Every time I watch a series of your videos, I get motivated to work REALLY hard for a week or so. I'm thinking of adding your videos to my revision timetable 😂
Last year I did the unthinkable! I slept less than 4 hours before a mathematics exam.. I was too stressed out and could not sleep! The result was ridiculous. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life when I went to see my paper corrected! :/ I almost could not even get 2+2 right! But never again. Ever since I make sure I switch everything off at 8 pm and relax, too many students underestimate how much sleep helps to be performant in an exam! I'm happy I found these videos now that I still got one month ahead and not 2 days before finals! So thanks for sharing! :)
I have an offer from Oxford for Computer Science and Philosophy! I'm so scared of missing my offer! This video really helped me get motivated :P Thank you! :D
Bambu Keep going! Don't be scared of revising, it's not your enemy. You have a few weeks to make a real difference on these exams, and that doesn't leave any time to be scared! You only have time to be productive and positive now, so do both of those things and only those two things :)
I admire and respect you so much! I would type out a massive paragraph, but as you said, it's now time for me to revise! (Going to eat something first, lol) I am going to be sitting my first set of a level exams! Just wanted to thank you and say that I will be back soon to type that massive message and it will most probably be in June xx
This is just what I needed .Slightly apprehensive about my upcoming A2& AS exams but I'm just going to try & do my best. I don't want to have any regrets about my Alevel grades come results day!!
Hey simon I absolutely love your videos and I think you've made me see how much of an impact my hard work would be towards my A2 subjects. Looking forward to watching next week's video!!
I'm a GCSE student and I found, aswell as what you said, watching (reliable) videos on TH-cam to help me revise very helpful! It's also more of an exciting way to revise that I find makes things easier to remember (especially if I' more enthusiastic about it!) :P Just thought I'd also add in another perspective!
This comment is for everyone here trying to calm down before finals .. Please remember that you are more than enough to realize what you want and beyond. I am first year aerospace engineer , i traveled overseas and came to Canada on my own to make my vision a reality , i have never studied in English before nor have i ever lived on my own before .. I am still adapting, and with a hard and busy schedule these past 3 months have been full of controversy , and downs more than ups .. I doubted myself countless times and thought that maybe i am not good enough for that program but now that I decided to look at it from a different perspective I realized that I learned a lot about myself.. next semester I am taking again most of my courses because I felt that I did not give myself the time to learn much this past semester as i was drowning in overthinking and homesickness but now i am more than ready , and i realized that i am more than enough !! I also discovered that there are a lot of things i thought were true about myself like being weak but no , now i am more than sure about myself and nothing can change that. I just wanted to remind you that we grow a lot through the struggles we encounter , but remember that we are all unfolding beautifully like a flower every day , so we might as well just give time to our souls to flourish , and water them with trust , belief and strength ! Life is an amazing journey , and we are all like birds , we are all born with wings and can fly , but we can only uncover the power of our wings when we finally find the right angle and adjust to it :) Good luck xoxo
I'm a Forestry student , currently in second year and one advice I received from my professor is that when you have worked your way towards the examination, when on the exact day of the test take a break and relax. You won't do good in an examination if your brain is screaming from all the stress. I found this advice very useful actually. Just my two cents.
The most effective way to revise last year on my GCSE's was past papers hands down for maths, but this year for A-Levels i am doing brand new courses, i am not the greatest at revision but in maths i did literally all the papers i could find and received a grade higher than what i was expected.
I'm a really odd case. I studied months and months for Unit 3 in A-level Psychology, and in March I got A* on the mock exam. I dedicated so much work to it that I ended up not doing any work for Unit 4, and prospected a D/E for that exam. But guess what happened in the real exams? I got a D in Unit 3, and an A in Unit 4.... does this make any sense? I did no work for Unit 4 until the last 2 days, where I crammed everything, by just re-reading my notes, and didn't have time to do past papers, yet I got an A on that. But, for the module that I worked all year for, and even got an A* in the mock for, I got a D..... Help me :|
although my exams aren't for another 5/6 months here in Scotland, I need this video every few weeks to help me keep my shit together. This is my last year to make up for all the messing about I've done and there's nothing like the pressure of uni offers flying at you from any corner every second. thank you!
This video was definitely useful! I'm returning to school tomorrow after having a week break for Easter and to be honest I didn't get half the amount of work done that I know I should have. I have to learn off a good deal of notes still and since you recommended a months worth of past paper revision, would it best for me to learn my subject topics whilst also doing past papers...in order to maximise my chances of doing well?
TheClare260 yep absolutely - if you can, isolate questions from past papers which are testing knowledge of a particular subject, revise the notes for that topic and then do the questions. Then at the end of your revision you can go back and do whole papers rather than just individual questions.
