before you answer it. I remember, in my exam, I answered an 8-mark question about the wring theory… yes… the wrong theory. If I had read the question 2 times before, I wouldn’t have wasted time and effort on writing an answer that was completely irrelevant to what was being asked.

2. Try not to spend too much time on questions with little marks. Spend more time on questions with marks over 10. Depending on the paper, the general rule of thumb is 1 mark per question, but take more time on questions that are worth more. No point agonising over a 2-market for 15 minutes only to run out of time for the big boys at the end of the paper.

3. If you feel very tense and anxious, try to take a deep breath and take a sip of water. Remember, adrenaline can be good, but if there’s enough of it flooding your system to make you shake, you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

4. Complete the paper in a strategic way. Some of my friends did the extended answer questions first because they were worried that they wouldn’t finish the paper. Some people I know did the topics they found difficult first to get it over and done with. Take some time to plan how you will tackle the exam

Now, remember to take time for your mental health, guys. You have put in the work, and you will be rewarded for that. I wish you have a good, productive week

This is normally where I say see you next week… but I guess not *Sobs again slightly louder this time*. It's been a pleasure helping you guys!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

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.