Start Early!

 

You may be wondering why every supermarket you’ve encountered this month is steadily ratcheting up its bunny count whilst cautiously constructing mountainous foothills of discounted Easter eggs. It’d be easy to dismiss this as a premature venture, a corporate ploy designed to appeal to our collective weakness for cocoa… chocolate’s answer to Tibet, swaying and wobbling overhead carefree toddlers keen to discover what danger really means.

 

But when you actually think about it, there’s a method to all of this hasty insanity, and an important lesson to be learned.

 

Preparation is key.

 

Marketing teams recognise the importance of planting a seed. They acknowledge the significance of thinking ahead. The average UK child receives 8.8 chocolate eggs over the Easter period, and the market itself worth a whopping £220 million. With this in mind, is it any wonder that supermarkets are laying the groundwork for this hectic period months and months in advance?

 

Right now, the dreaded examination season seems like a distant, far-off nightmare. Three months? That’s a quarter of a year! We’ve got plenty of time… right?

 

It might seem a little early, but formulating a plan now will ultimately benefit your academic performance in the coming weeks. This month we’ve compiled some helpful tips to ensure that you make the most of this important time period. After all, it’s always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared!

 

Get hold of some Past Papers

 

Regardless of subject, most exam boards supply a plethora of examination materials on their websites. Your options aren’t limited to these sites alone either – there are plenty of educational blogs that have extensive collections of papers dating back decades. Get searching!

 

Time yourself

 

Set aside all distractions. Find yourself a quiet, secluded space and pretend you’re operating under exam conditions. Hell, you could even get one of your parents to sternly patrol the room, just to give the experience that added dose of authenticity. Check how much time your paper permits, set an alarm, and then complete the exam as best you can. Getting accustomed to working under these conditions will help you relax when that fateful day actually does come around!

 

Strike a balance

 

When you eventually receive your examination timetable, it’s easy to start panicking. Try not to fret. Finding a healthy balance between work and play will help you tremendously over the coming months. No, that doesn’t mean you should laze around all day gorging on hot Cheetos whilst binging fifteen episodes of Stranger Things. That means you should sensibly divide your time between revision and leisure. Reasonably.

Book a tutor

 

Struggling with a particular aspect of your course? Maybe you’re concerned about time management, or maybe there are topics and concepts that you just can’t quite wrap you head around, no matter how hard you try. Cardiff & Vale Tutors are currently offering personalised two-hour sessions to aid your efforts and help you overcome any issues you may currently have. Book now!

 

Our latest blog is written by Jake Pezzack, who achieved a first class Honours degree from King’s College London in 2018, and currently tutors English and Media Studies for Cardiff & Vale Tutors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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