It's funny how much the educational systems differ. In Austria we don't have an "Exam season" as such - we have an exam every month or so during the semester, so the pressure is more consistent, but doesn't peak as much.
i still have 5 months for m'y bacaloreat exam and this vidéo is exactly what i needed thnk you so so much i was loosing self-confident please i need mire advices i still have to be more motivated and im stressing please need more advices and once again thank you so much
Thank you so much for this video! I'm suffering from the age old 'I wanted to get better at one subject and am now suffering elsewhere' issue, so this video has given me a much needed kick to give Chemistry a rest and start with English. Thank you, if only english was as easy to revise as the sciences!
Thanks so much for this video Simon!!! it was the perfect little booster in motivation and focus that i needed before school starts again!! :D Any tips for the physics a-level practicals?? we have EMPAs and the word on the street is they can be annoying buggers!
This is going to be a very strange question but I was wondering if you could go over the format of your notes? I saw your video and you said how you designed them to be read as a textbook and they looked great so I just wondered how you set them out and do them! Cheers
I've just started year 12 and am studying Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics at AS Level on the board WJEC, but am slightly disappointed as the science syllabus changed last school year (2016) meaning that there is only one past paper and one specimen paper available. I'm not really sure what to do about past papers because there are so little available. Any ideas? (Not that I need to start revising yet as I'm not at all close to my exams and we haven't finished the syllabus by a long shot- I'm just thinking about this problem now.)
Good that you're thinking about it already! I guess there's nothing wrong with using past papers from the previous specification, just doing those questions that remain relevant to the new syllabus. So get a copy of the syllabus and when going through past papers quickly check to see if it's relevant material. As for new material... not sure what to suggest! You're best off talking to your teacher, and maybe asking if they could write some questions for the class?
I sat the WJEC new AS specification (for Biology and Physics). WJEC changed their style of questioning, theyre mainly testing on the way you apply your knowledge to certain contexts (which makes a little bit more difficult). Nevertheless, doing past papers DO help since the new spec is basically the old spec but mixed around into smaller units. :) Hope this helps, somehow.
i'm on my first year of college and i have many re sits in my class, the thing is, i don't want to resit the year, i'm gonna focus real hard from now and this includes gym and sports aswell which i think will workout because i have aa written timetable which is farely easy to follow
How do you deal with stress while taking a test? I always seem to mess up on the most trivial questions just because of that..any video about that or a way I can contact you? Thanks in advance!
Simon I have a question after I listening to your conversation with Ali. When I do a revision journal do I record like the following like the one i wrote below: (I picked a topic for example) Hebrew alphabet: July 1 Hebrew alphabet: July 2 (going forward a day) Hebrew alphabet: July 8 (going forward a week) Hebrew alphabet: August 8 (going forward a month)
Great video Simon ! it's exactly what I needed ,but how long do you think a person should start studying for a test in order to ace it ,and how can they organize their time if they had too many at the same week(the story of my life TT_TT) .Thanks already and keep up the good work :)))
Ghita Zahir Really I'd want to work at a low intensity for several months, but work really hard for 2 months to 6 weeks before the exam. That way you absorb information over a long time and get good at putting it into practise via past papers over a shorter period of time. As for organising your time I'd recommend drawing up a timetable and make sure you allocate revision time for each subject you're studying - maybe the day before each exam allocate time for that exam all afternoon, and be sure to build in some break periods :)
Can I know when you would usually start practicing all the past paper before exam during your university life? You are really empowering us when exam is so frustrating XD
Great video as always :) Btw do you have any tips for catching up on work/subjects that you're not too good in? I'm currently having problems with Additional Maths and exams are in 1-2 months :/
KixP3 two things - ask yourself if you're just not putting enough hours in to learning the material appropriately, and if not start working harder! Otherwise analyse how you're approaching the subject - are you trying to make yourself learn in a way which works for other subjects but not for the one you're struggling with? Critically analyse what you're doing basically, and make whatever changes you think need to happen. Remember though - there's no substitute for working hard, and that will take some time!
This was quite motivational! Any advice on studying for the first university exam session? What differences should I expect from A-Levels? (in terms of how much harder it is to study)
***** I would try not to treat them any differently! I made a mistake in approaching my university exams differently - really they're more of the same, just harder!
Thanks simon! :) Can I ask, what should you do if you're going through the mark scheme but you still don't follow what you're meant to know/do after you got a question wrong?
Can you do a video on research students strategy? I am such a messed up, i procrastinate a lot and i have the worst discipline. i didnt know why i took research for my postgraduate study tbh. Please helppp..
Hi Simonoxfphys and my Scinece , Maths and English and I'm so weak on it so I still got 2 years away from igsce and now I really want to revise what did my teach haven't teach and how can we actually revise thing that did teach but come out on the test
+Georgia Beeton see my Oxford FAQs video for my full results, and no I haven't done GCSE videos but an amazing youtuber called Primrose Kitten I believe has
Thanks for this, Simon. I have my AS level exams in approximately 40 days, and I was having a major panic attack before watching this video. I feel MUCH better I'm giving Economics, Physics and Math this year, and I haven't started revision at all. Plus, my economics and physics is rather weak. I simply cannot get below 3 As, or my family will honestly disown me. I tend to stress out and give up very easily. Do you think I'll be okay in these upcoming exams? (I'm honestly just desperate for some comfort ._.)
