Catherine Hill
Head of Upper School

 

The role of families in academic success

Supporting your son/daughter through a stressful exam period can be daunting, but parents can have a real impact on a smooth exam season. Just a few tweaks to their daily schedule and approach to revision can really help boost their performance.

Here are six research-informed tips to help your son/daughter. These tips are highly useful for students in Secondary and Sixth Form, since they are preparing for challenging tests and they need successful strategies to learn.

 

How to revise for an exam: practical guide

 

Time management

Being well-prepared and knowing how to revise for an exam is key to exam success, but knowing how to organise their time is especially important when students have a busy exam schedule.

Within this revision timetable, students should plan to space out their learning. This means having more frequent revision sessions spaced over a larger period of time, rather than cramming it all at once.

Research has shown that spacing is very effective, with those who spaced their learning out over time performing better than those who crammed their revision. The gap to leave between each session depends on how far away the test is. They should also work in relatively short chunks i.e. 30 minutes and then have a short break. All students in Years 11, 12 and 13 already have an example timetable that they can use and adapt.

 

Active revision: top strategy

Revision must be active. Students should not just read or passively highlight notes. They need to:

  • Work out what they know and don´t know and focus on what they find challenging.
  • Make flashcards.
  • Complete practice papers.
  • Teach someone else.
  • Get someone to test them (this could be you!).

They need to continually repeat this process, since it is key in learning how to revise for an exam.

 

Schedule breaks

It is essential in any plan on how to revise for an exam that, as part of their revision timetable, students schedule time for themselves to disconnect. Therefore, they could:

  • Watch TV.
  • Spend 20 minutes on their phone.
  • Do sports.

Too much stress can be harmful and can affect a student’s performance so this time is key. If this relaxing time is planned, it should not cause arguments at home.

 

Sleep to perform better

When having a lot of exams in a row, students often feel tempted to prioritise late-night studying over their sleep. However, this can be very damaging.

In a study, researchers found that people who were sleep-deprived found it harder to remember things compared to those who got a good night’s sleep. It can also affect your concentration levels, with studies finding that having enough sleep helps improve your attention and alertness.

In fact, another study found that students who prioritised getting 8 hours of sleep per night during exams outperformed their peers who didn’t. As exam fatigue can be physically and emotionally draining, prioritising sleep (which is important all year round) takes on even more significance during the busy exam period.

 

Avoid distractions

Mobile phones can be a major obstacle during revision:

  • Just having a mobile phone nearby can reduce concentration by up to 20%, according to research.
  • To fully focus, the phone should not be in the room.
  • It can be used as a reward between study blocks.
  • Listening to music during revision or homework has also been shown to negatively affect concentration levels.

 

The importance of a good breakfast during exam season

One final yet very important point for your son/daughter is to make sure they keep having breakfast every morning. Many students skip breakfast on a regular basis, but even more could be tempted to do so during exams as they feel they don’t have enough time.

This can have an impact on their academic performance. In one study, researchers found that students who ate breakfast were twice as likely to gain above average scores in their tests compared to those who skipped breakfast. A reason for this is that breakfast helps students stay alert and have improved memory throughout the day. For students that have numerous exams on the same day, fuelling their concentration for the latter stages can be key. Eating breakfast can help ensure this.

 

References

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266

Gillen-O’Neel, C., Huynh, V. W., & Fuligni, A. J. (2013). To study or to sleep? The academic costs of extra studying at the expense of sleep. Child Development, 84(1), 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01834.x

Kuznekoff, J. H., & Titsworth, S. (2013). The impact of mobile phone usage on student learning. Communication Education, 62(3), 233–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2013.767917

Wesnes, K. A., Pincock, C., & Scholey, A. (2012). Breakfast is associated with enhanced cognitive function in schoolchildren. Appetite, 59(3), 646–649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.08.007