With exam season fast approaching, it is understandable that anxiety levels are increasing. As a final-year law student I have an abundance of online exams and certainly relate to this increase in anxiety. But, in this blog I am going to be telling you how I prepare for my exams to give you some ideas on how to approach the exam season.

Here are the 5 key things I do to prepare for my exams:

• Familiarise myself with the exam layouts – To do this, I usually write on a post-it-note all the key information I have about my exam including the date, time, location, exam question requirements, formatting rules and anything else relevant. I like to stick these notes above my desk as they are a useful aid during revision and the actual exam to remind myself about what it is exactly, I am working towards.

• Create a Revision Schedule – After I am familiar with my exam timetable, I like to create a loose revision schedule to guide me through the exam season. Usually, I set out to revise on weekdays only and I assign one topic to revise a day, then I have two days off at the weekend. This is really useful because by doing this, I can visually see how much work I have to do and how much time I have to do it in.

• Making Revision Notes – Once I have made my schedule, I set out to make revision notes on the allocated topic. In terms of making your notes, you should always use the methods and styles you find best suit your course and learning style. Personally, I always like to try and make digital aesthetically pleasing notes because I find it much more motivating to do than typing in an ordinary word document.

• Organising My Notes – Once I have made some notes on a certain topic, it is important that I file the notes somewhere I can easily find them before the exam. I like to use folders per examination that I have, and I ensure that I give each document a clear topic title to help me find specific notes.

• Pre-Exam Break – The day before an exam, I like to give myself some time off to calm my nerves and to restore some of my energy before the exam. To do this, I usually like to go for a walk and listen to some music or have a nice warm bubble bath. This is really useful because I find if I am relaxed, I will sleep better and will be able to approach the exams better.

This concludes the 5 most important things I do to prepare for my exams. I hope you find my approach to preparing for exams insightful and potentially inspirational to help you develop your own personal approach to exam preparation.

If you need further advice on approaching your exams, you can visit the study advice team.