How do you recommend revising during the week, in lower sixth where you're still getting work from subjects you're not taking AS levels in? I'm finding it hard given that we're not going on study leave.
Cormac Auty I'd recommend scheduling a few hours (literally one or two) in the evening and making a timetable of what you will revise that week. Then the question becomes sticking to it - make sure that you stick to your guns and get your revision done as well as any pressing homework. Easier said than done, but worth it!
jack fullerton I would strongly advise working on all your exams - leaving the later exams til later will mean you will rush, and under stress make mistakes. It will take good time management, but I would recommend revising for all your exams at the same time
how if i explain as ive ict and re on the 13th of may, 15th- PE. Maths on the 26th two exams. English on 2nd june, biology 4th, history 9th chemistry 10th and physics on 12th! keep in mind i have study leave a week before my first exam!
Hi Simon, I am preparing for my GCSE exams and I was just wondering whether or not you see any merit in revising from TH-cam videos? I have experimented with this method and I've found that it really works for me (as well as doing past papers), however I am concerned that this approach may be too lazy and a substantial amount of note making might be the only way to retain the knowledge, which I absolutely hate! Also, do you have any advice on how to get an A* in History, this curriculum being 'Medicine Through Time' and 'The American West'? The quality of the answers that I give in the exams are up to standard but I always end up spending way too long on some of the questions regardless of how many marks they hold as I have a sort of OCD on getting them 'boxed off' even when I have written enough to satisfy the mark scheme. I am really struggling to break this habit of not being able/knowing when to stop in both in the knowledge and source papers and I'm now panicking as it could be my downfall in the real thing. Sorry that it's long aha I'd just really appreciate some feedback from someone who's already done this and achieved :)
Benjamin Hulme I'll be honest, and show my age here, I never revised from videos because they just weren't around then! I think you will realistically need to pair it up with pen-and-pencil study though - either brief notes on the video or separately from other materials. As for getting an A*, I'd recommend doing practise essays and going through them with your teacher. Remember to use your time effectively though - this is something I talk about in the next video actually!
Hi Simon, I hope you are good. About revisions I only have one major problem which is forgetting my lessons. I could learn all the syllabus with different kinds of exercices and past exams but after some time like a week or so I forget most of the lessons I learned even maths and physics. I just wanted to know if I am the only one with this kind of problem. And if possible some suggestions or tricks that you used to do back at Oxford. Thanks.
Main Hunter You're not the only one! And the trick is a technique called spaced repetition - so say you cover material on say a Monday morning. You then review that material on Monday afternoon to make sure you understand it. You then review that material again on Tuesday morning to keep it fresh in your memory, and do the same on Thursday morning. You then review it the following Monday, and then the Monday after that. Going over the same material with increasing spaces between the study periods means you retain the information better, and can recall it more easily. This can get a bit confusing with lots of bits of information to review at different times though! So I recommend keeping a study diary, as I describe in my how to study effectively video.
Hey, Simon! I have approximately 3 weeks until my G.C.S.E. examinations, and, up until now, I have persistently followed a revision technique that largely revolves around making revision notes, which seemed to be working. However, I feel as if I am running out of time and I am wondering, exactly how important are past papers? Should they be a priority to writing notes? Thanks in advance!
+Luke Hall From my experience I can tell you that past papers are as fundamental as taking notes or any other type of revision. If you feel confident on what you have been revising so far, than practicing doing past papers will give you an idea of how much you truly understand the topics. It also depends on the subject. For example I found past papers to be the best revision tool for subjects like chemistry, physics and maths. Hope it helped and good luck with the exams :D
Hi Simon, thanks for the video :) Quick question - how important are past papers? I haven't started any yet as I'm still in the process of writing my notes - I'm planning to start doing past papers after I've written my notes. Do you think I should spend my remaining time doing past papers or finishing writing my notes (which will probably take up another week's time) then start doing past papers? Thank you!
Hannah Cui Why not both? I honestly think that past papers are absolutely key, and you can always isolate questions from papers which are on specific topics from the syllabus that you've already written notes for. So I'd get your notes done ASAP, and while you're doing that try to answer questions from past papers that you can. Then once you've done your notes you can get into doing full past papers
Help me please😭i have 2 months till my final A2 exams and i have all my notes but i haven't started revising them yet. So i need to memorise them all for 3 essay based subjects and i have so much content to learn, basically 2 years worth of stuff in 2 months. Do you think i still have time to get into uni and at least 3 c's?😭please be honest. Also, i'm really worried about the past paper stuff, because i don't know any of the content how do i do the past papers as it will take me like 2 months just to probably nearly learn everything😭please help, how do i learn all the content and do past papers. Thank you x
The thing is I struggle to do past papers because I don't know the content enough. I'm struggling to revise my History GCSE because there is A LOT of content to go through and I'm just not sure how about to get through it quickly and effectively :'| 1st June here I come :'(
RetroPlaya786 Be sure to review your notes before going into past papers - no point going through past papers on material that you don't understand! Maybe before each paper review the material covered in each question (not cheating... really...) so that you can get used to putting that material down on paper, or doing the papers open book. Basically, make sure you know your stuff before putting it into practise!
