The Student Room Group

I dont have the willingness to revise GCSE's

Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.
Reply 1
Original post by Venator
Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.


Don't rely on your mocks. You don't know what your circumstances are going to be like on the day - maybe you'll go in on zero/little sleep, maybe you'll be under the weather. Whilst revising won't completely stop those circumstances having an affect on your result, they'll definitely help you out, and can make going into an exam a lot less daunting.

If you're planning on going to University, then trying to change your revision/working habits is really important. Being able to do that before you go to University can be a big bonus. Yes, there are some University students who leave everything to the last minute - but being friends with these students I see the affect it has on them. They're crying to me because they've left everything to the last minute and realised they don't know how to do the work and don't have enough time to seek help. They're crying because they've left it so last minute that they barely have enough time to properly read anything, let alone write the essay. Like if you can try and minimise that stress, then that'll make such a big difference in how much you enjoy your course, and on your mental health.

You don't want to risk going into the exams on little revision, and realising that some of the questions are different to the mocks, and you don't really know the answer and getting exam results that won't get you into the University you want to go to - or could make finding a job harder.

If you're struggling with how you currently try to revise, then switch up your learning style. There's lots of different styles and this website - http://learning-styles-online.com/overview/ - is really useful. It explains all the different learning styles, and gives a lot of suggestions on how to revise.

Perhaps consider getting a family member, or someone you trust to be sensible, involved. Try teaching them about your subjects, and really encourage them to ask questions. You can have the fun of creating silly powerpoint presentations, or practicing doing funny talks. But it can really be useful, it allows you to really develop your understanding of the subject. And with someone who's more focused in the room, you'll generally be able to focus more.

There's also the Pomodoro technique:
"The process is simple. For every project throughout the day, you budget your time into short increments and take breaks periodically. You work for 25 minutes, then take break for five minutes. After four “pomodoros” have passed, (100 minutes of work time with 15 minutes of break time) you then take a 15-20 minute break." - http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/the-pomodoro-technique-is-it-right-for-you.html

There are a lot of Youtube videos dedicated to studying:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7T..._3Mzsdbts93liA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLE...5kNG94-1VlH_XA
https://www.youtube.com/user/uniesse...query=revision
Perhaps turning to these will help to motivate you, and allow you to practice being more productive. If you're really productive in your studying, then you may find that you won't need to sit for hours at a time anyway.

Think about your motivations for studying - your career prospects, your chances at university. This can be a good motivator for a lot of people, because if they focus a lot on what they want to achieve, they'll work harder at getting there so as not to be disappointed.
Reply 2
Original post by EmmaCx
Don't rely on your mocks. You don't know what your circumstances are going to be like on the day - maybe you'll go in on zero/little sleep, maybe you'll be under the weather. Whilst revising won't completely stop those circumstances having an affect on your result, they'll definitely help you out, and can make going into an exam a lot less daunting.

If you're planning on going to University, then trying to change your revision/working habits is really important. Being able to do that before you go to University can be a big bonus. Yes, there are some University students who leave everything to the last minute - but being friends with these students I see the affect it has on them. They're crying to me because they've left everything to the last minute and realised they don't know how to do the work and don't have enough time to seek help. They're crying because they've left it so last minute that they barely have enough time to properly read anything, let alone write the essay. Like if you can try and minimise that stress, then that'll make such a big difference in how much you enjoy your course, and on your mental health.

You don't want to risk going into the exams on little revision, and realising that some of the questions are different to the mocks, and you don't really know the answer and getting exam results that won't get you into the University you want to go to - or could make finding a job harder.

If you're struggling with how you currently try to revise, then switch up your learning style. There's lots of different styles and this website - http://learning-styles-online.com/overview/ - is really useful. It explains all the different learning styles, and gives a lot of suggestions on how to revise.

