10 tips on preparing for exams at home

Hello everyone.

I hope you are all well.

Like many other things this year,

our plans for exams may not be going

as we’d like them to be,

due to the social distancing period.

So, in today’s video,

I’m going to tell you how I’ve been preparing

for an upcoming exam,

and how I orient my students

on how they can prepare for exams right at home.

Before we start,

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Today, I’ll give you ten tips to boost your preparation

for exams at home.

The first thing is,

when you want to achieve something,

you need a plan on how to get there.

So, organisation and intentionality are key here.

Create a study routine,

and make weekly goals on what you plan to study

that covers all four skills,

especially the ones you struggle with the most.

It’s important to have a special and peaceful place

that’s organised with all the necessary materials,

so you can stay focused when you study.

Create your own study corner at home,

and decorate it in a way

that makes you feel good studying.

Nobody likes to study in a messy place,

and this will help you stay focused and organised.

And, speaking of being focused,

put your phone on silent mode

so there are no distractions or interruptions

while you are studying.

Since we’re all connected most of the time,

it’s really nice to disconnect

and be completely focused on a task during a period.

There are many ways you can expose yourself

to English at home,

like watching movies or a series,

listening to music or podcasts,

reading books or even following pages

that are in English on social media.

So take advantage of this

and expose yourself to as much English

as you can.

You can even keep a notebook to record new words

or phrases you learned.

And a good idea also is to set weekly goals

on learning new vocabulary.

We can’t study all the time.

It’s not productive,

so take breaks and have fun.

Connect with your friends, or just something you like.

This way you’ll lower your anxiety and stress levels

which really helps with studying as well as on exam day.

Each exam has its own type of questions and time limits,

so it’s important to practice with authentic materials,

such as practice tests.

Getting familiar with the style

of the exam questions is key for succeeding on the exam.

You can find lots of preparation materials,

including practice tests

that are exactly like the real exam from Cambridge.

You can find the link

in the description of the video below.

Something that’s crucial in exams is time management.

This is something I stress a lot to my students

when preparing for exams.

Because if you don't manage your time well,

you may not have time to finish the whole test,

especially the writing part.

So, when practising for exams,

it’s important to know how much time you have

and to time yourself,

setting goals to improve as you go along.

You can also check out my video on write and improve,

a writing practice platform that has a timing feature.

Take advantage of technology

and practice speaking in English with a friend

or a steady partner via video calls.

This will lower your embarrassment and inhibition,

which will really help you on exam day.

And don't forget to practice pronunciation.

You can try recording yourself

or speaking in front of a mirror to see

the movements of your mouth and practice pronunciation.

For more pronunciation tips,

you can check out Greg’s video on Eight Tasks

to Test Pronunciation.

Or you can even use a tool

from Google Docs called Speech to Text,

where you speak and the words appear on the document.

I’ve tried this with my students,

and it has really made them more conscious on how they

were pronouncing some words,

so it’s really interesting to give it a try.

A rested mind and body are the best things

you can do to help your performance on exam day,

so try and get a good night ’s sleep the night before.

Scientists say when we sleep the body detoxes,

and we get rid of waste products from our brain

which can harm our memory.

So when you sleep well,

you give your brain more opportunity to perform

at its best.

Besides getting a good night’s sleep,

it’s also important to have a nutritious breakfast

on the exam day.

After all, our body

and brain also need energy to work.

Fruits, good carbs

and fibres are good options ahead of exam day.

Don't forget to take snacks to eat during the exam breaks.

Both tips nine and ten are also very important

during the preparation period.

If you sleep well and eat better,

you learn better too.

After doing all of this,

be sure you know where your exam will take place

and arrive 30 minutes before.

Relax and do your best, and good luck.

Well, those were my ten top tips to boost your preparation

for exams at home.

What do you do to prepare for an exam?

Leave a comment and tell me.

If you want more materials

and more tips for preparing yourself for an exam,

don't forget to check out Cambridge’s materials

for exam preparation.

If you like this video and the tips I gave you,

please give it a big thumbs up and share with someone you know

who is preparing for an exam.

I hope you stay safe and I’ll see you soon.

Bye.