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ADHD and revising for my gcses

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(edited 2 weeks ago)
I haven’t done my exams yet, I’m in year 11 but I have a bro who’s already done his GCSEs. Tbh, u don’t even have to revise that much, my bro never did flash cards for any subject expect English and French and he got 9s in maths and sciences. Tell me what exam board u do and I can try to help u
Reply 2
Original post by hanifarrrr
Hey im just wondering what the best way would be to achieve above a 7(ideally 8) for every subject with this problem.As of right now my revision consists of me setting up the ideal way to revise learn content exam questions but i am insanely dicouraged to continue the revision session and end up sidetracked with minute problems ie setting up the revision space.My parents are increasingly frustrated with my grades in the sciences.I have attatched my mock grades underneath.any tips help would be greatly appreciated as of right now.
Maths:8
ENG LANG:6
Eng lit:5
biology:6
history:6
spanish:6
physics:5
chemistry:5
Further maths:5

Hey, I got 99999999888 in my GCSEs and I'm currently in year 12 studying Bio, Chem, Maths and Further Maths.

The main thing that helped me to get a 9 in all three sciences was flashcards (I used ANKI). I made flashcards up till around April, and then spent the next month learning them.

Personally, I didn't really revise to get a 9 in maths and further maths since they came naturally to me, but I would recommend picking out topics that you struggle with on DFM until you're confident with them, as well as doing Corbett 5 a day.

I did French, but I assume revision would be similar to Spanish. For this, I used ANKI and just downloaded a deck of a few thousand vocab words, and used an app on my iPad for the tenses (I think it was called Conju, but I'm not 100% certain). I would definitely recommend learning your speaking answers off by heart, as you can also use them for your writing since similar questions often come up.

For the English subjects, the best thing to do is just write as many essays as possible and get your teacher to mark them. To learn quotes for Literature, I hand-wrote flashcards with one side having a theme (e.g. femininity in Macbeth), and the other side having all of the quotes for that theme. I would just blurt these until I could remember.

I did geography instead of history, so I can't really comment on that.
Reply 3
Original post by ArchyParchy
I haven’t done my exams yet, I’m in year 11 but I have a bro who’s already done his GCSEs. Tbh, u don’t even have to revise that much, my bro never did flash cards for any subject expect English and French and he got 9s in maths and sciences. Tell me what exam board u do and I can try to help u

Hey I do Edexcel for maths and history but for everything else I Put in the post is AQA
Reply 4
Original post by georg1aa
Hey, I got 99999999888 in my GCSEs and I'm currently in year 12 studying Bio, Chem, Maths and Further Maths.
The main thing that helped me to get a 9 in all three sciences was flashcards (I used ANKI). I made flashcards up till around April, and then spent the next month learning them.
Personally, I didn't really revise to get a 9 in maths and further maths since they came naturally to me, but I would recommend picking out topics that you struggle with on DFM until you're confident with them, as well as doing Corbett 5 a day.
I did French, but I assume revision would be similar to Spanish. For this, I used ANKI and just downloaded a deck of a few thousand vocab words, and used an app on my iPad for the tenses (I think it was called Conju, but I'm not 100% certain). I would definitely recommend learning your speaking answers off by heart, as you can also use them for your writing since similar questions often come up.
For the English subjects, the best thing to do is just write as many essays as possible and get your teacher to mark them. To learn quotes for Literature, I hand-wrote flashcards with one side having a theme (e.g. femininity in Macbeth), and the other side having all of the quotes for that theme. I would just blurt these until I could remember.
I did geography instead of history, so I can't really comment on that.
Hey I' ve tried anki after I saw this and the already made flashcards for Spanish are pretty good considering reading was the reason I got a 6😭
I'll deffo try making anki flashcards for chem and see if they help as I have one more mock which will help to gauge where I'm at
thx so much
Original post by hanifarrrr
Hey im just wondering what the best way would be to achieve above a 7(ideally 8) for every subject with this problem.As of right now my revision consists of me setting up the ideal way to revise learn content exam questions but i am insanely dicouraged to continue the revision session and end up sidetracked with minute problems ie setting up the revision space.My parents are increasingly frustrated with my grades in the sciences.I have attatched my mock grades underneath.any tips help would be greatly appreciated as of right now.
Maths:8
ENG LANG:6
Eng lit:5
biology:6
history:6
spanish:6
physics:5
chemistry:5
Further maths:5


