At this time of year, most people between the ages of 16 - 21 will be thinking about the impending exams that will soon gush forth from exam boards like claret from a wound… The puddle of exam papers expanding like a shotgun blast. that cause so much unnecessary stress. Don’t despair when this time of year rolls around. Simply follow these effortless steps and you will be able to get an acceptable grade in any exam you undertake.

1 . PREPARATION

Before you can even think about revising, you have to prepare for the task ahead. As with all things it is important to reward yourself for hard work. However there may not be enough time for that between revising so the most essential thing you must do before you start any work is to go out and get wasted one last time. Jamie and myself like to call this a “pre-emptive treat”. Rewarding yourself before actually doing any work can only help the overall process and lead to a more productive revision period.

Helpful tip: If you talk about exams whilst drinking it silences the voice inside your head which begs you to start revision early.

2. TIME

When the hangover fades and there is only a couple of weeks before the exam period begins, it is time to start revising. Before you do anything that could cause a severe headache, you must split your revision time into managable slots. (or to quote the BBC: “chunks”) From experience I have found that 10 minute time slots work best with 15 minute breaks taken between slots.

A very useful alternative to this is 15 minute time slots of revision with 22 minute breaks in between. The reasoning behind this is that most sitcoms: How I Met Your Mother, Friends, Scrubs, Family Guy etc. are all around 22 minutes long so this is the ideal amount of time for a break.

3. REVISE IN GROUPS

To make time literally go quicker, it is preferable to revise in a group of 2 or more people. As well as asking the other people for help you can enjoy breaks together. Here is an example of the sort of activities that can be enjoyed during a revision break:

• Drinking - Go to the local Wetherspoons for a steak and a bottle of Kopparberg. Revision while tipsy is scientifically proven to enhance the brains ability to retain information.
• Video games - Play five or six games of Fifa with the other members of the group and the time will fly by!
• Write an article - If your group has a humorous website, consider writing a number of articles for it. This feels rewarding and can constitute two or three break periods.

These first three tips should help you on your way to a successful period of exams and onto a summer of alcohol poisoning, heat stroke and a worrying memory loss of everything you have learnt the past semester. Part II will contain information on how to take an exam and how to celebrate after the exams are completed.