Winnie’s taking the stress out of revision and exams

Exam time can be stressful. Some levels of stress can help you focus. But too much can interfere with your revision and your focus. Finding the right balance can be tricky, so here are my top tips to help get you through.

1. Work out your timetable and set realistic goals.

You can’t do it all in one go! Binge study doesn’t help and can be counterproductive. Break down your revision into bitesize pieces and stick to your timetable as best you can.

2. Remember to include breaks into your timetable.

You’re allowed to relax. For every hour that you plan to revise make sure you take a break of 10–20 mins. This will help you take in the information rather than studying pages upon pages of notes without remembering a word.

3. Don’t forget to eat properly.

You need to refuel to be able to revise successfully. Remember your 5 a day (fruit and veg) a healthy way for you to eat on the hoof*, or paw, in my case. Have a decent meal in the evening. And try not to rely on fast food!

4. Get some exercise in.

This’ll help with stress and release all of those lovely little endorphins that make you feel good. I love nothing better than a little stroll around the park investigating the flowers and looking for squirrels**

5. Spend some time checking exam dates, times and venues.

Use your exercise time to find your exam venues so that you feel more relaxed on the day!

6. Switch off or limit your Social Media.

Don’t get interrupted every five minutes. Instead, set aside some time during the day to look at your social media.

7. Don’t forget to rest and sleep.

This helps your body to re-energise and your brain to recuperate.

8. It is important to focus on progress, not perfection.

Be kind to yourself. This is the culmination of one, two, three or four years of study and so it’s going to be tough. But you’ll get there!

There’s plenty of advice available on the Student Intranet and don’t forget,
Denise (my Dogsbody) is available should you wish to call in for a chat.

Denise Brereton is Student Support Adviser at Cardiff Business School.

Your student life, supported

We have a range of services dedicated to helping students make the most of their time at University, including: Advice and Money, Careers and Employability, Counselling, Health and Wellbeing, Disability and Dyslexia and International Student Support.

The Student Support Centres are located at 50 Park Place, Cathays Campus and Cardigan House, Heath Park Campus.

For more information about our services, events, opening times and more find us on the Student Intranet.

*If you do something on the hoof, you do it while you’re moving about or doing something else, often without giving it the attention it deserves. It is used to describe something that is not expected or planned.

For example, “I’ve got a meeting downtown in 20 minutes so I’ll have lunch on the hoof.”

Source: Cambridge English Dictionary

** No chasing of squirrels took place during the writing of this blog post.