Katie Hunter | Depute Editor-In-Chief
With fourth year prelims approaching, feelings of anticipation and anxiety have undoubtedly started to rise for teachers and pupils alike. Having had the experience of sitting and passing 8 national five exams last year, sharing my knowledge in this area is something which may benefit those of you currently dealing with the pressure that these exams can bring.
Perhaps you have already began to find out the dates when you will experience your first real taste of a national 5 exam. Without a doubt, the condensed period of time in which the exams are sat makes the whole experience appear to be extremely daunting. This was certainly something which stuck with me in the months leading to the exams and truly motivated me to get prepared.
On the contrary, I remember some of my own friends this time last year who had not yet began studying – perhaps they hadn’t felt the pressure or were simply too distracted. However, my message to those going through the same situation is that it certainly isn’t too late to start. There are such a wide variety of supported study clubs run within our own school and the truth is that we are extremely fortunate to have such a significant number of teachers who are willing to devote their time to support those struggling through exams.
Everyone knows that studying can be difficult. I’ve had many a night where I’ve been so worn down by my long day at school that I have truly struggled to find the energy to dig out that maths textbook and get my head down but it is crucial that each school night, you study for a set period of time. I’ve certainly learned that its imperative to be realistic with yourself when setting goals regarding both the period of time in which you will study and what you will achieve. Initially, this was something that I was not good at – I would set myself unrealistic targets and end up feeling disappointed and angry when I found myself unsuccessful. However, 2 hours each school night equates to 10 hours over the course of the school week and with some extra revision at the weekends, this leaves you with some crucial time to relax and unwind. The importance of down time cannot be underestimated – burning yourself out before a big exam will only lead to a poor performance so find a hobby that you really enjoy. Whether it be singing, dancing, playing football or even writing for our very own newspaper, its sure to improve your mood and results in the long term.
By this point, I’m sure everyone will have had experience of studying in some form. Going into every method of studying in existence would be a completely new article in itself but I want to highlight a few methods which really helped me during this difficult period:
Firstly, you cannot underestimate the power of past papers. I know that this time last year I was completely fed up of my teachers nagging us about how we must be doing questions from papers each week but upon reflection, this is what led to my success in both the prelims and the final exams. Many questions come up year after year and by getting the experience of answering these under your belt, your answering technique will improve, allowing you to gain the maximum marks available for the questions. Try questions with the aid of your jotters at first then come back to these questions the following week without your notes. This was definitely something that helped me to prepare for science, maths and social subjects exams where the questions tend to be rather similar to previous years.
Something that helped me with English in particular was using flashcards. My technique was to write the quotations for my critical essay or those for my textual analysis on one side of the flashcard and analyse on the opposite side. Although I knew my answer would not always be the same based on what essay question or which analytic questions appeared on the paper, I would have key phrases which I would remember thus saving me crucial time – I know all too well that there’s certainly not a moment to waste.
Whether you achieve the results you were hoping for in your prelims or not, this is not the end of your journey and you have the power to change your ‘fate’. Personally, I struggled a lot with science during fourth year and I felt disheartened when I received what I saw to be a ‘poor mark’ in the prelim. Automatically, it led me to believe that I couldn’t achieve a high grade when it came to sitting the final exam. However, encouraged by teachers, my family and head of year alike, I put a little more focus on my studies of science whilst maintaining a balance between the rest of my subjects. It is crucial that getting this ‘bad’ result does not discourage you from studying altogether and completely disregarding the subjects which you find most challenging. On the other hand, it is equally important not to let this subject completely overthrow all the rest as this will have a detrimental effect on your other results. Although it can be tough, it’s all about finding a balance and asking for support where necessary.
My biggest piece of advice: this is only temporary! This stands for both the aching feeling in your arm when you have written pages of the English essays you’ve been trying to learn all year and the stress of sitting exams. There is truly no greater satisfaction than having sat all of your exams with the whole summer laid before when you free to do as you wish once more… until the cycle of exams begins again in fifth year! Good luck.
