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.