RetroPlaya786 Can I suggest something I used to do - I wrote essay plans for each topic - arguments for and against, references etc. Use all your notes and knowledge to make them, but highlight the key points. Whittle it down to less and less, and you'll have a perfectly succinct essay plan which has key words and references in to spark the deeper points in your head. You can use these effectively in doing past papers too - hopes this helps :)
Thanks for the tips! I also seem to have the problem of not going through content quick enough :L I just find it really had to take notes as I cant seem to not copy it word for word :L
+SimonOxfPhys simon hopefully you respond, there is a month until my gcse exams and I already have my class notes to revise from. but do you think i should go straight to past papers or should I condense my class notes. this is for history by the way, thanks
+Eru Ilúvatar it depends to be honest - sometimes lectures can be very illuminating but I think generally speaking I learn more from studying in my own time
Thanks a million wooow,your just amazing,having my Igcse Exams in two weeks time and am not too confident in myself :-( but in one way I am aldue I haven't revised well what's your advice ??
Amarachi Kalu Kalu make the most of your remaining time! Go through the syllabus for each exam and make sure you know it - and then blast through past papers, putting your knowledge of the subject into action. Exam technique advice coming soon - until then, just go through the material and practise, practise, practise
+Crystalheffan Critically analyse how you work, and see how you can improve your method - see th-cam.com/video/AOTYTuiNaho/w-d-xo.html for my study recommendations.
Every time I watch a series of your videos, I get motivated to work REALLY hard for a week or so. I'm thinking of adding your videos to my revision timetable 😂
Last year I did the unthinkable! I slept less than 4 hours before a mathematics exam.. I was too stressed out and could not sleep! The result was ridiculous. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life when I went to see my paper corrected! :/ I almost could not even get 2+2 right! But never again. Ever since I make sure I switch everything off at 8 pm and relax, too many students underestimate how much sleep helps to be performant in an exam! I'm happy I found these videos now that I still got one month ahead and not 2 days before finals! So thanks for sharing! :)
diemcim your story is soo familiar as mine😂
diemcim o
I have an offer from Oxford for Computer Science and Philosophy! I'm so scared of missing my offer! This video really helped me get motivated :P Thank you! :D
+thesmellofnewpages Well done! Now make sure you get those past papers done and get those grades :)
thesmellofnewpages Sorry if I'm being too intrusive, but did you get in?
'TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF' 3AM HAHAHAHAHA OK
@E she's 21 now.
"now or never"
the way to put this is soothing yet motivational. thank you.
you are awesome! look forward for videos in the up and coming weeks!
I'm a couple of weeks away from my finals exams so this is the video I needed! I'm a super anxious and I can get very unmotivated so your videos help.
Bambu Keep going! Don't be scared of revising, it's not your enemy. You have a few weeks to make a real difference on these exams, and that doesn't leave any time to be scared! You only have time to be productive and positive now, so do both of those things and only those two things :)
I admire and respect you so much! I would type out a massive paragraph, but as you said, it's now time for me to revise! (Going to eat something first, lol) I am going to be sitting my first set of a level exams! Just wanted to thank you and say that I will be back soon to type that massive message and it will most probably be in June xx
This is really concise and to the point which is great b/c lots of others give too much.
This is just what I needed .Slightly apprehensive about my upcoming A2& AS exams but I'm just going to try & do my best. I don't want to have any regrets about my Alevel grades come results day!!
saf shire good luck! the wind blows hardest near the mountain top, you've got this!
Kencho Ongdi That's a beautifull way of thinking about it . Thank you 😊
Such an encouraging video. Thanks Simon !
Hi Simon, with my exams starting a month tomorrow this video couldn't have been uploaded at a better time! Thank you so much for the good tips
Thankyou Simon! So inspirational!
The hard work will pay - thank you Simon!!
This video had some really good tips that I haven't seen anywhere else! Thanks for the advise :)
I wish I watched ALL your videos way earlier in my life !! SO helpful thankyou Simon!
Hey simon I absolutely love your videos and I think you've made me see how much of an impact my hard work would be towards my A2 subjects. Looking forward to watching next week's video!!
Thanks for the video helps me get motivated for my final exams. :)
I'm a GCSE student and I found, aswell as what you said, watching (reliable) videos on TH-cam to help me revise very helpful! It's also more of an exciting way to revise that I find makes things easier to remember (especially if I' more enthusiastic about it!) :P Just thought I'd also add in another perspective!
Useful as usual. Thank you for your inspiring channel!
