The struggle of exams

Having a hard time with exams is something hundreds of teenagers go through, everyone knows that, but even with this known fact, why do we feel so alone when we’re struggling?

Everyone has different ways of learning, understanding and remembering. It’s not always so easy how to find out how you learn.
I am currently in my 4th year of high school and a few months ago I started on my GCSE exams. Throughout these almost 4 years of practise exams and emotions, I have tried multiple ways of revising and preparing so I wouldn’t have a hard time with my exams, but a lot of the time it didn’t work. I didn’t do well on my GCSE mocks due to not knowing ways to revise. I was confident I’d do well because I’ve always been good at science, maths, english. I thought if I tried hard enough and revised (in ways that didn’t essentially work) I’d be okay. 
Turns out I did awful. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t do well in my GCSE mocks since I’d done so well, being a good student, during the past three years in school, although not everyone had done too well, the ones who did do better than I did, got me frustrated.


I continued to try to figure out how I could effectively revise.
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I saw online a tip saying to see what type of learner I was, at first I didn’t know what that even meant. I did a quiz and it showed me I was a visual learner. I did another one and it told me the same thing. All of the quizzes I took told me I was a visual learner. I decided to research how a visual learner could revise and I found so many ways that helped me memorise and learn things a lot better. Since, I’ve been doing well in classes and trying to view things from a different perspective so I can learn it visually.
If you’re feeling stressed about exams, or just memorising things in class, please do not give up or think you’re unintelligent. Everybody has a certain way to understand things, and sometimes, like me, it takes a while.
I suggest some things if you’re stressed while revising.

• Take a “What Type Of Learner Am I” test (I will put links to some at the end)
• Research efficient ways for you to study once you have received your result.
• Start revising early! Don’t cram study! Stressing yourself out by procrastinating and leaving it to the day before your exam will not help mentally!
• Take it slow. Step by step. If you can’t understand, read over it again slowly, if not again, ask a friend, parent, guardian, or research it on the internet. There’s always an easier explanation than what is in front of you.
• Make an organised revision timetable. Organising your subjects with timeslots will restrict you from over stressing yourself with a certain topic and will help enable you to move onto the next.
• Study for 20 minutes, take a 5 minute break, repeat. On average, the mind can only concentrate fully for around 20 minutes before losing focus. 
• Keep your working space clean and empty, a busy space is a busy mind. 
• Keep a drink next to you but only have food during your 5 minute breaks. Having food next to you while studying is a very easy way to get distracted and procrastinate. 
• Stay calm. If you feel yourself getting worked up, take a break, step out of the room and do something else for a while. It’s okay to give yourself a study break. 

I hope I can be of help to you all. Exams are something everyone goes through but hundreds of people deal with it in different ways. You may feel alone and that you’re the only one struggling  but I promise you, after all of your hard work it’ll be over and you’ll come out with a result you’re proud of. 
Remember the sentence:

“I am the best version of myself”

Remind yourself that you are you and nothing can be better than your best. Sometimes, cheering yourself on can be more effective than an entire crowd.

Thank you for reading, please remember not to hesitate to come to us if you need support! We care about each and every one of you.
Get through the bitter and remember the sweet.

Learner tests:
What Is Your Learning Style?
Discover Your Learning Style
What Type Of Learner Are You?

-Ali