I will not lie - I did not study much or at all for most of my GCSEs and I didn't go below a 5 in any of my subjects. I have ADHD too and, if I'm honest, GCSEs ain't really mean anything 🤷🏾*♂️
Reply 6
Everyone's ADHD is different. You have to find the way you study the best. It takes years to do that. It's a pitty they don't concentrate on teaching techniques like that at school.
I was lucky my mom taught me that since early childhood. I didn't even notice the ADHD that much.
The regular system of learning is not fit for people with ADHD. Some need to study while moving, others need quiet places and frequent breaks. Some need a group to study, others study the best when they are alone. I'm not even talking about medication, I'm talking about coping and managing techniques.
Reply 7
Original post by georg1aa
Hey, I got 99999999888 in my GCSEs and I'm currently in year 12 studying Bio, Chem, Maths and Further Maths.
The main thing that helped me to get a 9 in all three sciences was flashcards (I used ANKI). I made flashcards up till around April, and then spent the next month learning them.
Personally, I didn't really revise to get a 9 in maths and further maths since they came naturally to me, but I would recommend picking out topics that you struggle with on DFM until you're confident with them, as well as doing Corbett 5 a day.
I did French, but I assume revision would be similar to Spanish. For this, I used ANKI and just downloaded a deck of a few thousand vocab words, and used an app on my iPad for the tenses (I think it was called Conju, but I'm not 100% certain). I would definitely recommend learning your speaking answers off by heart, as you can also use them for your writing since similar questions often come up.
For the English subjects, the best thing to do is just write as many essays as possible and get your teacher to mark them. To learn quotes for Literature, I hand-wrote flashcards with one side having a theme (e.g. femininity in Macbeth), and the other side having all of the quotes for that theme. I would just blurt these until I could remember.
I did geography instead of history, so I can't really comment on that.

Hi I got a 5 and retaking this may I need a 6 in lang gcse AQA. Can you give me feedback and tips for my response to qs especially Q5?
Reply 8
Original post by hanifarrrr
Hey im just wondering what the best way would be to achieve above a 7(ideally 8) for every subject with this problem.As of right now my revision consists of me setting up the ideal way to revise learn content exam questions but i am insanely dicouraged to continue the revision session and end up sidetracked with minute problems ie setting up the revision space.My parents are increasingly frustrated with my grades in the sciences.I have attatched my mock grades underneath.any tips help would be greatly appreciated as of right now.
Maths:8
ENG LANG:6
Eng lit:5
biology:6
history:6
spanish:6
physics:5
chemistry:5
Further maths:5

i understand the struggle😔 i’m in year 13 now but i sat my gcses undiagnosed and it was so hard to revise in advance. not sure how your adhd works but for most people the only thing that can get you to revise is the impending stress. this isn’t healthy or sustainable obviously but it sorta worked for me- i didn’t revise for anything until the night before where id start at like 11pm, and i did thankfully get mostly 8s and 9s (and 2 7s). i’m not encouraging this obviously i’m sure i would have done way way better if i did it beforehand- some people also cannot study under this much pressure. this is also NOT possible at alevels.

do the obvious- put your phone away, and try your very hardest to focus in class so that you know what’s going on. study with your friends- it can help.

sciences- use cognito (i got 9s in phys and bio and 8 in chem)
english- mr salles on youtube (9s in both english lit and lang)
i don’t really have advice for maths- unfortunately i got a 7 so you’re doing better than i did.
i didn’t do any of the other subjects you’re doing, but for languages (i did french not spanish) literally just memorise super high level phrases and try to work and adapt them into your writing even when it doesn’t fully fit naturally into the topic. i got full marks in the writing which is how i got an 8, despite not doing great in speaking and listening.