This comment is for everyone here trying to calm down before finals .. Please remember that you are more than enough to realize what you want and beyond. I am first year aerospace engineer , i traveled overseas and came to Canada on my own to make my vision a reality , i have never studied in English before nor have i ever lived on my own before .. I am still adapting, and with a hard and busy schedule these past 3 months have been full of controversy , and downs more than ups .. I doubted myself countless times and thought that maybe i am not good enough for that program but now that I decided to look at it from a different perspective I realized that I learned a lot about myself.. next semester I am taking again most of my courses because I felt that I did not give myself the time to learn much this past semester as i was drowning in overthinking and homesickness but now i am more than ready , and i realized that i am more than enough !! I also discovered that there are a lot of things i thought were true about myself like being weak but no , now i am more than sure about myself and nothing can change that. I just wanted to remind you that we grow a lot through the struggles we encounter , but remember that we are all unfolding beautifully like a flower every day , so we might as well just give time to our souls to flourish , and water them with trust , belief and strength
! Life is an amazing journey , and we are all like birds , we are all born with wings and can fly , but we can only uncover the power of our wings when we finally find the right angle and adjust to it :) Good luck xoxo
Poca Hontas Good luck. Sending you all the positivity. You can do it. 💪🖒
Thanks bro this actually help a lot but i'm only 14 (Year 9) and i'm starting to study now
this could help me to get in MIT for physics thanks again!
Loll I'm 14 and I've taken some of my GCSEs and I'm in the year ahead instead of yr9
I'm a Forestry student , currently in second year and one advice I received from my professor is that when you have worked your way towards the examination, when on the exact day of the test take a break and relax. You won't do good in an examination if your brain is screaming from all the stress. I found this advice very useful actually. Just my two cents.
I needed to hear this!!💕
Thanks for the advice it really has encouraged me during my tests to follow through
You can't imagine how helpful this video was for me!!
Loved the new style!
love your videos well done for getting where you are now
This is perfectly timed great video Simon.
This is what i needed to hear especially because finals are coming up in exactly one month!
OMDZ THANKYOU FOR UPLOADING THIS I LOVE YOU
Great video Simon, looking forward to more!
The most effective way to revise last year on my GCSE's was past papers hands down for maths, but this year for A-Levels i am doing brand new courses, i am not the greatest at revision but in maths i did literally all the papers i could find and received a grade higher than what i was expected.
Just to reiterate what other comments are saying...
HARDCORE MOTIVATION!
I'm off to revise.
very very useful and just what I needed to hear. thank you.
I'm a really odd case.
I studied months and months for Unit 3 in A-level Psychology, and in March I got A* on the mock exam. I dedicated so much work to it that I ended up not doing any work for Unit 4, and prospected a D/E for that exam. But guess what happened in the real exams? I got a D in Unit 3, and an A in Unit 4.... does this make any sense? I did no work for Unit 4 until the last 2 days, where I crammed everything, by just re-reading my notes, and didn't have time to do past papers, yet I got an A on that. But, for the module that I worked all year for, and even got an A* in the mock for, I got a D.....
Help me :|
Enigmo ikr that's one of the reasons I get stressed out about.
Thanks for the help I subscribed and will act on your advice
I'm motivated now. Thanks Simon :)
jcreek23 wooo!
Thank you!!! I am going to revise now! :)
Great advice and you motivated me. Thanks ! ^_^
although my exams aren't for another 5/6 months here in Scotland, I need this video every few weeks to help me keep my shit together. This is my last year to make up for all the messing about I've done and there's nothing like the pressure of uni offers flying at you from any corner every second.
thank you!
well i have 2 days
What the actual fuck
Balili I have 12 hours :/
same same
Thank you for this, it's really helped me
This video was definitely useful! I'm returning to school tomorrow after having a week break for Easter and to be honest I didn't get half the amount of work done that I know I should have. I have to learn off a good deal of notes still and since you recommended a months worth of past paper revision, would it best for me to learn my subject topics whilst also doing past papers...in order to maximise my chances of doing well?
TheClare260 yep absolutely - if you can, isolate questions from past papers which are testing knowledge of a particular subject, revise the notes for that topic and then do the questions. Then at the end of your revision you can go back and do whole papers rather than just individual questions.
Brilliant and very motivating :) , clearly you are an exam veteran yourself but best of luck for your own exams!
Tom Butler A veteran of many exam campaigns haha!
It's funny how much the educational systems differ. In Austria we don't have an "Exam season" as such - we have an exam every month or so during the semester, so the pressure is more consistent, but doesn't peak as much.
quak920 That is interesting! Thanks for sharing :)
Just had to sub, thx man
Simon man you're saving my Alevels
I hope these videos blow up
Milikani Moyo thanks, me too! Best of luck :)
Thank you I think this video might just help me
Thanks I'm actually preparing for a physics exam soon so this is helpful a lot
it is quite helpful I agree
Very Helpful!
