Achieve GCSE Success: 8 Tips for Motivation
It is no secret that GCSE exams are tough and everyone will cope with them in different ways. In this blog post, we will be exploring some unique motivational techniques that can help you achieve your best results in the GCSE exam!
For anyone taking their GCSE’s, it can be a difficult time. There are so many things to remember and you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done. But don’t worry – with the right approach and attitude, passing your GCSEs doesn’t have to be too hard! Here are some tips for staying motivated during exam season:
Set Goals
Setting goals for yourself is an important part of succeeding in anything. When it comes to studying for your exams, setting clear targets will help keep you focused on what needs to get done. Take some time at the beginning of each revision session and write down a few goals you want to hit before you move onto something else. This helps break up big tasks into smaller chunks which can make them much easier and more manageable.
Create A Study Plan
Creating a study plan is a key part of success. We all need one, and everyone will look different. Not just because of the different topics being studied, but because we all learn in different ways and we need to do what works best for us.
Spend some time thinking about when you work best. Some people are “early-birds” and work better early in the morning. Others are “night-owls” who can’t function early in the day. Build your study plan around this and make it work for you. It doesn’t matter if it look different from your friends, it only matters that it works for you.
Your study plan should also include plenty of breaks so that you don’t burn out or lose focus on what’s important – revision should still be enjoyable! Find techniques that work best for you such as using colour-coded notes or making flashcards; this makes studying much easier as everything has its own place instead of feeling like one huge task all blended together. You may take a different approach with each subject, and that is fine, do what works for you.
When making your plan ensure to build in clearly defined points where you change subjects. It may be that you allocate an hour, a morning, an afternoon or even a full day. However long you spend on one subject, allocate a clear and distinct break once you’ve finished that topic before moving on to another to give yourself time to recover mentally.
Practise Exam Questions
One great way to prepare yourself for exam day is by practising past questions from previous years’ papers.
It’s important to be realistic and recognise that examiners are not going to set the exact same questions twice. However, practising questions will help consolidate your knowledge. It will also help you recognise which areas you feel less confident in, and enable you to be more targeted in your revision going forwards.
As you start revising, use your notes to help you answer questions. Don’t be too strict on time, and concentrate on ensuring you have retained the knowledge to enable you to answer the question.
As you move forward though try practising under exam conditions. Practising answering questions in this way will help you establish a good sense of time management for the exam and enable you to understand how much you can achieve in the time allowed.
Learn from your mistakes
When completing practice questions, or working through flashcards you will, inevitably, make mistakes. You’ll get things wrong and you’ll drop marks. But guess what? That’s the point! You will learn so much more from making a mistake than you will learn from getting 100% every time.
Once you’ve constructed your answer to a question, turn to the model answers (which all should accompany all past exam papers) and compare your answer to theirs. Don’t just skim the answer, but work through it and highlight anything you missed out. Doing this will give you a great insight into what, exactly, the examiners are looking for in terms of style and content.
Affirm Your Progress
It’s natural to experience nerves and anxiety when revising. For some people these nerves can be productive – spurring you on to the next task. However, for some feeling nervous and anxious does the opposite. Falling into a negative mindset will hinder your progress and make you feel even more nervous and more anxious, creating a spiralling vicious circle.
It may feel uncomfortable at first, but using positive affirmations can help shift a negative mindset. When you’re finding something hard, or struggling to focus tell yourself “I’m doing great”, or “I can do this” and soon the message will get through.
You should also give yourself small treats after especially tough sessions-such as listening to music, watching a movie or socialising with your friends. Give your body, and your mind time to switch off and relax, and you’ll be much more productive when you get back to it.
Get Enough Sleep
Staying healthy is key – both physically and mentally. If we don’t sleep well then our productivity suffers – there’s only so much you can achieve when you are not well rested.
Ideally, we should get 8 hours of sleep each night. Though, again each of us are different. Don’t worry if you’re not getting that much sleep – getting anxious because you’re not sleeping enough will probably only keep you awake even longer worrying that you’re not sleeping enough! And so another vicious circle begins…..(anyone starting to see a pattern here).
Talk To People
There’s an old saying: “A problem shared is a problem halved”, and when it comes to revision this is absolutely true. Supporting friends through this period will make it easier for everyone.
Not only will it help practically, with a different perspective on a difficult problem sometimes being the key to solving a problem, but the positive endorphins we experience when interacting in this way will naturally increase productivity.
One caveat to this is not to get too competitive with comparing how much work everyone is doing. Again, we’re all different – and whilst some people may need to work 15 hours a day, others will achieve similar results by condensing things down and working more intensively over a shorter period.
Learn from the experience
Everyone will experience a point where it all seems a bit too much. It’s only natural. The key is to ensure you recognise that this feeling is only temporary.
Yes, this is a period in your life which is not easy. And yes, there are so many other ways we’d all like qualifications to be achieved. But, we can only work with what we have and do the best we can with it.
Acknowledge that this period of your life is going to be an ‘experience’ and no experience is futile. Preparing for your GCSE’s is intensive and challenging but it will show you more about yourself than you can know. It will teach you how to deal with pressure; it will also help you to understand how you work best. And it is this knowledge, perhaps more than any other, which will be so useful as you move on.
FAQS
Q. What are some of the most effective motivational techniques for GCSE success?
Some effective motivational techniques for GCSE exam success include setting realistic goals, breaking work into manageable tasks, joining a study group, celebrating accomplishments and using positive reinforcement.
Q. How can I increase my motivation to succeed in these exams?
You can increase your motivation by setting achievable goals and milestones that you want to reach as part of your preparation process. Studying with friends will also help and most don’t forget to build in regular rewards.
Q. Are there any long term benefits from successful performance in these examinations?
Absolutely! Strong GCSE results will provide more options to you going forward with further education and even professional qualifications. However success looks different to each of us and it is important to focus on your own goals and what you want to achieve as this will drive you forward more than anything.
Q. Is there any way I can stay motivated throughout this lengthy process?
Yes – try breaking up your preparation into smaller parts with regular breaks between each one so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Build in regular rewards and make sure you build in clear breaks between topics. Some people find positive affirmations can help. Talking to your friends and family will also help, as often vocalising a problem or worry enables us is enough to help us find a solution.
Q. What should be done if I start feeling overwhelmed?
If you start feeling overwhelmed then take a step back and relax. Your body is telling you it needs some time out, so listen. Take some deep breaths, go out for a walk or talk to someone – just give yourself time to get a sense of perspective around things. Feeling overwhelmed is natural.
Interesting Info:
- Having a 10-minute break for every hour of study has been shown to improve focus and help with memory recall during the exam.
- Visualising yourself succeeding has been proven to be an effective way to boost confidence and performance in exams.
- Writing down motivational mantras or quotes on post-it notes can be helpful reminders when studying, as well as keeping them up in your bedroom or workspace during the revision period for extra encouragement.