Perhaps consider getting a family member, or someone you trust to be sensible, involved. Try teaching them about your subjects, and really encourage them to ask questions. You can have the fun of creating silly powerpoint presentations, or practicing doing funny talks. But it can really be useful, it allows you to really develop your understanding of the subject. And with someone who's more focused in the room, you'll generally be able to focus more.

There's also the Pomodoro technique:
"The process is simple. For every project throughout the day, you budget your time into short increments and take breaks periodically. You work for 25 minutes, then take break for five minutes. After four “pomodoros” have passed, (100 minutes of work time with 15 minutes of break time) you then take a 15-20 minute break." - http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/the-pomodoro-technique-is-it-right-for-you.html

There are a lot of Youtube videos dedicated to studying:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7T..._3Mzsdbts93liA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLE...5kNG94-1VlH_XA
https://www.youtube.com/user/uniesse...query=revision
Perhaps turning to these will help to motivate you, and allow you to practice being more productive. If you're really productive in your studying, then you may find that you won't need to sit for hours at a time anyway.

Think about your motivations for studying - your career prospects, your chances at university. This can be a good motivator for a lot of people, because if they focus a lot on what they want to achieve, they'll work harder at getting there so as not to be disappointed.


Thanks a lot for your help. I will honestly use it when revising in the future :smile:
Same for me because I'm lazy and procrastinate a lot, so my revision timetable will probably not work and didn't work when I tried to revise for mocks.For my mocks, I revised mostly the night before until about 3-5 in the morning and got A's and A*s and one B, but I'd say this isn't a good idea, as it's not likely to turn out like that in the exams and it was the worst time of my life and it's unlikely to go like that in the real exams as I'll have more exams and I probably got a bit lucky. However, it's much easier for you to do well on tests, even without revision and your confidence may mean you won't get very worried or stressed before GCSE's, but you could be surprised that it kicks in just before exams.

I'd say that you don't need a lot of revision, so you don't need to start now and lots of people in my school haven't started either. You could try starting in the Easter holiday, but since you seem very smart, probably even later. I'd say you should revise as it most likely will not be like mocks and you'd probably regret it if you didn't do as well, knowing that you could have done better if you revised. You could probably easily get all A*'s with a little revision.

About procrastination, I can't help there as I suck at revising and doing homework. Revision timetables will not work for you, but if any of your friends are revising you could go to their house or meet with them in the library in half- term or after school and that could easily work.
Reply 4
Original post by pizza4ever
Same for me because I'm lazy and procrastinate a lot, so my revision timetable will probably not work and didn't work when I tried to revise for mocks.For my mocks, I revised mostly the night before until about 3-5 in the morning and got A's and A*s and one B, but I'd say this isn't a good idea, as it's not likely to turn out like that in the exams and it was the worst time of my life and it's unlikely to go like that in the real exams as I'll have more exams and I probably got a bit lucky. However, it's much easier for you to do well on tests, even without revision and your confidence may mean you won't get very worried or stressed before GCSE's, but you could be surprised that it kicks in just before exams.

I'd say that you don't need a lot of revision, so you don't need to start now and lots of people in my school haven't started either. You could try starting in the Easter holiday, but since you seem very smart, probably even later. I'd say you should revise as it most likely will not be like mocks and you'd probably regret it if you didn't do as well, knowing that you could have done better if you revised. You could probably easily get all A*'s with a little revision.

About procrastination, I can't help there as I suck at revising and doing homework. Revision timetables will not work for you, but if any of your friends are revising you could go to their house or meet with them in the library in half- term or after school and that could easily work.


Cheers man. You know that feeling the night before a test when you want to punch youself for wasting time and putting yourself under a lot of pressure? Well I use that to beat procrastination I tell myself if I don't revise now I am going to be feeling it before the test so that might work for you but evidently it doesn't always work for me.
Original post by Venator
Cheers man. You know that feeling the night before a test when you want to punch youself for wasting time and putting yourself under a lot of pressure? Well I use that to beat procrastination I tell myself if I don't revise now I am going to be feeling it before the test so that might work for you but evidently it doesn't always work for me.


