How much studying for a-levels?

Hey everyone!
I’ve been feeling a bit worried recently about how much I should be studying for a-levels, I started year 12 in September. At the moment I work about 24 hours of studying in a week outside of school but I keep seeing studygrams who are also in my year doing about 42 hours a week and I don’t understand how people have time to do 6 hours of work a day out of school. It seems so stressful and tiring and it makes me sad because I feel that I’m not doing enough and that I will fail if I don’t keep up with people like this. I wonder if anyone could shed any light for me, thank you 😊

Hello! I got A*AA in my A-Levels (last year, so I didn't do the exams but I think I would've got A*AA or A*AB in the final exam) and studied probably around 5 hours a week on top of homework (so like, 15 hours total a week, if that). Studying too much will only tire you out and make you feel unmotivated. Even during exam season, I'd study for maximum 2-3 hours outside of school every day, and max 5 hours on each weekend day. Just do the amount of work which feels appropriate - so long as you understand your classwork thoroughly, and are keeping on top of coursework and homework, it'll be okay! A-Levels are really daunting, but after a while you'll find a balance that's right for you.

Hello! I got A*AA in my A-Levels (last year, so I didn't do the exams but I think I would've got A*AA or A*AB in the final exam) and studied probably around 5 hours a week on top of homework (so like, 15 hours total a week, if that). Studying too much will only tire you out and make you feel unmotivated. Even during exam season, I'd study for maximum 2-3 hours outside of school every day, and max 5 hours on each weekend day. Just do the amount of work which feels appropriate - so long as you understand your classwork thoroughly, and are keeping on top of coursework and homework, it'll be okay! A-Levels are really daunting, but after a while you'll find a balance that's right for you.

Wow how did you study for 5 hours per weekend?
I know that i need to be revising but I feel so tired after schools and on the weekend. I’m productive at school because I use my frees wisely but at home I’m the complete opposite.

I think it’s important to remember that A levels are a competition- you are competing for top grades with students across the country. Usually the people who get top grades are those who work the hardest.

It’s great that you’re already working hard and looking honestly at whether you’re putting in enough effort. 24 hours a week is good for the moment but you should be looking to increase this gradually.

I would set a weekly timetable to hold yourself accountable with how much you’re going to study each day. When you get closer to periods like mocks and exams, you should be looking to maximise your study time and minimise time spent doing other things.

From say a month before exams you should be aiming for a minimum of 4 hours’ revision on school nights and then 8 hours per day on the weekend. During study leave I’d do 10 hours a day. I would try implementing this routine for your first set of mocks so you can get used to the intensity and effort required.

Quality not quantity.
If you are revising at 100% efficiency maybe 24 hours a week might be enough for now, but you will certainly have to increase that over time. It will be very difficult to achieve good grades in all three subjects if you are only devoting 8 hours per subject per week, which would only be an hour and 20 minutes per subject.
There are a lot of factors though, which do affect how many hours you need. What subjects you're doing, what grade you're aiming for, and such all are significant factors which determine how much you should be working.
For example, a friend of mine who achieved A*A*A*A* at A-Level did Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Chemistry; all of which are quite heavy subjects, and so he worked heavily every day devoting at least 6 hours a day for his academic work.
Another I know of who achieved A*A*A* did photography, graphics, and art, which are not considered as heavy as the other subject combination above; and he studied slightly more than you're already doing.
Also, note that the amount each person revises also varies. The guy above me stated he studied maximum 2-3 hours every day, which may not be the case for you. You might require more than that - try not to compare yourself with others imo. Maybe continue with this current number of hours and when you take mock assessments during the year and stuff you might realise whether you're working too little or enough.

I think it’s important to remember that A levels are a competition- you are competing for top grades with students across the country. Usually the people who get top grades are those who work the hardest.

It’s great that you’re already working hard and looking honestly at whether you’re putting in enough effort. 24 hours a week is good for the moment but you should be looking to increase this gradually.

I would set a weekly timetable to hold yourself accountable with how much you’re going to study each day. When you get closer to periods like mocks and exams, you should be looking to maximise your study time and minimise time spent doing other things.

From say a month before exams you should be aiming for a minimum of 4 hours’ revision on school nights and then 8 hours per day on the weekend. During study leave I’d do 10 hours a day. I would try implementing this routine for your first set of mocks so you can get used to the intensity and effort required.

Wow how did you study for 5 hours per weekend?
I know that i need to be revising but I feel so tired after schools and on the weekend. I’m productive at school because I use my frees wisely but at home I’m the complete opposite.

But I just never know where to start
I’ll get the work set by my sixth form or anything to help me understand what we’re learning as of now but I can never know where to start revision wise
There’s just too much and I always end up thinking I can get loads of work done when in reality, it takes me a long time to get one task done

Make yourself a timetable at the start of every week with exactly what you’re going to study each day and for how long. Not just ‘Geography’ but ‘geography unit 1- volcanoes from 5pm- 6pm’ for example.

Your study just needs to become a non-negotiable part of your routine. It can help to see your free time as something you have to earn by working hard- so there should be no Netflix or Xbox or whatever unless you’ve completed your plan.

Review your timetable at the end of each week and give yourself a reward or punishment depending on whether you’ve followed it. You could treat yourself to a movie on Netflix for example.

Punishment can serve as a tangible reminder that you have failed and encourage you to do better next time. Personally I would give myself 30 press-ups for every hour missed and add on double the time I missed the following week. So if you miss a 2 hour study session, you have to do 4 hours to make up for it.

It’s also really important to have an ambitious and challenging goal like A*A*A and constantly remind yourself of it throughout the year.

But how do I make sure I’m doing enough
I never know how much to actually set myself a day, in case it’s too little or too much to the point I have too much left near exam time
And during half term I stress out to the point that I do no work at all