Thanks
Great video!
i still have 5 months for m'y bacaloreat exam and this vidéo is exactly what i needed thnk you so so much i was loosing self-confident please i need mire advices i still have to be more motivated and im stressing please need more advices
and once again thank you so much
Thank you so much for this video! I'm suffering from the age old 'I wanted to get better at one subject and am now suffering elsewhere' issue, so this video has given me a much needed kick to give Chemistry a rest and start with English. Thank you, if only english was as easy to revise as the sciences!
Thanks so much for this video Simon!!! it was the perfect little booster in motivation and focus that i needed before school starts again!! :D Any tips for the physics a-level practicals?? we have EMPAs and the word on the street is they can be annoying buggers!
meg8123 I don't think I did one at A level, so I'm not much help, sorry!
feeling little scared for my final exam
You can do it :)
It's in the video...........4-5 weeks
My exam is tomorrow
But it's not that serious
This is going to be a very strange question but I was wondering if you could go over the format of your notes? I saw your video and you said how you designed them to be read as a textbook and they looked great so I just wondered how you set them out and do them! Cheers
I got exams coming up and I am revising how do I remember all the content there soo much
Hey Simon,
I'll be doing a video soon on studying physics in particular and certain equations.
I'll keep you posted.
Tommy
Great video Simon! Such an inspiration =) Done a good 3 hours myself this evening
I didn’twork well in my Mock exams at school but i got 1 month for the National Exams…I am going to try your strategies :D
Hope they work :)
TommyTekkers It worked :D
I got good grades :D
You are awesome!
Can't wait!
Very nice! Subbed
I've just started year 12 and am studying Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics at AS Level on the board WJEC, but am slightly disappointed as the science syllabus changed last school year (2016) meaning that there is only one past paper and one specimen paper available. I'm not really sure what to do about past papers because there are so little available. Any ideas? (Not that I need to start revising yet as I'm not at all close to my exams and we haven't finished the syllabus by a long shot- I'm just thinking about this problem now.)
u can still do other past papers the syllabus is mostly the same the only difference is a few bits
Good that you're thinking about it already! I guess there's nothing wrong with using past papers from the previous specification, just doing those questions that remain relevant to the new syllabus. So get a copy of the syllabus and when going through past papers quickly check to see if it's relevant material. As for new material... not sure what to suggest! You're best off talking to your teacher, and maybe asking if they could write some questions for the class?
beastkay byt thanks for the advice!
SimonOxfPhys Thank you for the advice, I'll definitely speak to my teachers closer to the time! I love your videos by the way!
I sat the WJEC new AS specification (for Biology and Physics). WJEC changed their style of questioning, theyre mainly testing on the way you apply your knowledge to certain contexts (which makes a little bit more difficult). Nevertheless, doing past papers DO help since the new spec is basically the old spec but mixed around into smaller units. :) Hope this helps, somehow.
i'm on my first year of college and i have many re sits in my class, the thing is, i don't want to resit the year, i'm gonna focus real hard from now and this includes gym and sports aswell which i think will workout because i have aa written timetable which is farely easy to follow
from my timetable, it's saying that i get about 23 hours of revision for a level a week
How do you deal with stress while taking a test? I always seem to mess up on the most trivial questions just because of that..any video about that or a way I can contact you? Thanks in advance!
Thank you for your video's
Simon I have a question after I listening to your conversation with Ali. When I do a revision journal do I record like the following like the one i wrote below: (I picked a topic for example)
Hebrew alphabet: July 1
Hebrew alphabet: July 2 (going forward a day)
Hebrew alphabet: July 8 (going forward a week)
Hebrew alphabet: August 8 (going forward a month)
Great video Simon ! it's exactly what I needed ,but how long do you think a person should start studying for a test in order to ace it ,and how can they organize their time if they had too many at the same week(the story of my life TT_TT) .Thanks already and keep up the good work :)))
Ghita Zahir Really I'd want to work at a low intensity for several months, but work really hard for 2 months to 6 weeks before the exam. That way you absorb information over a long time and get good at putting it into practise via past papers over a shorter period of time. As for organising your time I'd recommend drawing up a timetable and make sure you allocate revision time for each subject you're studying - maybe the day before each exam allocate time for that exam all afternoon, and be sure to build in some break periods :)
Can I know when you would usually start practicing all the past paper before exam during your university life?
You are really empowering us when exam is so frustrating XD
thanks alot that is helpful
hello Simon.. wanna ask something.. how to study Physics in a great way ? huhh
Your are amazing ,I'm just scared cuz I always make stupid mistakes
Thank you
Great video as always :) Btw do you have any tips for catching up on work/subjects that you're not too good in? I'm currently having problems with Additional Maths and exams are in 1-2 months :/
KixP3 two things - ask yourself if you're just not putting enough hours in to learning the material appropriately, and if not start working harder! Otherwise analyse how you're approaching the subject - are you trying to make yourself learn in a way which works for other subjects but not for the one you're struggling with? Critically analyse what you're doing basically, and make whatever changes you think need to happen. Remember though - there's no substitute for working hard, and that will take some time!
