Exam Preparation Tips

So as the whole student population who are currently studying in this country know, exams are approaching faster than ever. This is blatantly an obvious fact which I'm sure has been drilled into your heads by teachers, parents, or even peers. For K and I, our exams start officially on the 13th of May, which gives us exactly under 2 months until we have to proceed with these examinations (eeek!!). As nerve-racking as this sounds, and despite how much we may want to avoid thinking about the fact exams are rushing towards us, there's nothing we can really do to avoid them. They are a basic 'perk' or getting older. So I think that now, the most important thing to do, is to not just tackle the shed loads of revision I have to do, but the make the most of these last (very) few weeks.

As well as wanting to achieve our goals and targets ourselves, we want to make sure you are able to make the most of the time you have left, and that you too can achieve your goals and targets, and come out of this whole exam process in flying colours!

As no two thumb prints are the same, no two revision techniques are identical either, and this is why it is essential to explore what works best for you. I have almost tried out every single revision technique in the book until I found that 'one' which worked ideally for me, but to be perfectly honest, I still haven't found the exact method which is perfect, and don't imagine I ever will as I keep learning different techniques which work best for me, and constantly improve them as time goes on.

So here are some revision tips and tricks which I think are pretty useful for me when preparing for exams, and which I feel would be worth trying out to see how they work for you as well!:

1) Approach-

• Proceed to do your revision in a determined and focus state of mind
• Feel motivated to get the work you need yo get done, done
• Think more of the benefits from you studying, and stay optimist than be negative
• Always remember the end goal of where you want to get to, and what you are studying to work towards
• Tell yourself that revision is 'fun' rather than frowning upon it (Despite this not really being the case in many scenarios)
• Don't try and study when you're tired as the work just won't go in/be processed
• Try combating the trickier work first as you will be more focused at the beginning of a revision session, rather than during hours into it

2) Organisation- 

• Organisation is key when revising
• Makes the whole process less tedious
• Makes it easy to access certain sections of your notes which you may need to get to
• An organised work place/ working equipment = a clearer state of mind which is ready to tackle work

3) Time Management- 

• Time management and planning the structure of the day is vital
• Dramatically increases the amount of revision you can fit in that one day
• Once you have a clear structure to your day, and know what work is going to be done when,
• You know how much time you have spent on a particular subject
• Draw up a timetable! This will put everything into perspective and help you achieve your targets
• Work in small chunks of maybe 25 minutes with a 5 minute break in-between 
• (Don't make unrealistic targets which you won't stick to! You will just be deceiving yourself) 
• Remember everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but it is now down to you to make the most of them, and make the best use of your time!

4) Note Taking- 

• Breaks down all the information you are gathering, in a very brief, and simple way
• Helps recap over the class work done
• Makes the work seem more approachable when having to read over as it is broken down to suit you
• Organise and prioritise your notes
• Mind maps | Cue-cards | PowerPoint presentations | Voice Recording | Video Recordings
• A bit of the obvious however revision is incomplete without it 

5) Environment-

• Study with minimal distractions around you (again this can be clutter)
• Make sure the room you are working in is away from noise
• Put all the potential distractions far from your reach, or even get a parent to hold onto it until you're done
• Try to avoid listening to upbeat/wordy music! If anything listen to classical music as it is proven to be the best type of music to accompany studying
• Keep the room you're working in at a nice comfortable temperature- not too hot neither not too cold

6) Past papers/Mark Schemes-

• Past papers and mark schemes are definitely essential if you're looking to achieve those top end grades
• Past papers prepare you for the style of question you're going to be asked and the extent of difficulty within them
• They help prepare you with timing for the real exam
• Mark schemes allow you to see where you're going wrong and help you to identify what the examine is specifically looking for in an answer (don't worry this isn't cheating!!)

7) Food/ Well being-

• Cut back on the sugary drinks in exchange for water when revising
• Water is essential as it helps hydrate you the correct way and sharpens your attention
• Snack on nuts and all those 'healthy brain foods' you hear about
• Get regular fresh air
• Do sufficient exercise to keep your body on track and alert
• Avoid eating big heavy meals as it sharpens the responsiveness of your brain as your body will be focused on digesting rather than learning
• Get a good nights sleep! Everyone knows it is virtually impossible to study properly when tired- you just don't absorb anything in and it feels like the biggest punishment ever to try and fight your way through tiredness!

I hope these tip are useful and you apply them right away as exams are approaching! Don't be discouraged or give up on all the hard work you have put in as you have come so far! Always remember that you are so close to the end of this section of school/work, and that you have these next few weeks yo give it your all, and feel proud satisfied in August (the dreaded month of results)! I hope for the best with you all, and happy revising :) !!!

T
Happenings

London Student Conferences: Economics Day Conference

Last week T and I took a trip up to Russell Square in London, accompanied by our fellow economics classmates, to attend a day of economics-based conferences. The conference was hosted by Jonathan Brill in the Royal National Hotel, and included lectures from four different speakers. 

The first of which was Alex Hurrell, who as a representative from Resolution Foundation, spoke about 'Economics in Professional Work: Examples from UK policy and International Development'. He spoke about the type of work that the foundation does, and what he in particular does. This included the application of economic frameworks to design and analyse policies and the application of statistical techniques to inform policy design and evaluate policy impact. Alex Hurrell told us about micro-simulation models which predict policy impact and the importance of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) , for example the placebo effect. He then continued on to ask us thought provoking questions, such as 'Why is government policy required at all? Why not leave it all to the market?' 
This talk was an appropriate opener to the day, it got us all thinking straight away and confirmed our thoughts that an interesting day would be to follow. This talk was especially appealing to me, as it gave me some ideas as to the type of career a degree in economics, specialising in public economics, can lead to. 

This was followed by a special conversation held between our host Jonathan Brill and journalist and political commentator Peter Kellner. Jonathan Brill asked intriguing questions about: J.M Keynes, the UK's deficit and the history behind Hayek's and Friedman's moral objections Keynes' theories. Peter Kellner enlightened us all with his intellectual and witty answers, and had us all gripped on his answers about the economics of higher education! 

Lunch (Nandos of course!) was followed by a third session with Simon Smethurst-McIntyre titled 'Economics experts – behavioural economics in action'. This session taught us about 'homo economicus' which, for those of you who are unaware,  is the 'economics man'. He spoke about the Rational Choice Theory, and the reasons behind the creation of 'bubbles'. A key reason behind the 2008 crash, according to Simon, was the 'Bystander Effect', which explains that how when more people are involved in something, the less are willing to intervene. 

The final session of the day was by Dr. Helen Paul on the topic of 'Economic history: what it is and what it can do.' Dr. Helen, who is a lecturer at Southampton University, firstly gave us some tips on applying to uni, and advice about what is best. She then continued to talk about the productivity of slavery and best was to analyse tools such as historical images.

Overall the day was very interesting, both T and I enjoyed it thoroughly, not only due to information we learnt, but it was also nice to have a break of the monotony of school life! 

Thanks for reading, please don't hesitate to comment below any questions or opinions!
K

Happenings