Exams
Exams test your knowledge of your subject and help you demonstrate learning.
Understanding how to prepare for exams can help you take control of the process and relieve feelings of anxiety.
What do you need to do before your exams?
Work consistently throughout the year to build your knowledge of your subject. Revision helps you organise your learning and understand how to demonstrate your knowledge in the exam.
For more information about developing an active revision strategy, see our guide to revision or for more in depth information try chapter 17 of Stella Cottrell’s Study skills handbook.
What do you need to do during the assessment period?
Think about what you need to know before you sit the exam and consider your exam strategy.
Use our exam checklist to help you prepare a strategy that works for you.
What do you need to do after your exams?
After you finish your exams, try not to focus on how you answered individual questions or papers. Instead, reflect on whether your revision and exam strategies were effective and ask yourself if there is anything you could do differently next time you sit an exam.
Look after your wellbeing
Remember to take care of yourself. Take regular breaks from revision, eat well, do some exercise and stay connected with friends and family. If you experience exam nerves or anxiety, look at the Exam Anxiety resources on the counselling website
Presentations
Plan your presentation
To plan a successful presentation, you need to:
- understand the presentation brief,
- identify your audience, and
- consider the content and structure of your presentation
For more information, see our guide to planning your presentation.
Write your presentation
Although presentations are not a written assessment, it is a good idea to write a document to work from. Our guide to writing your presentation will help you to:
- draft your presentation
- think about slide design and visual aids and how to reference images
- think about which presentation software to use.
Deliver your presentation
Help yourself feel more confident by planning and practising your delivery.