Plan for a plan to fight the panic.

If you’re worrying that time is running out, stop what you’re doing!

The countdown to GCSE exams is well underway. Households across the country are in varying degrees of panic. Many parents are concerned about the amount of time their children are spending revising – whether that’s too much or too little. However, how students are using their time is perhaps more important than how many hours they are clocking up.

The important thing is that students use their time effectively, rather than equating time spent in front of their books as being time well spent.

“When we feel like we’re up against it, there’s a temptation to just get your head down and plough ahead, but it can be much better to take a moment to make sure that study time is spent wisely.”

A well thought through plan can reduce levels of anxiety, giving students – and parents – a clear sense of purpose. Not knowing is one of the things that leads to feeling out of control and that can result in anxiety or simply giving up.

To help build a plan for the remaining Easter break and up until exams, try these 4 simple steps.

1. Make a list of exactly what has to be done. Use exam specification and text books to work out the topics you need to cover for each subject.
2. Mark your confidence level for each topic. Simple ‘High, Medium, and Low’ or traffic light ratings are very effective.
3. Draw up a schedule, detailing the specific topics you’re going to revise and when. It’s tempting to only focus on the weaker topics, but do forget to refresh yourself on those you’re more confident with too.
4. Consider the whole. Don’t over do it and be sure to look after yourself! Make sure that you are eating well, taking breaks, a bit of exercise and it’s important to get enough sleep.

As part of our suite of tools, the Digital Tracker helps students create their plans and to monitor their progress. The online system breaks down the exam specifications into units of work that students can ‘mark off’ with their confidence levels as they complete them. This gives a good sense of progress, as well as an indication of what is left to do, in order to be exam ready.