remember that adhd doesn’t make it impossible to get top grades. there are kids with far worse circumstances who get all 9s- you’re certainly capable: set a high bar for yourself. good luck!!
Reply 9
Original post by georg1aa
Hey, I got 99999999888 in my GCSEs and I'm currently in year 12 studying Bio, Chem, Maths and Further Maths.
The main thing that helped me to get a 9 in all three sciences was flashcards (I used ANKI). I made flashcards up till around April, and then spent the next month learning them.
Personally, I didn't really revise to get a 9 in maths and further maths since they came naturally to me, but I would recommend picking out topics that you struggle with on DFM until you're confident with them, as well as doing Corbett 5 a day.
I did French, but I assume revision would be similar to Spanish. For this, I used ANKI and just downloaded a deck of a few thousand vocab words, and used an app on my iPad for the tenses (I think it was called Conju, but I'm not 100% certain). I would definitely recommend learning your speaking answers off by heart, as you can also use them for your writing since similar questions often come up.
For the English subjects, the best thing to do is just write as many essays as possible and get your teacher to mark them. To learn quotes for Literature, I hand-wrote flashcards with one side having a theme (e.g. femininity in Macbeth), and the other side having all of the quotes for that theme. I would just blurt these until I could remember.
I did geography instead of history, so I can't really comment on that.


Hey, do you have your anki flash cards you made if so do you think you pass them onto me!!! I’m also yr11 and I would honestly appreciate it so much if you have it for science or any other subject
Reply 10
Original post by emmag258
i understand the struggle😔 i’m in year 13 now but i sat my gcses undiagnosed and it was so hard to revise in advance. not sure how your adhd works but for most people the only thing that can get you to revise is the impending stress. this isn’t healthy or sustainable obviously but it sorta worked for me- i didn’t revise for anything until the night before where id start at like 11pm, and i did thankfully get mostly 8s and 9s (and 2 7s). i’m not encouraging this obviously i’m sure i would have done way way better if i did it beforehand- some people also cannot study under this much pressure. this is also NOT possible at alevels.
do the obvious- put your phone away, and try your very hardest to focus in class so that you know what’s going on. study with your friends- it can help.
sciences- use cognito (i got 9s in phys and bio and 8 in chem)
english- mr salles on youtube (9s in both english lit and lang)
i don’t really have advice for maths- unfortunately i got a 7 so you’re doing better than i did.
i didn’t do any of the other subjects you’re doing, but for languages (i did french not spanish) literally just memorise super high level phrases and try to work and adapt them into your writing even when it doesn’t fully fit naturally into the topic. i got full marks in the writing which is how i got an 8, despite not doing great in speaking and listening.
remember that adhd doesn’t make it impossible to get top grades. there are kids with far worse circumstances who get all 9s- you’re certainly capable: set a high bar for yourself. good luck!!

Hnestly stress helps the most like last minute stuff but my revision is so unefeective but i think that was the lack of stress.so hopefully the stress thingies kick in but thx for the language tipssss.I dont have a phone 😓 so that helps. wish me luck thanksssss.
Hi i have adhd and i can rly struggle with revising, im going to explain what helps for me and if you see anything thag might be able to help you please try it. I am not exaggerating when i say that doing some of these things gave me an A.

For me i really struggle studying in my own home bc theres so many things i can be doing, a change of scenery is really helpful for me to lock in. During exams i literally went to the library every single day i could and i got so much studying done. Being in a public environment where i feel like ppl could judge me a little for doinf nothing (which can also work for studying with friends) and having nothing else to do rly helped me.

Secondly i set up a focus on my phone (iphone but im sure theres things similar on other models) that i put on for when im going to study, i use this to silence all my notifications (except from **** like emails and other important stuff) and make it change my phone to light mode. Now i HATE light mode with a passion so i would get distracted and go on my phone and it would be light and it would annoy me so i would stop using it. Anything to deter you from doom scrolling would work or chatting with someone E.g. inverted colours.

When im in my own home however, i sometimes just feel so unmotivated, so to make studying more appealing i will watch a stream or a show ive watched several times (dont put on something rly interesting bc then u will just watch that instead) and i always listen to music while im studying. There has been times when ive felt so unmotivated and i put on music and a stream at the same time 😭😭😭. This does make me study slower and get less done but it's much better than doing nothing.

Also when i got a desk in my room i made sure i had one of those chairs u can spin on and roll around. I will slightly sway on my chair left to rigjt snd it actually helps so much. (when i first went to the library and saw they also had spinny chairs i literally felt so much joy i am not exaggerating). If you're a movement seeking person i highly recommend having a way you can move subconsciously.

