Lack of study motivation

hi

I was predicted all 8s and 9s at GCSEs and consistently received these grades, including year 11 mocks. However when I sat my GCSEs last year, I achieved 9888777766.

In most of these subjects I was 1 to 3 marks away from the next grade. I felt very disheartened and I might be being dramatic but it still makes me upset thinking about it.

I am studying bio, chem and maths at a-level and want to study medicine. I meet the minimum gcse grade requirements 9 in GCSE maths and 7 in english language.

I feel very unmotivated to study, I can even go as far as saying I don't enjoy studying, which I used to before. my grades have been falling and I am not sure what to do and need some advice.

Reply 1

ebyrne2036

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Entertainment Forum Helper

Hiya, it’s definitely hard to motivate yourself to study. I find a problem a lot when I was doing my A-level exams, especially when my first year our exams got cancelled. What really helped me was motivating myself was making a to-do list and checking it off so that it felt like I was completing small tasks each day.

I also did a morning and evening, check in with my best friend, and we sat at our goals and tasks for the day and held each other accountable. there’s also really good study communities on YouTube I would recommend not just someone’s YouTube channel everybody’s really friendly there and there’s a discord server so you can interact with other students and also he uses the Pomerado technique to keep everybody onto task

Another thing for motivation would be making sure that you get the balance between working and free time. If you don’t you’ll burn out and you’ll be even more motivated to do anything the next day because you’ll be too tired or distracted.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m wishing you all the best for your exams. Make sure that look after yourself during these difficult few months I know exams so taxing are on the body and the brain. ☺️

Reply 2

aaliyahmk

Original post by Someone20

hiii! i’m currently in year 13, and i have 2 med offers, and studying maths, bio and chem - i remember deciding i wanted to medicine and it can feel difficult to motivate yourself especially when you want to apply for a difficult degree and university! i often find myself losing motivation even now, so don’t worry :smile:

the first thing to do is identify why you’re feeling this sudden depreciation in motivation, maybe you’re burnt out? so take some time for yourself, it can feel wrong but take a weekend off if needed, there’s nothing wrong with needing time to collect yourself.

one thing i find that helps is tracking my revision, i use flora personally, and it tracks how many hours of revision you do and you can plant little trees - it’s honestly helped me so much with my productivity because its nice to physically see how much time you’re putting in, if that makes sense?

another thing is having something like a vision board - i have a vision board as my wallpaper when I’m studying so everytime i pick up my phone, i know what I’m working towards !!
maybe you’re needing a change in scenery, go to a local cafe or library and study there, it kind of forces you to revise and you honestly don’t realise how fast time is moving while you’re there!

trying new revision techniques! the pomodoro technique is amazing if you’re wanting to get back into the groove of revision, its really simple and there’s loads of videos on youtube about it :smile:

and the most important thing, rewarding yourself! it sometimes might not feel like it but you’re putting the work in and this can be overwhelming so watch tv, treat yourself to something you’ve wanted to buy, etc - it can be anything but just making sure you’re taking breaks and being honest about what’s your revision limit is important, or you’ll just stop retaining information.

i hope this helps - good luck !!

Reply 3

Yipiyap_Brooke

Official Rep

Hi!
Finding the motivation to study can be really tough, especially when you feel like you've had a setback with missing the grades you were working really hard for by just a few marks! You've done really well to achieve everything you've achieved so far, give yourself a pat on the back.

I think remembering to pop your head up and out of that world of studying can be really helpful.
Spending some time with friends, talking about how things are going, and especially trying to surround yourself with people that are working hard and being positive about exams can make a big difference.
You're so close! Look at those past papers again and learn what worked well for you and what you need to get those last few marks and push yourself safely into the next grade! Best of luck with everything :smile: