How many hours a day should I study
Factoring in the fact that I have missed 6 months of school and have done minimal work at home. How many hours should I do per week per subject/just per week? (I'm currently attempting to do 40 hours a week)I'm aiming for 8s and 9s. (I'm predicted them but I feel like a 5/6 at this point due to the months I missed) I would appreciate it if someone who has experience/knows what they're talking about to respond!Thank you!!
well i missed 10 months of GCSEs because i moved from australia to the UK and never heard of GCSEs before. I'm not going to lie i didn't study for mocks as i was on holidays so my predicted grades weren't as good as i hoped but i still managed to catch up on all the work and get all 8s and 7s (6 for french 
)
I would recommend not overdoing it at the start. do your homework everyday and make sure u read over ur material from that day. Write flashcards everyday or at the end of the week and make sure ur notes r up to date. I would have a day where u do no school work (i did sunday), this made me more productive because i knew i had to finish work as i had plans on sunday and it makes sure u have a social life. I say 2 or 2.5 months away from mocks start properly studying and looking over the material (you're notes should be done! if not don't stress). However, only study 2-3 hours per subject a week. Add more hours closer to mocks.
I think 40 hours per week this early is too much on top of homework (even too much for GCSEs). Study smart not hard, make sure ur actually studying and not stopping every 10 minutes. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because you need to stay calm near exams and u DON"T want to burn out. I would spend more time on your weaker subjects. Before mocks do 10-15 hours a week, split this between-subjects maybe spend 3 hours on your weak subject and 1 on a subject u feel really confident with.
I hope this helps! remember everyone is behind to the exams will probably be affected next year
)I would recommend not overdoing it at the start. do your homework everyday and make sure u read over ur material from that day. Write flashcards everyday or at the end of the week and make sure ur notes r up to date. I would have a day where u do no school work (i did sunday), this made me more productive because i knew i had to finish work as i had plans on sunday and it makes sure u have a social life. I say 2 or 2.5 months away from mocks start properly studying and looking over the material (you're notes should be done! if not don't stress). However, only study 2-3 hours per subject a week. Add more hours closer to mocks.
I think 40 hours per week this early is too much on top of homework (even too much for GCSEs). Study smart not hard, make sure ur actually studying and not stopping every 10 minutes. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because you need to stay calm near exams and u DON"T want to burn out. I would spend more time on your weaker subjects. Before mocks do 10-15 hours a week, split this between-subjects maybe spend 3 hours on your weak subject and 1 on a subject u feel really confident with.
I hope this helps! remember everyone is behind to the exams will probably be affected next year
Original post by isabellazafe
well i missed 10 months of GCSEs because i moved from australia to the UK and never heard of GCSEs before. I'm not going to lie i didn't study for mocks as i was on holidays so my predicted grades weren't as good as i hoped but i still managed to catch up on all the work and get all 8s and 7s (6 for french )
I would recommend not overdoing it at the start. do your homework everyday and make sure u read over ur material from that day. Write flashcards everyday or at the end of the week and make sure ur notes r up to date. I would have a day where u do no school work (i did sunday), this made me more productive because i knew i had to finish work as i had plans on sunday and it makes sure u have a social life. I say 2 or 2.5 months away from mocks start properly studying and looking over the material (you're notes should be done! if not don't stress). However, only study 2-3 hours per subject a week. Add more hours closer to mocks.
I think 40 hours per week this early is too much on top of homework (even too much for GCSEs). Study smart not hard, make sure ur actually studying and not stopping every 10 minutes. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because you need to stay calm near exams and u DON"T want to burn out. I would spend more time on your weaker subjects. Before mocks do 10-15 hours a week, split this between-subjects maybe spend 3 hours on your weak subject and 1 on a subject u feel really confident with.
I hope this helps! remember everyone is behind to the exams will probably be affected next year
)I would recommend not overdoing it at the start. do your homework everyday and make sure u read over ur material from that day. Write flashcards everyday or at the end of the week and make sure ur notes r up to date. I would have a day where u do no school work (i did sunday), this made me more productive because i knew i had to finish work as i had plans on sunday and it makes sure u have a social life. I say 2 or 2.5 months away from mocks start properly studying and looking over the material (you're notes should be done! if not don't stress). However, only study 2-3 hours per subject a week. Add more hours closer to mocks.
I think 40 hours per week this early is too much on top of homework (even too much for GCSEs). Study smart not hard, make sure ur actually studying and not stopping every 10 minutes. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because you need to stay calm near exams and u DON"T want to burn out. I would spend more time on your weaker subjects. Before mocks do 10-15 hours a week, split this between-subjects maybe spend 3 hours on your weak subject and 1 on a subject u feel really confident with.
I hope this helps! remember everyone is behind to the exams will probably be affected next year
Thanks for the quick response; I guess this gives me an idea on what to do; I'lll bear this in mind, but I have mocks soon and I don't know.. it's just really stressful and like its really complicated but I feel so bloody dumb (excuse my lang) and I'm trying my best to stay calm.
If you have any advice, much appreciated.
If you have better things to do with your time, study 1hr a week for now. Do some strong night-before revision before the mocks, get some info in the short-term memory.
The most important thing in the entire process is to learn to deal with stress. Learn how to understand pressure, whether from parents or teachers.
GCSEs are important exams for sure, but for someone targeted 6s, you will either move onto A levels or an apprenticeship - having 9s instead of 6s makes no difference at A level.
Although if you are thinking about an apprenticeship, it may be useful to get some 7s in.
Enjoy life @ school + good luck.
The most important thing in the entire process is to learn to deal with stress. Learn how to understand pressure, whether from parents or teachers.
GCSEs are important exams for sure, but for someone targeted 6s, you will either move onto A levels or an apprenticeship - having 9s instead of 6s makes no difference at A level.
Although if you are thinking about an apprenticeship, it may be useful to get some 7s in.
Enjoy life @ school + good luck.
Original post by yousefara
Thanks for the quick response; I guess this gives me an idea on what to do; I'lll bear this in mind, but I have mocks soon and I don't know.. it's just really stressful and like its really complicated but I feel so bloody dumb (excuse my lang) and I'm trying my best to stay calm.
If you have any advice, much appreciated.
If you have any advice, much appreciated.
i use to be very stressed cause i would move countries every year but learn to meditate its sooo helpful. start with a 5 minute guided meditation in the morning or night and it will really help. Just know that stressing out will not help. Your GCSEs won't matter in a few years (they don't matter to me know and i got my results 3 months ago) If u don't want to meditate u can just write down how u feel or have a conversation with urself. Say ur problems and then respond to them like a wise friend would basically give advice to urself if that makes sense.
If I am going to be honest, I hardly revised, I did my GCSE's in 2019. I didnt actually revise properly until like 2 weeks before bc im so lazy, I am just saying to prepare early, because if you want to do well in A level you should start practising now.
GCSE is not hard to cram last minute, so you should be OKAY, just be effective with your revision, i.e look at exam walkthroughs on youtube.
I got 6s and 7s and 5s on my mock but on the actual exam i got 9s,8s and 7s. Guess im lucky lol
GCSE is not hard to cram last minute, so you should be OKAY, just be effective with your revision, i.e look at exam walkthroughs on youtube.
I got 6s and 7s and 5s on my mock but on the actual exam i got 9s,8s and 7s. Guess im lucky lol
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by isabellazafe
i use to be very stressed cause i would move countries every year but learn to meditate its sooo helpful. start with a 5 minute guided meditation in the morning or night and it will really help. Just know that stressing out will not help. Your GCSEs won't matter in a few years (they don't matter to me know and i got my results 3 months ago) If u don't want to meditate u can just write down how u feel or have a conversation with urself. Say ur problems and then respond to them like a wise friend would basically give advice to urself if that makes sense.
Iv heard about meditating.. they say it helps, thanks, I'll try it out.
Original post by Native087
If you have better things to do with your time, study 1hr a week for now. Do some strong night-before revision before the mocks, get some info in the short-term memory.
The most important thing in the entire process is to learn to deal with stress. Learn how to understand pressure, whether from parents or teachers.
GCSEs are important exams for sure, but for someone targeted 6s, you will either move onto A levels or an apprenticeship - having 9s instead of 6s makes no difference at A level.
Although if you are thinking about an apprenticeship, it may be useful to get some 7s in.
Enjoy life @ school + good luck.
The most important thing in the entire process is to learn to deal with stress. Learn how to understand pressure, whether from parents or teachers.
GCSEs are important exams for sure, but for someone targeted 6s, you will either move onto A levels or an apprenticeship - having 9s instead of 6s makes no difference at A level.
Although if you are thinking about an apprenticeship, it may be useful to get some 7s in.
Enjoy life @ school + good luck.
no offence but this was a whole load of crap - 8/9s do matter, and short term memory is a ridiculous thing to rely on
Original post by lemonadem0uth
no offence but this was a whole load of crap - 8/9s do matter, and short term memory is a ridiculous thing to rely on
sp.. what do you advise?
Original post by yousefara
sp.. what do you advise?
work smart, it really doesn't matter how long you work as long as you feel like every single study session you're benefiting from what you're studying and you're learning something new.
for example, let's focus on chemistry. if your exam was tomorrow, what topics would you struggle with the most? this is how you must build your revision. NEVER go over the easy stuff for the sake of going over it because you're kidding yourself in thinking that you don't know it when really you do (it just gives you a confidence boost and you feel like you've studied a lot even though you haven't actually learned anything - so you'll go away without learning anything new and wasting your time)
the most effective thing is actually understanding what you're learning, using spaced repetition, using active recall and using past paper questions to your advantage. say you struggle with electrolysis - how can you understand what's going on? we're all different learners but i prefer watching a video of someone explaining a concept to me/ reading it and trying to explain it to myself (e.g. i leave my workspace and talk to myself in the mirror - bit weird, i know). this is how you know you've understood something. then do a couple practice questions, mark them and note down what you've got wrong, UNDERSTAND why you've got it wrong (whether it's a silly mistake or you genuinely don't understand something) then go back and relearn the part you couldn't quite grasp, maybe using a different resource (e.g. your teacher or another video). return back to this topic frequently, maybe once a week and when you're confident in these topics, only then can you go over the easy stuff.
hope it helped!
Original post by lemonadem0uth
work smart, it really doesn't matter how long you work as long as you feel like every single study session you're benefiting from what you're studying and you're learning something new.
for example, let's focus on chemistry. if your exam was tomorrow, what topics would you struggle with the most? this is how you must build your revision. NEVER go over the easy stuff for the sake of going over it because you're kidding yourself in thinking that you don't know it when really you do (it just gives you a confidence boost and you feel like you've studied a lot even though you haven't actually learned anything - so you'll go away without learning anything new and wasting your time)
the most effective thing is actually understanding what you're learning, using spaced repetition, using active recall and using past paper questions to your advantage. say you struggle with electrolysis - how can you understand what's going on? we're all different learners but i prefer watching a video of someone explaining a concept to me/ reading it and trying to explain it to myself (e.g. i leave my workspace and talk to myself in the mirror - bit weird, i know). this is how you know you've understood something. then do a couple practice questions, mark them and note down what you've got wrong, UNDERSTAND why you've got it wrong (whether it's a silly mistake or you genuinely don't understand something) then go back and relearn the part you couldn't quite grasp, maybe using a different resource (e.g. your teacher or another video). return back to this topic frequently, maybe once a week and when you're confident in these topics, only then can you go over the easy stuff.
hope it helped!