Thanks a lot for the advice! :) Will try to look into the two things you mentioned, hopefully things will be much better from now on. Thanks again!
This was quite motivational! Any advice on studying for the first university exam session? What differences should I expect from A-Levels? (in terms of how much harder it is to study)
***** I would try not to treat them any differently! I made a mistake in approaching my university exams differently - really they're more of the same, just harder!
+SimonOxfPhys Haha watching this again, still super useful and relevant.
Thanks simon! :)
Can I ask, what should you do if you're going through the mark scheme but you still don't follow what you're meant to know/do after you got a question wrong?
nice video simon love u.
Can anybody link any good websites for past papers maths the new 9-1 grading system edexcel please?
Raees Khan qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/mathematics-2015.news.html?article=%2Fcontent%2Fdemo%2Fen%2Fnews-policy%2Fqualifications%2Fedexcel-gcses%2Fmathematics%2FDownload-our-new-SAMs-and-2-new-sets-of-specimen-papers
Can you do a video on research students strategy? I am such a messed up, i procrastinate a lot and i have the worst discipline. i didnt know why i took research for my postgraduate study tbh. Please helppp..
Hi Simonoxfphys and my Scinece , Maths and English and I'm so weak on it so I still got 2 years away from igsce and now I really want to revise what did my teach haven't teach and how can we actually revise thing that did teach but come out on the test
You should get a tutor
Do you have any physics gcse videos? Also, what grades did you get in your gcses (if you dont mind me asking)? I'd love to go to Oxford!
+Georgia Beeton see my Oxford FAQs video for my full results, and no I haven't done GCSE videos but an amazing youtuber called Primrose Kitten I believe has
Okay I will do, and yeah I found your channel through Primrose Kitten's, she's amazing! Thank you
Thanks for this, Simon. I have my AS level exams in approximately 40 days, and I was having a major panic attack before watching this video. I feel MUCH better
I'm giving Economics, Physics and Math this year, and I haven't started revision at all. Plus, my economics and physics is rather weak. I simply cannot get below 3 As, or my family will honestly disown me. I tend to stress out and give up very easily. Do you think I'll be okay in these upcoming exams? (I'm honestly just desperate for some comfort ._.)
How do you recommend revising during the week, in lower sixth where you're still getting work from subjects you're not taking AS levels in? I'm finding it hard given that we're not going on study leave.
Cormac Auty I'd recommend scheduling a few hours (literally one or two) in the evening and making a timetable of what you will revise that week. Then the question becomes sticking to it - make sure that you stick to your guns and get your revision done as well as any pressing homework. Easier said than done, but worth it!
GCSEs in a month but would you advise spending more time on your first exams and use your study leave and days in between to prepare for the rest.?
jack fullerton I would strongly advise working on all your exams - leaving the later exams til later will mean you will rush, and under stress make mistakes. It will take good time management, but I would recommend revising for all your exams at the same time
how if i explain as ive ict and re on the 13th of may, 15th- PE. Maths on the 26th two exams. English on 2nd june, biology 4th, history 9th chemistry 10th and physics on 12th! keep in mind i have study leave a week before my first exam!
Hi Simon, I am preparing for my GCSE exams and I was just wondering whether or not you see any merit in revising from TH-cam videos? I have experimented with this method and I've found that it really works for me (as well as doing past papers), however I am concerned that this approach may be too lazy and a substantial amount of note making might be the only way to retain the knowledge, which I absolutely hate! Also, do you have any advice on how to get an A* in History, this curriculum being 'Medicine Through Time' and 'The American West'? The quality of the answers that I give in the exams are up to standard but I always end up spending way too long on some of the questions regardless of how many marks they hold as I have a sort of OCD on getting them 'boxed off' even when I have written enough to satisfy the mark scheme. I am really struggling to break this habit of not being able/knowing when to stop in both in the knowledge and source papers and I'm now panicking as it could be my downfall in the real thing. Sorry that it's long aha I'd just really appreciate some feedback from someone who's already done this and achieved :)
Benjamin Hulme I'll be honest, and show my age here, I never revised from videos because they just weren't around then! I think you will realistically need to pair it up with pen-and-pencil study though - either brief notes on the video or separately from other materials. As for getting an A*, I'd recommend doing practise essays and going through them with your teacher. Remember to use your time effectively though - this is something I talk about in the next video actually!
SimonOxfPhys Thanks a lot, I'll keep this in mind :)
Hi Simon, I hope you are good. About revisions I only have one major problem which is forgetting my lessons. I could learn all the syllabus with different kinds of exercices and past exams but after some time like a week or so I forget most of the lessons I learned even maths and physics. I just wanted to know if I am the only one with this kind of problem. And if possible some suggestions or tricks that you used to do back at Oxford. Thanks.
