1. STUDY SKILLS Fail to prepare Prepare to Fail!

2. Why study? IT WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED – IT’S THAT SIMPLE! Make a commitment. What is the point of spending all the time in school to end up with poor results at the end of the day? Time is precious – use it wisely – take a small piece of time to study what you have learned – then time is school was not wasted time. Believe in yourself –your teachers believe that you can do well – you need to believe it too! Try your best – that’s all we ask. Not trying at all is a waste of time.

3. BE ORGANISED Have all course content unit notes / text books / jotters / revision exercise to hand. NO Find a suitable place to study – with NO distractions. Find appropriate times to study. Use a study timetable. Allocate 45-60 minute blocks per subject. Try to study no more than 4 subjects per study session. You may feel it useful to do intensive study on one subject on one evening per week – to test how much you have retained.

4. SAMPLE TIMETABLE SESSION 1SESSION 2SESSION 3SESSION 4 6-6.45 pm7-7.45 pm8-8.45 pm9-9.45 pm MONDAY English Topic: French Topic: Music Topic: Maths Topic: TUESDAY Chemistry Topic: Graph Comm Topic: BM Topic: Unit 1 Art Topic: WEDNESDAY English Topic: French Topic: Music Topic: Maths Topic: THURSDAY Chemistry Topic: Graph Comm Topic: BM Topic: Unit 2 Art Topic: SESSION 1SESSION 2SESSION 3SESSION 4SESSION 5 10-10.45 am11-11.45 am3-3.45pm4-4.45 pm6-6.45 pm SATURDAY English Topic: French Topic: BM Topic: Unit 3 Maths Topic: SUNDAY Chemistry Topic: Graph Comm Topic: Music Topic: Art Topic:

5. How to organise study sessions Target a unit/topic per session. Find the key elements of the topic (it may be in a list on your text/notes). Create your own brief lists/maps on each point at the start of the session to focus on what you will study. Now read the text/notes you have been given by your teacher. Do you remember this content? Finally, access sample questions and test yourself on these questions.

6. Train your brain - Visuals Use visual aids – pictures, diagrams, make wordles.

7. Train your brain – Mind Maps Use Mind Maps to keep all the key elements of a topic on one page.

8. Train your brain - Mnemonics Use mnemonics to remember key words & order.

9. Train your brain - Quiz Make up a quick quiz to test whether you know the answers to key questions.

10. Healthy body, Healthy Mind Take regular breaks Take regular breaks, stop every 45-60 mins for a break. (Don’t take longer than a 15 min break – you may lose your motivation to study.) Drink plenty of water Drink plenty of water – to hydrate your brain. Eat healthy foods Eat healthy foods, not junk. Get plenty of sleep Get plenty of sleep. A well rested brain absorbs more information and processes information more quickly. Seek help. Seek help. If you need help – ask! Your teachers are paid to help you succeed – they will help you. Attend supported study sessions that are offered. Be confident Be confident. A confident and relaxed brain works much better than a worried brain!

11. The Exam – Techniques for Success Tip 1 Tip 1 – Read ALL questions on the paper before you start. Tip 2‘confidence code’ Tip 2 – You could use a ‘confidence code’ to identify strengths and weaknesses. √ √ - know this and can answer the question. ? ? – I think I know this/could get 2/4 marks. X X – I don’t know the answer to this. Tip 3√? Tip 3 - Do the √ Qs first, then those marked ?. In an exam – you could leave space for those questions you are unsure of and come back to those. Tip 4 Tip 4 - Attempt ALL Questions. Never leave a blank you have a 50% chance of gaining a mark if there is something written down and 100% chance of losing the mark if not. Tip 5 Tip 5 - Never leave the exam hall early. Review all your questions and if necessary add to or change questions.

12. Useful Links The following is a list of websites that are useful in suporting your study; Subject Content - BBC Bitesize – http://www.bbc.co.uk/education– http://www.bbc.co.uk/education SQA – Specimen Papers and 2014 Past Papers - http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/69284.html http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/69284.html http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm SQA Exam Timetable 2015 – http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/ExamTimetable2015.pdf http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/ExamTimetable2015.pdf Text Books - http://www.brightredbooks.net/subjects http://www.brightredbooks.net/subjects http://www.leckieandleckie.co.uk/index.html Ask your teachers to give you links to websites that are relevant to your subjects.