for example, let's focus on chemistry. if your exam was tomorrow, what topics would you struggle with the most? this is how you must build your revision. NEVER go over the easy stuff for the sake of going over it because you're kidding yourself in thinking that you don't know it when really you do (it just gives you a confidence boost and you feel like you've studied a lot even though you haven't actually learned anything - so you'll go away without learning anything new and wasting your time)
the most effective thing is actually understanding what you're learning, using spaced repetition, using active recall and using past paper questions to your advantage. say you struggle with electrolysis - how can you understand what's going on? we're all different learners but i prefer watching a video of someone explaining a concept to me/ reading it and trying to explain it to myself (e.g. i leave my workspace and talk to myself in the mirror - bit weird, i know). this is how you know you've understood something. then do a couple practice questions, mark them and note down what you've got wrong, UNDERSTAND why you've got it wrong (whether it's a silly mistake or you genuinely don't understand something) then go back and relearn the part you couldn't quite grasp, maybe using a different resource (e.g. your teacher or another video). return back to this topic frequently, maybe once a week and when you're confident in these topics, only then can you go over the easy stuff.
hope it helped!
Thanks for the breakdown, I guess it's time I revise more smarter. but I have to also factor I the fact I missed 6 months of my GCSE courses.. thats 25%, I'll bear in mind the study smart stuff but I feel like I need to ramp up my revision time/study time.
Does that make sense? these are unprecedented times, no??
Original post by yousefara
Thanks for the breakdown, I guess it's time I revise more smarter. but I have to also factor I the fact I missed 6 months of my GCSE courses.. thats 25%, I'll bear in mind the study smart stuff but I feel like I need to ramp up my revision time/study time.
Does that make sense? these are unprecedented times, no??
Does that make sense? these are unprecedented times, no??
everyone doing GCSEs have missed time don't stress they will take some stuff out of the exams or make it easier. U can catch up i missed a whole year and had gaps on top of that and was fine in the end ( and i didn't spend all my days revising)
Original post by lemonadem0uth
no offence but this was a whole load of crap - 8/9s do matter, and short term memory is a ridiculous thing to rely on
no offence but explain to me what difference an 8 makes compared to a 6 in the long run.
Thanks
Original post by isabellazafe
everyone doing GCSEs have missed time don't stress they will take some stuff out of the exams or make it easier. U can catch up i missed a whole year and had gaps on top of that and was fine in the end ( and i didn't spend all my days revising)
Thanks for the help isabell
Original post by yousefara
Factoring in the fact that I have missed 6 months of school and have done minimal work at home. How many hours should I do per week per subject/just per week? (I'm currently attempting to do 40 hours a week)I'm aiming for 8s and 9s. (I'm predicted them but I feel like a 5/6 at this point due to the months I missed) I would appreciate it if someone who has experience/knows what they're talking about to respond!Thank you!!
40 hours is too much -
one hour a day is plenty on school days and perhaps a couple of hour on weekends - revise smart and set a target
Hey, I asked this question a lot in secondary school so I think I am able to help.
You sound like someone who is serious about their studies so I'm going to give you a guide on everything I should have done coming up to my exams.
1. To start of with the question is largely not what you should be asking, instead say ''how much work should I do a day''. A student can do 6 hours a day yet only have done 3 hours worth of work. So instead of worrying about time set out all the things you want to learn, memorise or whatever in the day. Do this reasonably though. Don't ask yourself to do mountains of work but I can't tell you specifically what you need to do as I don't you. But I will give you this: For memorisation I would download the Anki app on your phone and desktop laptop/computer. If you haven't made flashcards already these are a great start, medical students use them to memorise large amounts of information so you know it's good. Simply watch a youtube video on it to get started and use it on subjects that require memorisation of key information. Review the cards on the bus or whenever you don't have anything else to do.
2. Exam questions are your BEST FRIEND from now on. A little secret is that examiners are the worst at making new questions especially for sciences and math. As you begin to ''revise the mark scheme'' you'll understand what question is asking for what. A good site is ''physicsandmathstutor'' they provide a lot of free exam papers with questions that just might show up in your exams
(As in it the questions uses a very similar concept). Also print out a specification (A list of all the topics and things you need to learn and go through it). btw I did this in GCSE sciences and got a 9.