Main Hunter You're not the only one! And the trick is a technique called spaced repetition - so say you cover material on say a Monday morning. You then review that material on Monday afternoon to make sure you understand it. You then review that material again on Tuesday morning to keep it fresh in your memory, and do the same on Thursday morning. You then review it the following Monday, and then the Monday after that. Going over the same material with increasing spaces between the study periods means you retain the information better, and can recall it more easily. This can get a bit confusing with lots of bits of information to review at different times though! So I recommend keeping a study diary, as I describe in my how to study effectively video.
I am about to face the chartered accountants examination but no matter what I do I cannot sit and study I feel powerless to do anything .please help
Hi, great video! When is the best time to revise for AS Level exams?
+Dennis Hilman you want to start 3-4 months beforehand, ramping up the intensity as the exams get closer
Haha, got this in my recommended today. Just a week late for my exams......
Year 7 is a lesson learn, and you learn from it and do better.
Hey, Simon! I have approximately 3 weeks until my G.C.S.E. examinations, and, up until now, I have persistently followed a revision technique that largely revolves around making revision notes, which seemed to be working. However, I feel as if I am running out of time and I am wondering, exactly how important are past papers? Should they be a priority to writing notes? Thanks in advance!
+Luke Hall From my experience I can tell you that past papers are as fundamental as taking notes or any other type of revision. If you feel confident on what you have been revising so far, than practicing doing past papers will give you an idea of how much you truly understand the topics. It also depends on the subject. For example I found past papers to be the best revision tool for subjects like chemistry, physics and maths. Hope it helped and good luck with the exams :D
Hi Simon, thanks for the video :)
Quick question - how important are past papers? I haven't started any yet as I'm still in the process of writing my notes - I'm planning to start doing past papers after I've written my notes. Do you think I should spend my remaining time doing past papers or finishing writing my notes (which will probably take up another week's time) then start doing past papers? Thank you!
Hannah Cui Why not both? I honestly think that past papers are absolutely key, and you can always isolate questions from papers which are on specific topics from the syllabus that you've already written notes for. So I'd get your notes done ASAP, and while you're doing that try to answer questions from past papers that you can. Then once you've done your notes you can get into doing full past papers
SimonOxfPhys Thanks!
Help me please😭i have 2 months till my final A2 exams and i have all my notes but i haven't started revising them yet. So i need to memorise them all for 3 essay based subjects and i have so much content to learn, basically 2 years worth of stuff in 2 months. Do you think i still have time to get into uni and at least 3 c's?😭please be honest. Also, i'm really worried about the past paper stuff, because i don't know any of the content how do i do the past papers as it will take me like 2 months just to probably nearly learn everything😭please help, how do i learn all the content and do past papers. Thank you x
3 WEEKS NOW😭😭helppp me please
Brianna Constava lol howd it go
Hey do you advise that i start revising for my GCSE's right now?
+emin33mify Yep now would be a great time to start!
+SimonOxfPhys Well I'd better get started then!
The thing is I struggle to do past papers because I don't know the content enough. I'm struggling to revise my History GCSE because there is A LOT of content to go through and I'm just not sure how about to get through it quickly and effectively :'| 1st June here I come :'(
RetroPlaya786 Be sure to review your notes before going into past papers - no point going through past papers on material that you don't understand! Maybe before each paper review the material covered in each question (not cheating... really...) so that you can get used to putting that material down on paper, or doing the papers open book. Basically, make sure you know your stuff before putting it into practise!
RetroPlaya786 Can I suggest something I used to do - I wrote essay plans for each topic - arguments for and against, references etc. Use all your notes and knowledge to make them, but highlight the key points. Whittle it down to less and less, and you'll have a perfectly succinct essay plan which has key words and references in to spark the deeper points in your head. You can use these effectively in doing past papers too - hopes this helps :)
Thanks for the tips! I also seem to have the problem of not going through content quick enough :L I just find it really had to take notes as I cant seem to not copy it word for word :L
+SimonOxfPhys simon hopefully you respond, there is a month until my gcse exams and I already have my class notes to revise from. but do you think i should go straight to past papers or should I condense my class notes. this is for history by the way, thanks
Go straight on to past papers. If you have time, consolidate class notes as well, the earlier the better. They're both very important processes!
Do you find yourself learning more from lectures from simply copying or do you learn more from your free time?
+Eru Ilúvatar it depends to be honest - sometimes lectures can be very illuminating but I think generally speaking I learn more from studying in my own time
Thanks a million wooow,your just amazing,having my Igcse Exams in two weeks time and am not too confident in myself :-( but in one way I am aldue I haven't revised well what's your advice ??
Amarachi Kalu Kalu make the most of your remaining time! Go through the syllabus for each exam and make sure you know it - and then blast through past papers, putting your knowledge of the subject into action. Exam technique advice coming soon - until then, just go through the material and practise, practise, practise
Thanks for your response am so grateful
Hi, what would you suggest to help raise the standard of my A level work so I can get good grades so I can get into a good University?
+Crystalheffan Critically analyse how you work, and see how you can improve your method - see th-cam.com/video/AOTYTuiNaho/w-d-xo.html for my study recommendations.
Thank you