a levels feel like ill fail

With A-levels fast approaching I feel like I will fail no matter what I do.

My grades so far have consistently been good, however my exam preparation always depends on the few days before an exam (not because I don't want to revise, but because I have very short term memory and wont be able to recall anything otherwise).

When I tell someone I'm worried I fail, they doubt me and think I am just saying it to boast etc because my grades have never been bad, but I genuinely can only rely on last minute revision so I just don't know if it will work out this time since the work load will be immense for last minute revision.

This worries me because it could go either way (really good or really bad) and no matter what I do right now to prepare, it wont help me in the real thing unfortunately. This doesn't mean Ill stop revising obviously, but everything does still feel a bit hopeless.

With that said, because of this my motivation levels are really low because no matter how hard I try, nothing stays in my brain for over a day. My A-levels mean so much to me and I hate that I can't start to remember stuff now so I can just fine-tune it right before the tests.

Wondering if anyone else has this type of scenario too, and any advice would be appreciated.

Reply 1

Tulipbloom

Original post by Anonymous #1

Feel this a lot. I, like you, studied late for my exams (only the night before my GCSEs ngl), but got all the grades I wanted. I think the part where regret started coming in was when I realized some of the As could have been A*s. When it came to A levels I decided then that I had to change. I wanted to not just memorize but understand my content and I think every time I made sense of a concept I felt happy. You still have a few months so take it slow. I properly revised a month before A levels and split the process it into 2. parts I read all my notes for a week, spent another week doing all the PPQs I could find and repeated this process (of course adding mark scheme answers to my notes after the first round). Ngl, upholding my reputation at school might have had something to do with it. Sitting in the same library, spot a lot of people used to come to me for help and I felt like I needed to keep on top of my knowledge to help em. I watched a lot of college vids for motivation during exam leave and studied at home, at a public library, at school, and sometimes at a food court. So a change in study environment might serve you well. I think living well is also part of the process. I realized a good sleep schedule is important and that if after I revise I sleep on it, I'd actually retain info quite well (I even dreamt of the things I studied). I took days off in between to go to the movies, hang out with friends, go to the mall. I rewarded myself with my fav foods in between studying and even deemed a good shower as something to look forward to after school. Making time for your hobbies could serve as a stress reliever. I think giving yourself unproductive days would ensure you don't get mentally exhausted in the long run. I understand that revising seems a lil hopeless but putting in a lil effort from time and time even if it simply reading a topic's worth of notes is better than nothing (learnt this the hard way). It's knowing you have done everything you could to prepare that leaves you feeling satisfied. The info might not stay but at least you have made the initiative to do something. Even with a month of prep, the day before all my exams, I still read all my notes but somehow felt at ease. I hope this helps. You got this!!!!