3. Teachers are useless. JK, but in all honesty you need to learn to teach yourself concepts by yourself without waiting for the teacher to teach it you. In other words Independent learning especially in your generation of COVID-19. This is how some students ''know more than their teacher'' about their GCSEs simply because they take an initiative when it comes to their learning. This doesn't mean explore things outside what you are meant to be learning- this is useless. But know what examiners and teachers want and serve it to them on a silver platter with your own efforts. If you do this you might as well be a university student lol.
4. Finally take good care of your mental health. ''What is psychological is ultimately biological''- a random psychologist that I forgot the name of. Stress kills, and quite literally. Long hours locked away in your room studying can be useful but be wise and listen to what your body tells you since this will effect your performance and your brain. To make studying easier I would recommend the pomodoro technique. The tomato timer website is useful. Please do some sort of exercise if you can, socialise in anyway possible- it's harder now because of the pandemic but take care of yourself. The last thing you want is to be in the exam and have migraines, mental breakdowns, colon problems etc, because you forsook your needs for studying.
Tldr; I am a massive waffler. If you try 40 hours a week make sure you set time for continuous breaks and actually plan what you need to do. Be methodical and no matter what you get in your GCSEs make sure you tried your best. God bless!
You sound like someone who is serious about their studies so I'm going to give you a guide on everything I should have done coming up to my exams.
1. To start of with the question is largely not what you should be asking, instead say ''how much work should I do a day''. A student can do 6 hours a day yet only have done 3 hours worth of work. So instead of worrying about time set out all the things you want to learn, memorise or whatever in the day. Do this reasonably though. Don't ask yourself to do mountains of work but I can't tell you specifically what you need to do as I don't you. But I will give you this: For memorisation I would download the Anki app on your phone and desktop laptop/computer. If you haven't made flashcards already these are a great start, medical students use them to memorise large amounts of information so you know it's good. Simply watch a youtube video on it to get started and use it on subjects that require memorisation of key information. Review the cards on the bus or whenever you don't have anything else to do.
2. Exam questions are your BEST FRIEND from now on. A little secret is that examiners are the worst at making new questions especially for sciences and math. As you begin to ''revise the mark scheme'' you'll understand what question is asking for what. A good site is ''physicsandmathstutor'' they provide a lot of free exam papers with questions that just might show up in your exams
(As in it the questions uses a very similar concept). Also print out a specification (A list of all the topics and things you need to learn and go through it). btw I did this in GCSE sciences and got a 9.3. Teachers are useless. JK, but in all honesty you need to learn to teach yourself concepts by yourself without waiting for the teacher to teach it you. In other words Independent learning especially in your generation of COVID-19. This is how some students ''know more than their teacher'' about their GCSEs simply because they take an initiative when it comes to their learning. This doesn't mean explore things outside what you are meant to be learning- this is useless. But know what examiners and teachers want and serve it to them on a silver platter with your own efforts. If you do this you might as well be a university student lol.
4. Finally take good care of your mental health. ''What is psychological is ultimately biological''- a random psychologist that I forgot the name of. Stress kills, and quite literally. Long hours locked away in your room studying can be useful but be wise and listen to what your body tells you since this will effect your performance and your brain. To make studying easier I would recommend the pomodoro technique. The tomato timer website is useful. Please do some sort of exercise if you can, socialise in anyway possible- it's harder now because of the pandemic but take care of yourself. The last thing you want is to be in the exam and have migraines, mental breakdowns, colon problems etc, because you forsook your needs for studying.
Tldr; I am a massive waffler. If you try 40 hours a week make sure you set time for continuous breaks and actually plan what you need to do. Be methodical and no matter what you get in your GCSEs make sure you tried your best. God bless!
Do plenty if past papers on all your subjects especially for the core ones such as maths and sciences and english and if you have gcse podcast or you can use youtube vids like free science lessons and listen to the lessons whilst your bored or going on your way to school. Also remember to take regular breaks,have a positive mindset (listen to positive podcasts)and also keep yourself physically healthy by consuming lots of food rich in vitamins (esp vitamin c since we're in the middle of a frustrating pandemic) and drink plenty of water.
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