Bonjour to all of you vagabond beauties!
So, today's post marks the beginning if exams. And, as of 11:10 this morning, shabs had their first AS exam - Abby had French speaking. Now, everyone has to deal with this abhorrent period at one point or another in their life. Whether it be for their SATs, GCSEs or Alevels in England, highers in Scotland or any other type of exam - each one of them is a month or two of stress and pressure none of us will ever forget.
With that in mind, this post goes out to give a little bit of reassurance to you all. A shout out to say do your best, because your best is amazing. But sometimes, even knowing you've done your best does not ease the stress. Thus, we've collated a list of our top tips to survive the next month or two of sports halls, ticking clocks, single desks, sleepless nights and enough ink to bathe in.
Tip #1; Music
It's like a tranquilly escapism from the real world, where words are beautiful and colours swim aimlessly around your mind. It lets you forget what you're worried about, and calms you down. So, the one things that got me through my GCSEs and will get me through my Alevels and no doubt my degree, is music. Pick a CD, one which you love, and always will do. But don't pick one which has songs which get stuck in your head - trust me, the result is that you find you spend your whole exam singing the song in your head instead of doing your exam. Abby's choice of CD? Bon Jovi's, Have a Nice Day.
Tip #2; Relax
Sometimes, most of the time, we all get so caught up in the fear and nerves that come with exams, and so pent up that we should be realising that spew never actually take a deep breath. I'm not saying never revise, we all know that will do more harm than good, as you'd end up being disappointed with your final result! But one night a week take some time off, (and read our blog). The night after an exam, take a shower, curl up in bed, and just forget about the stress. A rule I have? (That Shanice doesn't because she works until stupid times in the morning and then cries all of the next day) Never work past 19:30-20:00, by that time your mind is so tired that nothing even manages to go in.
Tip #3; Make the effort
This may be the strangest of all of these points, but it's true. On the day of an exam, make an effort, do your makeup, style your air, wear something pretty. Firstly, in the morning that's when you worry, and if your mind is occupied by applying makeup or braiding your hair then you have less time to panic. But secondly, if you look good on the outside then you feel good, you feel confident. That confidence is contagious, and so when you get in that exam, it's still there, and before you know it you're halfway through the exam.
Tip #4; Make the effort
This time we're talking about revision. Blahblahblah I know, but it is THE most important thing to do if you really want to achieve the grades you know you can! The best way to do this is to find a revision technique that suits you, usually the sillier the better! Many of my friends have key points from their subject on post-it notes stuck in the silliest places they can think of! Or you could use the simple but effective 'look, cover, write, check'. No matter what you chose putting work into something is the only way you'll get anything back. Can you imagine how boring life would be if, as they say, everything was handed to you on a plate?
Tip #5; This is not the end.
And by this we mean if you do these exams, and you don't get what you want then it is not the end of everything. You can usually retake them, and even if you can't there will be different routes of entry to what you want to do. There are always options. Remembering this will reduce the stress, and reducing stress is the best way forward!
Voila! They may be nothing outrageous, and not quite what all our teachers and tutors tell us to do, but they're what we do. These are the Shabs suggestions, not scientific, just why works for us, and if they work for you, then that'll make our day.
Good luck our remarkable readers,
-Shabs
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