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I revise so much and try my best, yet my results fail to show this. Help.

Hi I really want to do well in my A Levels and I'm really trying..I'm in A2 now but my AS weren't that great..(so bad I'd prefer not to say!)

I really try my best and I do past papers etc..I don't know what's happening but I'm losing motivation now!

Anyone in a similar situation or got any tips etc feel free to comment :smile:

Thanks

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Reply 1
Original post by popnit
Hi I really want to do well in my A Levels and I'm really trying..I'm in A2 now but my AS weren't that great..(so bad I'd prefer not to say!)

I really try my best and I do past papers etc..I don't know what's happening but I'm losing motivation now!

Anyone in a similar situation or got any tips etc feel free to comment :smile:

Thanks


this is have i feel, thank god someone feels the same
Reply 2
There is a difference between working hard and working smart- I learnt this the hard way at your stage. You can work for hours reading textbooks etc, but still not do well overall. The process really is a matter of understanding how your brain works and how it retains information.

for starters, do you revise through hours of continuous study, or through short breaks and recaps during the process. The latter actually has more value because it assists in the amount of information one retains in the brain over the long run, rather than a long-term period of consistent cramming of information.

secondly, how well do you do on past-papers. usually, they are patterned so you know what youll probably expect. If you find it difficult however, to apply theories from the textbook, do you understand the theory? Do you actually know what the purpose is, why it is the dominant theory etc?
Reply 3
Original post by anisatalib

Original post by anisatalib
this is have i feel, thank god someone feels the same


Aw! i'm glad you're in the same position too. It sucks doesn't it! :frown:
Reply 4
Original post by popnit
Aw! i'm glad you're in the same position too. It sucks doesn't it! :frown:


Yeah. Iv gt exam next week but just feeel like giving up, no pint revising as it does nt pay off
Reply 5
Original post by Phantom_X

Original post by Phantom_X
There is a difference between working hard and working smart- I learnt this the hard way at your stage. You can work for hours reading textbooks etc, but still not do well overall. The process really is a matter of understanding how your brain works and how it retains information.

for starters, do you revise through hours of continuous study, or through short breaks and recaps during the process. The latter actually has more value because it assists in the amount of information one retains in the brain over the long run, rather than a long-term period of consistent cramming of information.

secondly, how well do you do on past-papers. usually, they are patterned so you know what youll probably expect. If you find it difficult however, to apply theories from the textbook, do you understand the theory? Do you actually know what the purpose is, why it is the dominant theory etc?


Thank you so much. I usually do alright in past papers but sometimes find that the actual exam is alot different.
I do try to take breaks but I hate wasting time so breaks are literally 5 mins haha..

Thanks again!
Original post by anisatalib
this is have i feel, thank god someone feels the same


and me. all i can say is keep at it. make sure you've got the right revision guide - i think that's been my problem. i've gone through college thinking "yeah, i get this, i understand it all" but there are little things in the official books that you forget to think about. this year i've really noticed how much i've missed out in the past by looking at the official textbooks.
Original post by anisatalib
Yeah. Iv gt exam next week but just feeel like giving up, no pint revising as it does nt pay off


you can't really think like that though. you never know, this exam you might just get a really good grade if you revise.
Reply 8
Original post by glitterphobia
and me. all i can say is keep at it. make sure you've got the right revision guide - i think that's been my problem. i've gone through college thinking "yeah, i get this, i understand it all" but there are little things in the official books that you forget to think about. this year i've really noticed how much i've missed out in the past by looking at the official textbooks.


thank you
Hmm...

Tips:

Don't just read books, make notes/mind maps otherwise the info won't stay in your head.
Try to visualise/memorise your mindmaps without looking at them.
Test yourself e.g. on a particular topic, sit down and write a mindmap/bulletpoints of all the things you've learned.
When your answer questions don't answer with a 'this is everything I know about topic X' - actually answer the set question. Read it over again and understand what's being asked of you.
Look for past papers that have template answers. Compare your answers to them.

Don't give up.
Reply 10
Seriously, I feel exactly the same :frown: I'm at AS, and know I've completely screwed up my January exams so far, I have another exam this week, but don't think there's any point revising, because I'm not getting anywhere... And it's not just where revision's concerned, I've worked hard since day 1, but I'm yet to see any decent results :/ Not sure if I can offer much advice, but I'm feeling the same :smile:
Reply 11
not a direct answer but with whatever method you try, I've heard listening to white noise helps, blocks out other sounds, etc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KaOrSuWZeM is a good one to leave in the background. good luck :biggrin:
Reply 12
Just keep working at it, at least if you come out of it screwed you can say you tried your best.
Reply 13
Original post by glitterphobia
you can't really think like that though. you never know, this exam you might just get a really good grade if you revise.


I wish
Original post by popnit
Hi I really want to do well in my A Levels and I'm really trying..I'm in A2 now but my AS weren't that great..(so bad I'd prefer not to say!)

I really try my best and I do past papers etc..I don't know what's happening but I'm losing motivation now!

Anyone in a similar situation or got any tips etc feel free to comment :smile:

Thanks


I think it's the old cliche of revising hard vs revising smart. How du normally prepare for tests?
After getting bad grades at AS I have mastered the skill to revise smart :smile:
Reply 16
I used to have this problem really badly, but I got around it by focusing on past papers more and more along the lines of studying markschemes instead of the huge documents of actual knowledge I had to learn...
Reply 17
Revision is pretty much useless if you lack understanding of the materials ! most people think just memorising and spending long ass hours with books is revising , at the of the day if you can't apply what you've learnt to a new scenerio like how most a-level question are set, then i am afraid, it will be very hard to achieve grades that you think you deserve.

i have been in same situation, i made changes on how i revised i.e. firstly understanding the contents before even bothering with past-papers, although i have to say they are 100% useful because they enable you to highlight on your weaknesses.
Oh my, are you me?

The only tip I can give you is not to treat your exams as a test; don't mindlessly try to remember facts, regurgitate said facts on exam day, and walk out of the exam hall feeling like you didn't try your best. Be passionate about your subjects to the point reading over notes becomes fun; also, really understand what you are reading as that's the best way to learn -- not monotonous revision.
Reply 19
Original post by anisatalib

Original post by anisatalib
Yeah. Iv gt exam next week but just feeel like giving up, no pint revising as it does nt pay off


I agreeee!!!!

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