Kind of hurt when you said "cheers man" as I'm a girl:laugh:, but I guess it's not obvious. I know that feeling and also feel it a lot when I've been back from school for 6 hours and have done no homework (kind of like now) and I don't even procrastinate doing stuff I like, like watching shows, but doing something useless.

The reason I revise last minute is because I know I'm screwed if I don't, which obviously doesn't work for you as you do great without revision. One way is to make it bearable by doing something like the first person said, which I've seen online before but was too lazy to be bothered and probably wouldn't work for me anyway. The only other thing that I could think of is making it fun, but that doesn't seem possible as when is revision ever fun. You could make someone force you to revise, but if I were you I'd mostly just chill as you don't really need much revision.
Reply 6
Original post by Venator
Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.

I said I'll start hardcore revsion a month ago..still saying I will today..but tbh less than 50 days I can't risk it anymore my mocks showed me the consequences of procrastination so I need to take it seriously now..last minute isn't my forte
Original post by sarahyi
I said I'll start hardcore revsion a month ago..still saying I will today..but tbh less than 50 days I can't risk it anymore my mocks showed me the consequences of procrastination so I need to take it seriously now..last minute isn't my forte


Same, I said I was going to start revision at the beginning of March:doh:. How are you going to revise and make sure you don't procastinate?
Original post by Venator
Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.


I was exactly like you in yr 11 last year; I always got good grades without revising! I didn't revise at all for my GCSE's- I was very laid back in yr 11 BUT you should revise! I got pretty good grades with the minimal amount of work however I could have still done better if I'd revised! So revise if you want to do THE BEST that you can and you will be proud!x:h: It also sets you up better for a levels- if you've already had the experience of PROPERLY revising; because this is the first year I'm revising (but I don't really have a choice or I'll fail my a levels!):tongue:

Best of luck I hope you do really well!x:biggrin:
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 9
Original post by pizza4ever
Same, I said I was going to start revision at the beginning of March:doh:. How are you going to revise and make sure you don't procastinate?

past papers mainly, watch videos and tell ppl to test me etc. I'll force myself to revise, it's now or never lol
Original post by Venator
Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.


To be honest, revision for mocks is still revision for GCSEs but it won't hurt to do
some proper revision. Besides, we do get a long holiday at the end. Make a timetable and just start. You may realise that there was a lot that you did not really know in a subject.

I normally have a 20-30 minute revision session before a break (unless I'm doing a paper in timed condtions) because otherwise I just want to bash my head against the table :biggrin:

Hope that helped!
Original post by Venator
Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.


If you truly get tom marks without much effort then dont worry. However, instead of 'revising' why not try and enjoy reading the subject material. Think and reflect on it. It will give you depth and a wider interest in the subject. If you fear reading or 'revising' it may be because you don't understand as much as you *think*....

all the best :wink:
Original post by Venator
Thanks a lot for your help. I will honestly use it when revising in the future :smile:


Find some motivation. Mine was going on ncs.
Original post by Venator
Some background, I care about my education and I am one of the smartest in my year. I haven't started revising for my GCSE's yet and I feel no pressure but although I feel fine now I am scared that I am over-confident setting myself up for failure. In my mocks I revised everything the last minute if i even did revise and I got As and A*s in all my subjects (in some subjects getting the highest in the year even though i didnt revise) . I am not sure whether to start revising now to maybe save myself from tremendous pressure or whether to enjoy year 11 and just lay back? Even if I do decide to revise I find hard to knuckle down and avoid procrastinating unless it is the day or week before the test.


Is better not to rely on your mocks, you need to feel confident going in the exam and it will be awful to blame yourself regretting you should of revised.I stated revising ages ago and my mocks went well although i didn't revise for them, i just revise the general subjects.

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