Exams
How to prepare for exams
8 min read · Updated 1 August 2026
Good exam preparation is mostly scheduling plus retrieval practice. The plan below assumes about four weeks; compress or stretch it to fit, but keep the order — content first, then practice under pressure.
Week 1: map the exam
- List every topic on the syllabus and rate your confidence 1–5.
- Find at least three past papers and read the marking scheme.
- Add exam dates and times to a countdown so nothing sneaks up on you.
- Work out what mark you need using a grade calculator, so you can prioritise modules.
Week 2: build the notes you will revise from
Condense each topic to one page of question-and-answer notes. If a topic cannot be compressed, you do not understand it well enough yet — that is useful information, not a failure.
Week 3: retrieval practice
Switch from making material to testing yourself on it. Blank-page recall, flashcards for definitions, and mixed problem sets. Spend the most time on your lowest-confidence topics, not the ones that feel comfortable.
Week 4: full papers under timed conditions
- Sit at least two full papers with a real clock and no notes.
- Mark them honestly against the scheme.
- List every lost mark and its cause: knowledge, method or timing.
- Spend your remaining sessions on those causes specifically.
The final 48 hours
- Light review only: your one-page summaries and previous mistakes.
- Do not learn new topics — it usually raises anxiety more than marks.
- Pack what you need the night before and confirm the venue and time.
- Sleep normally. Rested recall beats an extra chapter every time.
On the day
Read the whole paper first, allocate minutes per mark, and start with a question you can answer well to build momentum. If you get stuck, move on and come back — unanswered easy marks cost more than an imperfect hard answer.