How To Tackle the Christmas Tests

By Eimear Dinneen - 3 minute read

It’s that time of year again when thousands of teachers are using Studyclix to make their Christmas tests. Check out these tips to make sure you do as well as possible.

Keep a level head

For most students, the Christmas tests are the first real indicator of how well (or not!) you're doing. This is a good thing regardless of your results, but can nonetheless cause some anxiety and stress for students as you want to do well. Try to stay relaxed and confident while doing the exams. Being worried and anxious won't help your grades, but staying focused and calm in an exam situation will give you the headspace you need to perform at your best and boost your chances of doing well. If you find yourself getting stressed, we've also got a piece about managing exam stress, so give it a read.

Plan your study

Most likely your teachers will tell you the topics that will come up on your test so you have a list of things to cover. This is a great starting point for making a plan as you can assign study slots to different topics in the days and weeks running up to the exams.

Make sure you make a good study plan to organise how you will spend your time on all subjects. Read our blog below for advice on how best to put together a study plan.

Read advice

Focus on exam questions

A lot of your teachers will use exam questions from previous exams for your Christmas tests. That’s why using Studyclix Plus or Premium to practise past questions by topic is a really good way to make sure you’re ready. Don’t forget that the marking scheme is a really helpful way to see how you can maximise your marks. Check out how Plus or Premium will help you do better in your exams.

Make sure you are studying efficiently

If you are going to put your precious time into studying, then make sure you're not wasting your time. We advise always trying to study in short bursts, take regular breaks and make sure you keep your study active by trying real exam questions on Studyclix after you cover any topic. Avoid reading lengthy paragraphs to try and take in information. Instead use highlighters to remember key information, create flashcards (or use ours) and try as many different study methods as possible until you find one that works for you.

Check out our blog on how to study effectively here.

Remember, Christmas tests are not a waste of time

The more times you simulate exam conditions, the more comfortable you will be doing bigger exams, like the mocks or the JC/LC itself! Doing tests in school teaches you how to concentrate in an environment similar to the one you will experience in the main exams. Treat these exams as a trial run for the real thing! They can provide great insight into what works well for you and where you can improve.

Get the basics of exam technique right

You’ve probably heard it a million times from your teachers and parents alike, but getting the basics right is a big part of doing well in any exam. Read every question carefully and underline keywords. Do not leave out any parts of a question and if you can't think of anything to write, sketch out a mind map or spider diagram and you'll be surprised at how much comes into your head.

Don't get too worried about your result

Remember, these tests are corrected in-house by your teacher and while they're a good benchmark, they don't necessarily reflect how you will do in the JC/LC. If you do well, keep up the good work, but if you do badly, don't panic, you have a lot of time to turn things around - review your answers and try to figure out where you could have gotten more marks. You can also ask your teacher for feedback on how you could have done better in the exams, they want you to do well as much as you do!

Best of luck and happy Christmas!