Exam preparation strategy

It’s one thing busting a gut learning all the content, but where are those elusive A* for the hard working students?

Exam preparation strategy could be holding you back.

I imagine you study a lot - I mean here you are reading about studying, right? You’re invested in your future and you believe in yourself. You understand that hard work pays off and in order to succeed you need to put the hours and the effort in.

But what if you are working hard, going over content, using exam questions and mark schemes to frame your learning, and you’re STILL not getting the top grades. This happens a lot, and the good news is, it’s not just you.

I think it’s fair to say that exams, education and learning have all been studied and researched by top academic professionals for years. All of this research has culminated in an understanding of how people learn and ultimately how they can get the best grades. So what has all of this research proven? Well one thing is that exam preparation strategy is as important as understanding content.

In order to really understand how we can use exam strategy to maximise grade we need to identify what exactly we mean when we say exam preparation strategy.

Exam preparation strategy is the following:

• When you study

• Where you study

• What you do when you study

• How flexible you are in your approach to study

• How you consider nutrition

• How you approach sleep

• How you integrate physical wellness

• How you approach mental wellness

• Use of visual organisers

• Use of summary

• Rewording the content in your own words

Now I know that looks like a long list. But if you approach your A-levels like a sports person approaches success in their sport, we begin to see some clear overlap.

I’ve just given you a list of 11 areas if considering one area improves your grade by one percent in total that’s an improvement of 11% which is a grade. However, I can imagine that improving your sleep and nutrition your physical and mental wellness and your approach to study may just achieve more than one percent in each area.

Now that’s the difference we’re looking for.

But don’t take my word for it let’s go back to some published academic papers.

For example, one group of authors found different students had different exam taking or test taking as they call it profiles this is outlined below:

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Stenlund, T., Jönsson, F.U., & Jonsson, B. (2017). “The successful test taker: exploring test-taking behaviour profiles through cluster analysis”

European Journal of Psychology of Education

This study analyzed high-stakes test performance and identified three distinct test-taking behavior profiles:

• The “moderate” profile

• The “calm risk taker” profile (most successful)

• The “test anxious risk averse” profile (least successful)

The research found that test-taking behaviours like risk-taking strategies, motivation levels, and test anxiety significantly impact performance beyond content knowledge.

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What Stenlund et al found was that regardless of profile, exam strategy or “test taking behaviours” had a greater impact that is simply knowing the specification content.

So what can we do to draw on the research by psychologists about exams and exam performance? What can the Chemistry A level student do to maximise their outcomes by using this knowledge?

I don’t want this article to be too long. I don’t want to take you away from your study and I know too many people on the Internet like to talk.

So let’s summarise.

Strategy one - turn that frown upside down

(sorry about the corny name)

Think of a topic that’s really annoying you the topic that you just hate it might be buffer calculations or those redox back titrations it could be…you get the picture. Now imagine that you bossed that topic. Instead of worrying about it, it became your strength. It became your superpower. Choose one topic, and study it until it’s your best friend until you own it! And turn that enemy into your secret weapon.

Strategy two - reframe the holidays

As you transition from child to adult, it might be a good time to think about what a holiday is. You have some golden opportunities coming your way to get ahead of the competition. Whilst other students have their slippered feet up with a bowl of snacks and a rubbish film, YOU could be getting ahead.

This is the perfect time for extra tuition and extra study. YES it’s a holiday but a holiday from wasting your time in school and getting on with some proper work where you’re the boss.

Strategy three - sport science

I am no coach, but I do know that coaches or at least successful coaches get results - there are literally billion dollar industries relying on them. So why not maximise your performance by looking at how they maximise their performance? It is not rocket science!

Eat well (you know what that means - there’s no excuse). Get decent sleep; yes that means turning the devices off. Discover your routine and stick to it.

Strategy four - you’re a chemist now

You’re beginning to understand chemistry. This means you can start to use chemistry to your advantage. We know how important it is.

Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen you breathe in. And brain performance is highly sensitive to oxygen decrease. So what would increase the amount of oxygen to the brain? The answer is fairly simple: movement. So in short regular breaks; get dancing, get outside, take the dog for a walk.

Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) is crucial for focus learning sessions, and you can easily increase your levels by introducing novelty. So sit somewhere new change your location get some new pens just switch it up a little.

Practical Applications for A-Level Students:

1. Aerobic exercise before or between study sessions to boost BDNF and cerebral blood flow

2. Adequate oxygenation - study in well-ventilated spaces

3. Challenge and novelty stimulate norepinephrine for enhanced attention

4. Motivation activates dopamine systems

5. Sleep for acetylcholine reduction during consolidation

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References:

• Myhrer, T. (2003). Neurotransmitter systems involved in learning and memory in the rat. Behavioural Brain Research, 146(1-2), 1-12.

• Hasselmo, M.E. (2006). The role of acetylcholine in learning and memory. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 16, 710-715.

• Moss, M.C. & Scholey, A.B. (1996). Oxygen administration enhances memory formation in healthy young adults. Psychopharmacology, 124, 255-260.

• El Hayek, L. et al. (2019). Lactate mediates the effects of exercise on learning and memory through SIRT1-dependent activation of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Journal of Neuroscience, 39(13), 2369-2382.

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