Everyone’s heard it at some point in their lives; just revise and get a good night’s sleep. But is that really all we can do to maximise our chances of better results?

Tests are huge milestones for young people studying all over the UK and it can often become a very stressful and difficult period of time for, now GCSE and A level, students. Of course sleep and revision are important, but many teachers I have spoken to say that there are many other activities students can do to help relax and prepare themselves.

I have interviewed a local, secondary school teacher and these are some of her best tips!

She recommends exercising or playing, even if it’s a little bit, a few times a week. To have a calm and healthy mind, you must take care of your body first. It also gives you time to relax, distract yourself from studies, have fun with friends or just enjoy a sporty hobby which is always healthy.

Reducing screen time is also helpful to help focus during revision periods, so even if you love listening to music while studying, it might distract you from absorbing information as efficiently as possible, even if you don’t realise it.

Lastly, she suggested researching different revision strategies because we are all different and it’s incredibly important you find a method that suits you. There are many online resources available to use for mind mapping, flashcards, practise questions and so many more methods.

“The key to acing exams is the mindset. Try not to compare yourself to others because your improvement can’t be measure against other people.” she states during our interview.

If you work hard and most importantly believe you tried your best, your effort will definitely be rewarded! It’s okay to feel disappointed, but you need to use that feeling to help push you forward so that next time you can be even more proud of yourself.