Can I pass my GCSE science exams in three months if I start revision now?

This is a common dilemma many year 11 students are faced with year after year. The first science exam is on 12th May 2020. That’s in fact less than three months away. So, panic has started to creep in and you’re already thinking about the worst-case scenario. You have several subjects to study for and with this amount of time left, you still don’t know how to organise yourself and study effectively.

Well, put your fears away. Because I am here to tell you that if you follow the tips and tricks in this post, you will ace not only science, but all your other GCSE exams.

(1) Focus on your weaker areas

Start by identifying the areas you struggle with and then focus on these areas. A good way to do this is to look through the contents page of your revision guide and highlight any topics you are not confident with. Then look through your GCSE science mock papers to identify common areas you struggled to pick up marks. Are there any overlaps with the topics you’ve already identified? If so, these are topics you should prioritise. Did you fell short in specific areas like maths, practical questions or answering extended questions? If so, make a note of these too.

You can also use a checklist of the main topics in the curriculum. Use a green colour coding for topics you are happy with, yellow for ones that need a bit more work; and red for the topics you are not confident with. Then create a plan to start attacking these topics. Starting with the red, followed by the yellow. And then depending on the time available, perhaps go over the green.

You can ask your teacher for a checklist or just search something like “GCSE biology checklist” with your exam board name on google. There are plenty out there and it’s much easier and quicker for you to use these checklists than to try and decode the exam board specification yourself.

(2) Revise efficiently for GCSE Science Exams

When you are overwhelmed with the number of subjects you have to study for, it’s easy to sit at your desk for two hours, passively read your textbook and convince yourself that you’ve studied. Revision should be more, ‘what you learnt’ as opposed to how long you studied for. So, Let’s discuss a more effective way to study.

1. Identify one goal / learning outcome (LO) from your checklist (see tip number 1)
2. Set your timer for 25 minutes and remove all distractions (e.g. your phone)
3. Focus on understanding that specific LO in the 25 minutes. You can do this in whatever way works for you. Watch a YouTube video, make notes from a revision guide, draw a diagram or create a mind map.
4. Take a 5 minutes break.
5. Now it’s time to test your understanding. Answer the questions in your revision guide, your main text book or past exam paper questions that covers what you have just studied.

(3) Practice GCSE Science Exam Questions

According to research doing practice questions rank amongst the top methods for learning and memory retention. That’s why practicing past exam paper questions is a must.

When you practice past paper questions, you become familiar with how examiners phrase exam questions; and you develop skills in answering these questions. You also get an idea of questions or topics that examiner love. So, when these questions come up in your exam, you can answer them with your eyes closed.

Always make sure you go through the mark schemes. Even if you feel 100% confident with your answer. This is because the mark scheme shows very clearly how each mark is awarded, and you’ll begin to identify specific keywords that you can use to gain marks.

As you mark your answers, take note of how easy it is to gain marks with maths questions. By simply putting down the correct units or answering the question to the correct significant figures, you will bag yourself a few extra marks.

(4) Be consistent

If you haven’t been consistent with your revision, now is the time to start. When you are overwhelmed, it is very easy to procrastinate and leave everything till the last minute. But that’s not a good idea.

If you haven’t got a revision timetable already, create one now. Put it somewhere you can see it and follow it every day without fail.  Consider including one or two hours of revision on the weekends if you have a lot to cover. Even if you only do one hour of revision every day, be consistent! You will be amazed how much you will have learnt over a period of a month, 2 weeks or even just a week.  You’ll also find that you quickly start to make connections between different interrelated topics.

One major advantage of consistency is that you minimise stress. If you learn little and often, you are exposing yourself to overwhelming information in bitesize chunks. This means that you can switch off, go to bed early and be energised the next day to do the same thing over again. If you left all your revision till the Easter holidays for instance, you won’t sleep well. That will make it harder for you to understand and retain the information, which will lead to stress and the cycle will continue. So, make a promise to yourself to start today and be consistent.

(5) Use Flashcards

Flashcards are a popular revision tool. And rightly so – because they work! They help engage your brain and force you to think of possible answers to questions. This process is known as active recall and it ranks amongst the best techniques for learning and retention.

So, what’s the best way to use a flashcard? Firstly, you must make sure you separate the answer from the question. A really good way to do this is to write the question on one side of the card and the answer on the other. Read the question and then spend several seconds thinking about the answer before checking your answer.

The second thing you should do is arrange your flash cards so that you study the more difficult things first. The best way to do this is to keep questions you struggle with at the front of the pack and those you answer correctly and easily at the back. This way, you’re not wasting time going over and over something you already know.

You can make your own flashcards or use pre-existing ones that you can download or purchase online. Apps for flashcards such as Quizlet and Anki are also very popular so you can try these too.