One of the most commonly asked questions on my tiktok live is "Tomorrow is my (insert subject) exam, what should I do today?"
I get it, the day before your exam can be a stressful day for you. This is the time when most students feel unprepared and anxious.
Now I hope you're not reading this blog post the night before your national exams, because truth to be told, there's not much you can do at this point. Neither am I going to give you the validation that you're looking for, that you'll somehow still do okay without sufficient preparation ahead of time. But if now's the day before your internal school exams, not all hope is lost. You can make the necessary changes from now till your national exams.
Here are some strategies to help you feel prepared in time for your exams.
Start your preparation early
By early, I don't mean 5am the day before, but start at least a few weeks before your exams.
By starting early, you'll have enough time to look out for what you're weak at and seek help from your teachers, friends, and tutors way ahead of time.
Let's be real here, there's simply no way to cram so much information in a night before your exam. It's just not ideal. You won't get the rest you need and you'll likely have to give up on certain topics. Cramming the night before may work if you have eidetic memory, but let's not kid ourselves here, most of us do not have eidetic memory. But if you are are your wits end and absolutely feel the need to spend the night cramming, then here's another blog article for you.
I have written some other blog posts on how to revise and prepare for your exams. These are strategies that have been tried and tested.
Now let's get to what we're here for—the night before the exam.
1. Determine your bedtime
Ideally, you'll need 7-8 hours of sleep. (Yes, this still holds true even if you think you only need 5 hours of sleep and 5 cups of coffee the next day)
Work backwards from your bedtime to determine how much time you can give yourself to do a last minute flip through of your revision materials (i.e. light revision).
2. Give yourself enough time to wind down
By this, I don't mean to scroll tiktok all the way till your bedtime.
Wind down by reading a book, or watching a comedy, or just lay in bed and chill out to music.
3. Only do light revision, if you must
Just do a brief flip through of your notes. This counts as a last active recall session just to help you jog through what you know.
4. Don't get hung up on what you can't do
Because honestly at this point you won't be able to do much anyway. Let those topics go, and aim to work on them again after the exams. It might cost you some marks tomorrow, but it's not the end of the world. Learn from your lesson and start early next time.
5. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT start a heated discussion with your classmates on what you both are unsure of
Do this after your exam, i.e. before your next exam (which is some time away).
If you start a heated discussion now, it's more likely to cause panic, which you all do not need right now.
Keep the night before your exam as simple and as relaxing as you can
This puts you in the best frame of mind for your exams the next day.
Best of luck to you, and if you need help, you know who to call.
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