These last days of school see students summarising, timing, perfecting essays/questions etc. Many have finished up completely, emotions are high, end of year ceremonies have begun. Now for the final push.

All eyes are firmly set on the calendar as the final countdown begins.

When I was in school in the olden days (the last century, literally) there wasn't much emphasis on self-care and emotional well being in the lead up to exams. Or ever for that matter. But what I do remember and what I am, to this day, enormously grateful for is an exam preparation technique that a teacher shared with us in the final days of school. And while I can't recall it word for word, I've prepared a PDF version that will take you only a minute or two to complete. It's a great way to fine-tune a skill that you'll need for every exam. Inherent in it is a valuable lesson - one that certainly saved me a world of pain!

I hope you (or your teenager) find it helpful too! If you do it, you'll avoid the 'Oh NOOOOOO' feeling when the exams come.

So here it is - all that's needed is a sheet of paper, two pens, scissors and a timer. It's best to time it and see if you can get it done in 90 seconds or so. If you are a parent try it yourself first as a test run and you'll get a sense of whether or not it's a fit for your son or daughter.

Click on this link to open the technique in a new window -  Exam preparation technique.

If you missed my post on Survival Tips for Exams it's certainly not too late  -  click here if you think that might be helpful for you, or a friend or your son/daughter.