For a lot of students, the winter term means one thing - mock exam season. As the evenings get darker and the weather gets colder, revision is often the last thing students want to be thinking about; it can be hard to know where to start and how to motivate yourself. For year 11 students, GCSE mocks are often the first exams they sit, so we have come up with our top tips for how to revise for GCSE mocks to help students prepare themselves for the upcoming exams. 

“GCSE” stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education and are exams that students aged 14-16 in year 10 and 11 take as part of the national curriculum in the UK. Students have compulsory subjects to take at GCSE, including Maths, English and Science but are able to choose 3 subjects alongside these to learn and be examined in, which could be a language or a humanity subject, for example. In 2013, the government announced that students have to pass English and Maths to continue further education and will have to retake if they obtain a grade D (grade 3 or 4) or below. 

Knowing how to revise for GCSE mock exams can be very daunting as for most students, this is the first time they have had to sit formal exams, with so many of them at once. If this is the case for you, then don’t worry, we’ve come up with our best ways to revise for mocks to help you get started. 

One important thing to remember is that these are mocks. “Mock” is literally defined as an imitation; these are not the set of exams that decide your next step, these are just an opportunity to practise for that. So, the best way to think of mock exams is that they’re here to help you (although I know it might not feel that way). This is the time to get your revision routine ironed out and know the areas you need to improve on in preparation for when the actual exams come around! 

When should you start revision for GCSE mocks?

There is no strict rule for when you should start to revise for your year 11 mock exams, and this might not be what you want to hear, but you should be preparing for your mock exams from when you start the subjects in year 10. 

Taking thorough notes from year 10 and making sure you understand all the content you are being taught will help you when it comes to mock and exam preparation, but we will go into more detail on this later.

As mock exams for GCSEs tend to start in December or January for year 11 students, it’s a good idea to start collating your notes and getting prepared to start revision for GCSE mocks during the summer before. You’ll get around six weeks of holiday from school before year 11 starts, so there’s no better time to start prepping for the year and exams ahead! 

A good tip to remember is the sooner you begin revising for exams, the more prepared you’ll be - there’s nothing worse than leaving it all to the last minute - trust me take it from an expert! Revising for GCSE mocks doesn’t have to be a frantic, stressed out experience; if you plan ahead and give yourself enough time then this process can be purely beneficial to you and not an experience you have stress dreams about for years to come (definitely not speaking from personal experience or anything). 

Best Ways to Revise for Mocks

Help Your Future Self

One of the best ways to revise for GCSE mocks is to start early. As I mentioned earlier, planning ahead is the best thing you can do for yourself; help your future self and start prepping in year 10. 

As I’m sure you already know, it can be really easy to fall behind on homework or in class if you don’t understand one lesson and suddenly the next five don’t make sense either. Keeping on top of your workload throughout year 10 will be so beneficial to you when you head into year 11 and begin revising for your mocks. If you’re unsure of a particular topic within your subjects, or are falling behind slightly in class, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your teacher or parent. They are there to support you and want you to succeed - so use this!

Note-taking is a great way to get all the important facts down in a cohesive way you will be able to understand when you come back to it to revise. Everyone takes notes in a different way, but you might find it helpful to take notes during the lesson and then create a mind-map when you get home or turn your notes into flashcards. This way you’ll be able to regularly look over them to remind yourself of key points in the topic. 

When I was revising for my GCSE mocks, I stuck mind maps onto my bedroom wall so I could casually look over them while I was getting ready for school or before I went to sleep. This made the revision process seem less intense and stressful as I was used to the content because I saw it every day!

A good way to help you future self when revising for GCSE mocks is to create a revision timetable. Making a weekly schedule that takes into account your other commitments like after school hobbies or socialising with friends will help you to plan when you have time to revise so you can use that time effectively. Making a revision timetable will also ensure you don’t neglect the rest of your life, it’s important to still keep up with your social life and other commitments and keep your calendar balanced. 

Study Smart

Everybody revises differently, but there are some common themes of advice that you should always stick to, especially when you’re new to revising for exams. Here are a few of these top tips that I have learned over the years and will definitely help you on your way to becoming an expert reviser. 

These tips might work for you or might not, but part of the education process is trial and error to see what helps you to maximise your focus and be as productive as you can. 

Have a Quiet Study Space

This might seem obvious, but being able to revise in an environment that isn’t distracting is so key. Being able to completely focus on your work and revision not only means that you will retain the information easier, but also enables you to spend less time going over a topic. 

Think about it: if you’re being distracted every 5 minutes by chatty friends or your phone going off, it will take you longer to accomplish the work you wanted to get done - it might seem boring but it’s in your best interest to tuck yourself away to a quiet area for your revision sessions. 

Alternatively, if you’re the type of person who prefers having some background noise while studying, there are some great playlists that are just hours of coffee shop sounds or library sounds to make you feel like you’re not sitting in total silence. These are great to try as you then have the white noise without any of the visual distractions. 

If possible, work outside of your bedroom. Working at a table instead of having your notes sprawled over your bed will help you become more organised and also tricks your brain into “work mode” when you sit down at the table. You don’t want to be going to bed at night and thinking you’re in work mode because that’s where you do all your work. 

