Last minute, night before cramming(for GCSE students!)

We all know the feeling. It suddenly hits you that you’ve got that test tomorrow and it’s 11pm the night before. It’s unimaginably worse when you remember that that test is not just a pop quiz, it’s a real GCSE. A BBC study found that 99% of students admit to cramming, you’re definitely not alone!

You scramble for your CGP text book and watch a freesciencelessons.com video on your iPad, whilst listening to revision songs on your Alexa, desperately pleading with your brain to just absorb all the information all at once!

It’s not a nice feeling. And it’s not very productive either. Last minute cramming not only increases stress levels, which is definitely a no go for the night before an exam, but it is also not that handy as you really won’t be able to remember much of the information if you try to learn it all at once when you’re already tired. Furthermore, sacrificing sleep for study is one of the worst things you can do. No matter how many formulas you learn, no matter how naturally bright you are: if you haven’t had enough sleep you will not achieve optimum functionality. You’ll be drooling all over your test paper, and won’t be reading half the questions properly.

I can just hear you thinking, well yeah, my head of year told me all that, but it’s too late now! I get it. But don’t think you not revising ‘enough’ in the past few months equates to you having to stay up till 2am studying! Even if you don’t know all the content, you’ll be much better off getting a relatively early night. Have a bubble bath and put your eye mask on, whilst listening to a past listening exam track. Try to head off to bed at 9 o clock. Put your phone in another room. If you have to get up at 5am to study, so be it, but don’t go to bed late.

“A 2008 study by Harvard biologist Christoph Randler, revealed that early risers are more proactive. They were more likely to agree with statements like “I spend time identifying long-range goals for myself” and “I feel in charge of making things happen.” He also discovered that early risers are more likely to anticipate potential problems and are able to handle them more effectively – reducing the likelihood of stress.” – https://www.psycholocrazy.com/5-reasons-why-waking-up-at-5-am-will-improve-your-life

At the end of a long day, you really don’t want to hit the books. You’ll be absolutely exhausted and you’ll want to curl up with your cat and pillows under a duvet. Waking up early means that it’s a brand new day and your mind is fresh and untainted- perfect for absorbing as much information as possible.

Finally, you have worked so hard for this. You may not feel like you’ve done enough but you have been doing homework and sitting in lessons and probably revising in your own time. You’ve done most of your revision. Now, be in the present moment. Your battle is that GCSE paper. Don’t make it harder for yourself by stressing out over last minute revision and being anxious about not doing enough. It’s hard to believe right now, but your worth is so much more than a number on a paper you’ll receive on results day. You are a wonderful being with so much in store for you, and you’ve just got to do your best. You can’t do any better than that. Know that you’ve done all you could do, and try your hardest in that exam hall. But it’s not the end of the world. Believing that its the end of the world will in fact make it closer to the end of the world than it really is! You’ve got this. You ARE smart, you ARE hardworking, YOU CAN DO THIS.

Wishing the best of luck to anyone with upcoming exams. Feel free to DM me or tweet me (@earthyelena) if you need motivation, encouragement or prayer. Love you all, and have a wonderful week.

Elena xxx