It’s the day before your next big exam… what are you still able to do to make sure you’re ready for the big day?

The Tassomai team have been breaking down our top tips for revision over the last few weeks, including what to do a month, a week and the day before each exam.

Tassomai is founded on the principle that learning and revising should follow a similarly rigorous structure to playing a musical instrument or competitive sport. Our founder, Murray Morrison, is a keen sportsman and musician who firmly believes that you have to get yourself ‘match ready’ for each exam, and that starts with looking after yourself.

You can read more about Murray’s inspiration for Tassomai here

No time for cramming!

The day before an exam is no time to try to learn a new topic. It simply won’t work, so it’s better to go over a few flashcards, perhaps do a Tassomai quiz or 2 and try to focus on what you do know.

This can differ from subject to subject but for the core topics, we think the following are some of the most helpful things students can go through the day before a big assessment:

• Science – recap a ‘medium’ topic. These aren’t the ones you know you’ve got covered, or the ones where you think you might struggle, but the ones that sit in the amber zone in the middle. Quiz yourself on these topics and see if you can pick up any last bit of information you might have otherwise forgotten.

• English literature – go over your quotes. Once you can remember the quotes in an exam, you’ll be able to remember why they were important, which character said them and what point in the text they were said. Just a few key quotes like this will help you structure an essay on any theme or topic.

• Maths – Watch a video for a topic you’re still not 100% confident in and then try a few practice questions to make sure you’ve fully understood it. And make sure you double check whether it’s a calculator paper or not and pack accordingly!

Be prepared

The best way to feel calm on the morning of an exam is to know that you’ve prepared everything as best as possible the night before. Make sure you’re packed and ready to go the evening before so that all you have to do in the morning is eat some breakfast and head to school. This way you reduce the chance of any last minute panics making you late for the exam and you can go into the exam hall as calm and collected as possible.

Fuel your body

The night before an exam should be one of relaxation and rest. Make sure you’re eating some good food, whether that’s a favourite comfort meal or just a well balanced dinner, it will all help towards giving you the fuel you will need for your assessment the next day.

It’s easy to say ‘get a good night’s sleep’ the night before an exam, but this can sometimes lead to hours spent staring at the ceiling (or worse, your phone!) growing anxious about the amount of sleep you’ll be able to get. Try not to overthink it and relax as much as you’re able to. It can be helpful to limit screen time for 2 hours before bed to stop your mind from racing and help you wind down slowly. 

Don’t spiral outside the exam hall!

One of the worst places for pre-exam nerves is right outside the exam hall in the last few moments before you all have to sit in silence – don’t let what other people talk about outside the exam get in your head. It’s easy to overthink when you hear someone else talking about a topic you can’t quite remember or explaining a technique for working out a question that you weren’t taught. 

Try to tune out these comments and just focus on what you know and what will help you in your own exam, it’s not worth the stress of comparing yourself to anyone else.

The biology of stress

One of the teachers featured in our GCSE Survival Guide had some good, practical advice for students about anxiety outside the exam hall:

“I always think one of the worst breeding grounds for stress is right outside the exam hall when students are nervously talking about assessments before going in. Many students right before assessments will be showing physical signs of stress as their fight or flight response kicks in with their adrenaline - their hands might shake, their heart might be beating faster - which is why I think it is really useful to have sessions where you explain these responses to students and help them understand the biology behind it.

“By understanding what is happening in your body, you are better equipped to take yourself through some logistical steps or techniques to regain control and be able to focus in the assessment. Learning breathing exercises, meditating and practising yoga can all help to calm these nerves and there are loads of YouTube videos students can watch and learn from.” – Karen Collins, Lead Science Associate for PiXL

To find out more about our GCSE Survival Guide, click here.

Keeping perspective

Try your best to keep things in perspective – exams may feel like the be all and end all right now but most people look back and realise they didn’t matter as much as they thought they did at the time.

We are sure you’re going to do brilliantly! Good luck in your exams, year 11!