Stay Nourished

Again, is this one too obvious? Drinking water helps you think, focus and concentrate better. Get your two litres in every day by having a water bottle on your desk or in your school bag to sip throughout the day. To make this a bit more exciting, why not try adding some fruit to infuse your water? Or, if you really hate water then try having herbal tea or some fruit juices! 

As important as drinking water is, making sure you eat your three meals a day! Keeping your body well fed will help you focus and better retain information. Breakfast is, of course, the most important meal of the day, but if you’re like me and don’t enjoy eating much at breakfast time, try having a piece of fruit, or a breakfast bar instead. Snacks throughout the day are also really good to keep your energy levels up and keep you motivated while revising. Finish a section of your work? Treat yourself. 

Sleep Well

The benefits of a good night sleep increase productivity, improves your memory and also boosts your mood - all things you need to ace your learning. To get the 8-10 hours you need, try having no screen time an hour before bed, put your phone down and try reading a book or listen to music to help you unwind. This will help you feel fresh and energised for the next day, so you’ll  be in the best mindset to learn and revise.

If you struggle to fall asleep, which isn’t uncommon around exam season, try drinking a soothing herbal tea before bed, or lowering the temperature of your room. Tricks like these can help you to fall asleep and have a more restful night. 

Know Your Strengths

A key part of how best to revise for your GCSE mocks is to play to your strengths. If you learn best through note taking or reading content out loud to remember it, or asking people to quiz you, then do this. 

There are lots of different ways and styles of learning, and it’s a good idea to do a bit of research into this before you start revising so you know which will benefit you the most. 

The Active Reading Method

The active reading method contains five different steps and is often used at university by students to help them learn and better understand content and memorise the key bits of information. This technique is useful for exam revision as the recall element will help you to remember important information that will come up in your exams.

1. Survey. Skim the chapter, read the headings, summaries and content written in bold. During this time make mental notes on what you think the content will be about.

2. Question. Change all the headings and titles to questions, so if a heading is “The 5 Steps of Active Reading”, change this to “What are the 5 Steps of Active Reading?”. Write these questions in a notebook, leaving room for notes, and determine if you can answer any of these questions.

3. Read. Now it’s time to read the chapter. Read the content, section by section, with the goal of answering your questions from step 2.

4. Recall. Without looking at the book or your notes, mentally recall the key points from the chapter after completing the reading.

5. Review. Look at your questions, answers and notes in your book and see how well you recalled the information. Note the points you recalled incorrectly or forgot about. Repeat this process until you feel confident in your understanding of the chapter.

The Pomodoro Technique

This technique for time management was developed in the late 1980s and is focused around short bursts of 25 minutes intervals. This technique is great for those of you who struggle with time management or concentrating for long periods of time. 

1. Create a note of what you want to focus on in the 25 minutes.. 

2. Set a timer to 25 minutes, on your phone or an egg timer, and work on the topic until the timer stops. Ensure that you have no distractions during this time - keep off TikTok!

3. Have a 5 minute break. Make a cup of tea, check TikTok, stretch.

4. Set your timer for another 25 minutes and repeat this process until your task is complete. 

These are just a couple of examples of ways to study which could help you. It is definitely beneficial to research into study techniques to get some inspiration on what might work for you. 

Why not try combining the Pomodoro techniques and the active reading method? Follow the steps for the active reading method but work at it in 25 minute increments, this way you’ll be able to cover the content you need to but with regular breaks so you can work at your peak concentration. 

Don’t Panic!

During the whole process of revising for GCSE mocks it’s really important to remember that you’re not alone. Hundreds of students up and down the country are all experiencing the same stress and worry, and you will all get through it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure about where to start, take advantage of your teachers at school and support system at home to help you. 

A good way to help yourself relax and get into the best possible mindset to learn and revise is to keep yourself healthy. Alongside eating, drinking and getting enough sleep, make sure you exercise and get fresh air. This could be just going for a walk during the day, practicing yoga or doing breathing exercises to help you to unwind and decompress from revising. It can be all too easy to keep thinking about your subjects, past papers and upcoming exams, so make sure after you have finished revising you take steps to relax and chill out. 

It can be helpful to some students to study in groups, share ideas and help each other out with revision. If you think this is a helpful way for you to learn, then give it a go! Bouncing ideas off each other and sharing the experience can make it a bit of a less daunting experience. Alternatively, if this isn’t a useful way for you to revise, even talking to your friends about the exams and subjects can be really helpful for you all and will help you to see how you’re all in it together. There’s nothing like comradery to get you through exam season!

Summary

If you take anything away from this blog let it be this: start revising early, don’t panic and ask for help when you need it. Giving yourself all the time and help you can will only benefit you in the long run. 

If you feel overwhelmed and are struggling in a particular subject, consider doing an online course to give yourself a head start on the revision process. At Melio, our one-on-one Tutorials are created to help you get a deeper understanding of your subject from our expert tutors. The courses are designed to be bespoke, with you able to choose the course duration and the specifics of what you learn. 

Not only will an online course help you get a step ahead of your peers, but will also give you a unique opportunity to learn a subject in a way you don’t get the opportunity to at school. Receiving expert feedback and learning one-on-one with an expert academic will give you more clarity on your strengths and weaknesses, better preparing you for your upcoming exams.

For more information on our courses and what we can do to help you with your educational journey, visit our website or get in touch with our academic team.