How to pass a course/how to study for an assessment

Hello !

Here are some general tips on giving yourself the best chance of passing a course : 

• Make the effort at the start of the course to know the full syllabus for your course (get from your teacher, tutor, or exam board website). Print it off if possible.
• Plan short revision sessions for each week (write down on paper/calendar, don't just set an alert on your phone - so you can see your whole plan for the month/year very clearly) where you set aside time to practice questions.
• When practising questions, switch off social media alerts on your phone.
• After some time, practice questions from different topics in each revision session (so you don't forget older topics).
• When revising using videos (for example, on YouTube, or tutorial recordings), don't just passively watch - have a pencil/pen and paper ready to copy out examples; start and stop the video as required and don't move on until you understand everything previously.
• Read over class notes regularly (so you don't forget simple facts etc.). Only takes about 10-15 minutes.
• Ask your teacher for help when stuck with a question (AFTER you have tried attempting it yourself by looking over class notes and examples).
• Practice simple questions first, then gradually build up to assessment-style questions.
• Get past papers and MARKING INSTRUCTIONS (they tell you precisely where you get marks and how marks are lost - very important).
• Don't just aim to pass with the lowest grade, or aim just for a B etc. - always aim for 100 %. Learn the whole course, practice all questions and give yourself the best chance of passing with the best possible grade.
• May need to make sacrifices to other things in life during this studying phase of life - for example, cut down (or eliminate) watching TV, get up an hour earlier each day to give yourself more time to study, eat healthily so you don't feel sluggish and lazy. Of course, you need to get enough rest too, to recharge your batteries.

Yes, studying takes a lot of effort. But it's worth it :)