Please remember that adhd doesn't have to stop you from doing wrll !!!! I got all As in the end of my exams. Definitely try a range of studying methods so you can find one that works for you. Good luck!!!
Original post by aloeplant
Hi i have adhd and i can rly struggle with revising, im going to explain what helps for me and if you see anything thag might be able to help you please try it. I am not exaggerating when i say that doing some of these things gave me an A.
For me i really struggle studying in my own home bc theres so many things i can be doing, a change of scenery is really helpful for me to lock in. During exams i literally went to the library every single day i could and i got so much studying done. Being in a public environment where i feel like ppl could judge me a little for doinf nothing (which can also work for studying with friends) and having nothing else to do rly helped me.
Secondly i set up a focus on my phone (iphone but im sure theres things similar on other models) that i put on for when im going to study, i use this to silence all my notifications (except from **** like emails and other important stuff) and make it change my phone to light mode. Now i HATE light mode with a passion so i would get distracted and go on my phone and it would be light and it would annoy me so i would stop using it. Anything to deter you from doom scrolling would work or chatting with someone E.g. inverted colours.
When im in my own home however, i sometimes just feel so unmotivated, so to make studying more appealing i will watch a stream or a show ive watched several times (dont put on something rly interesting bc then u will just watch that instead) and i always listen to music while im studying. There has been times when ive felt so unmotivated and i put on music and a stream at the same time 😭😭😭. This does make me study slower and get less done but it's much better than doing nothing.
Also when i got a desk in my room i made sure i had one of those chairs u can spin on and roll around. I will slightly sway on my chair left to rigjt snd it actually helps so much. (when i first went to the library and saw they also had spinny chairs i literally felt so much joy i am not exaggerating). If you're a movement seeking person i highly recommend having a way you can move subconsciously.
Please remember that adhd doesn't have to stop you from doing wrll !!!! I got all As in the end of my exams. Definitely try a range of studying methods so you can find one that works for you. Good luck!!!

For me movement was very important so I was in a basketball and athletics clubs in uni. I would study when I'm physically tired but my brain still active but rested. Studying - sports - revision routine was great for me. Also music helped a lot and practice (my subject was a lot practical at the last two years, the first two where mostly theoretical so I was trying to make them more practical.
The hardest part for me was mathematics and theoretical physics/chemistry. I was pretty good at it but it required a lot of studying and revision. I took photos of the board and recorded the lectures. University was the only time I valued good camera on the phone more than a good batter, the only real reason I had an iphone then (iphone 4s at that time).
Also, re-listening to lectures while cooking, running in the morning or something like that helped remembering things better.
Reply 13
Original post by georg1aa
Hey, I got 99999999888 in my GCSEs and I'm currently in year 12 studying Bio, Chem, Maths and Further Maths.
The main thing that helped me to get a 9 in all three sciences was flashcards (I used ANKI). I made flashcards up till around April, and then spent the next month learning them.
Personally, I didn't really revise to get a 9 in maths and further maths since they came naturally to me, but I would recommend picking out topics that you struggle with on DFM until you're confident with them, as well as doing Corbett 5 a day.
I did French, but I assume revision would be similar to Spanish. For this, I used ANKI and just downloaded a deck of a few thousand vocab words, and used an app on my iPad for the tenses (I think it was called Conju, but I'm not 100% certain). I would definitely recommend learning your speaking answers off by heart, as you can also use them for your writing since similar questions often come up.
For the English subjects, the best thing to do is just write as many essays as possible and get your teacher to mark them. To learn quotes for Literature, I hand-wrote flashcards with one side having a theme (e.g. femininity in Macbeth), and the other side having all of the quotes for that theme. I would just blurt these until I could remember.
I did geography instead of history, so I can't really comment on that.


what did you do for geography?
Original post by hanifarrrr
Hey im just wondering what the best way would be to achieve above a 7(ideally 8) for every subject with this problem.As of right now my revision consists of me setting up the ideal way to revise learn content exam questions but i am insanely dicouraged to continue the revision session and end up sidetracked with minute problems ie setting up the revision space.My parents are increasingly frustrated with my grades in the sciences.I have attatched my mock grades underneath.any tips help would be greatly appreciated as of right now.
Maths:8
ENG LANG:6
Eng lit:5
biology:6
history:6
spanish:6
physics:5
chemistry:5
Further maths:5

I would normally just watch cognito or do test questions/ past exam papers to test my knowledge, I also watch people do walkthrough exam style and talk through how they would answer the question and stuff, saves lots of time and helps me to revisit subjects that I needed help in the most

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